I am on a constant journey of living more sustainably. Living in a way that permits me to use, but abstain from abusing, earth’s resources is something I’m passionate about. In reality, this isn’t a hard thing to do. It is nothing more than using reusable bottles and bags, limiting animal products in your diet, or biking or walking when possible instead of driving. Someone asked me a few months ago why it mattered that I didn’t eat meat, if I really thought I was making a difference. I am a firm believer that seemingly trivial individual choices lead to collective action, which then has the ability to challenge societal norms and trigger a response from industries. Never let anybody tell you that the small things you do in the attempt to make a difference don’t matter. They do. Every action has a consequence.
The first time I realized how much waste was produced from women simply managing their periods every month, I was on the beach after a storm. The tide had brought in mounds of trash and debris. My brother and I played a game of tallying all the plastic tampon applicators we saw mixed in with the shells, bottle caps, and driftwood. The fact that a young girl and her brother found tampon applicators both funny enough and taboo enough to tally them is probably a reflection of the way we are socialized from a young age into thinking that women’s menstrual cycles are both embarrassing and dirty, but that is a discussion for another article.
Despite being aware of the waste produced from using pads and tampons, I didn’t think I had another option. At least every few periods, I thought about my full garbage can and what that waste might look like multiplied by 12 periods a year and roughly 30-40 years of menstruation. According to “Flow: The Cultural History of Menstruation,” women throw away about 300 pounds of period related trash in their lifetimes. What is also particularly troubling is not only the presence of bleach and pesticides in tampons, but the fact that companies are not required to list these ingredients on packaging due to the FDA’s classification of tampons as medical devices. Furthermore, tampons alter the natural environment of vaginas by absorbing vaginal secretions as well as menstrual blood. Tampons then hold this mix of blood and mucus against the walls of the vagina, creating a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
For these reasons, I decided to try out the Diva Cup, a reusable silicone cup used in lieu of disposable pads and tampons. (If you’re just here for the sustainability factor and aren’t interested in my personal experience regarding the mechanics of menstrual cups, you can skip to the next paragraph.) You fold the cup up as illustrated on the packaging, insert it into your vagina like a tampon, and literally do nothing else. In the name of transparency, I will admit that since it is larger than a tampon, the first time putting the cup in and taking it out hurt a bit, but you feel nothing once it’s in there. You can leave the cup in for 12 hours, it hasn’t leaked on me yet, and it keeps you feeling clean and dry, a feeling I have yet to have while on my period in my 7 years of menstrual experience. After how many ever hours you feel comfortable with, you simply take the cup out (really not as hard as it may seem) and dump the contents down the toilet. Since everything is gathered inside of the cup, you really don’t have to worry about getting your hands dirty. I think I got a drop of blood on my fingers once, and even then, it’s your own blood. You can even check the lines on the cup to see how much blood you lost. A very interesting, and for some women, helpful, thing to know! Next just give the cup a rinse and reinsert it. Since it can be used for 12 hours at once, you can sleep in it and changing it in a public bathroom should never be a problem. If it is a situation you get stuck in, just wipe it off with toilet paper and reinsert it until next time. No big deal.
I am so pleased with my decision to give up pads and tampons in exchange for a menstrual cup. There is no full garbage can in my bathroom, no toxins in my body, and no wet feeling between my legs. Worth mentioning: menstrual cups are also a wise monetary investment. I bought mine for about $30 and they can be used for up to ten years! Compared to the amount of money you can spend on a 10 year supply of pads and tampons, it’s a smart economic choice too. In the end, how you handle your monthly period is a matter of personal choice and comfort, but I think menstrual cups need to be talked about more. I think many women, if they’ve even heard about them at all, brush off reusable sanitary products just because they haven’t heard enough about them. It’s a shame that there’s an economic, sustainable, and safe solution to bleeding that many women aren’t even aware of. Give menstrual cups a shot and start the conversation!