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Do you want to know one of my all-time favorite stores? It’s CVS Pharmacy, I love it. They have everything I need from makeup to medicine and candy, anything I could ever wish for, it’s there. Unfortunately, because of the recent economic climate, paired with inflation, my beloved CVS has not had tampons for the past few months. I hit up my girl Target, nothing. Then, I rang my homie Stop & Shop, and nada again. From my hometown of Cape Cod all the way to my university in Newton, I have checked stores and stores. They all have fully stocked shelves throughout, and then a barren row of white metal sits underneath the “Feminine Hygiene” sign. I had had enough, so the next time my period started and I needed tampons and there were none to be found, I decided to take a last resort action. I was going to abandon tampons and try a menstrual cup.
For those of you who don’t know, a tampon is a plug, normally made out of cotton or another soft material that is used to absorb menstrual blood. They are normally, single-use products that one disposes of when full. A menstrual cup is a small flexible silicone cup that is placed at and around the opening of the cervix to collect menstrual blood, and is made to be completely reusable.
My friend and I stood in the CVS aisle, contemplating for a few minutes. I gave in, I went to the register, and I paid around $40.00 for The Cora Cup. It came with one menstrual cup, instructions, and a storing baggy. I was nervous. I had never used a product like this before, but I think this particular brand did a wonderful job in designing their instruction pamphlet. It had images, straightforward language/instructions, and had almost 2 pages of tips and tricks for usage, storage, etc. My first attempt did not go well. I did not insert it properly, and I could tell immediately, it did not feel right. I took another look at the instructions, tried another insertion method they had listed, and she was in. I hope you’re comfortable with yourself, because if you’re not, you’ll get comfortable real fast inserting one of these. You can’t be afraid to really get up there to make it fit comfortably and function correctly, but yikes my nails aren’t even THAT long and I had to be super careful to not scratch the inside of my vagina. Practice made perfect, and before long it was quick and painless. Taking it out, you also need to be comfortable with yourself, but with just a simple squeeze and pull it comes right out. Say goodbye to pulling out dry tampons!! The menstrual cup can never be “too dry”. This is by far one of the best qualities of this product.
I cannot say enough good things about my experience with a menstrual cup. First and foremost, the menstrual cup is a much more environmentally friendly feminine hygiene product. With the recommended usage of a single tampon, women easily go through thousands from the age that they first get their period to their last period when they are menopausal. My period lasts around 6-8 days, and I have a heavy flow. I used to go through so many tampons in a single day, but now with my cup I produce so much less waste and continue to lessen my carbon footprint. Along with being more environmentally friendly, I LOVE that I can change The Cora Cup once every 12 hours, which means I can sleep with the menstrual cup in and not worry about anything! I am quite a forgetful person, so if I’m on my period I really try to always have tampons on hand, but I don’t always succeed. Fun fact, you can’t forget something that is inside you, and I love that I will never have to ask to borrow a tampon again. I know I’ve been raving, but let’s be brutally honest, bringing my dirty menstrual cup to the bathroom sink to wash it before I can reinsert it is kind of gross. It can be extremely awkward if somebody is there, but I just try to be discreet and respectful of their space when I need to rinse the cup.
My closing tips after using my cup for an entire cycle would be to always grab damp paper towels before you go into a stall if you know your going to change your cup, buy two cups so you have a back up, don’t be afraid to try different insertion methods, be careful with your nails, and don’t be embarrassed with yourself to insert it (nobody’s watching). Go buy a cup! There are so many types, brandes, and shapes, so you’ll definitely find the one that’s right for you.