For almost 2 years now, I have gone back and forth on the idea of switching to menstrual cups and I finally made the switch. I think most of my hesitation around the idea was that it would be hard to get used to, but that was the furthest from the truth. I honestly keep asking myself why I didn’t make the switch any earlier.
A menstrual cup is a silicone cup that is meant to be used instead of a pad or tampon to catch menstrual blood. Unlike pads and tampons, menstrual cups are reusable and therefore eco-friendly. But if that reasoning doesn’t convince you to make the switch, then maybe the other benefits I list below might.
1. You actually don’t feel it
My biggest hesitation is that I was going to be constantly feeling it but that wasn’t the case at all. Yes, in the beginning sometimes you do feel it, especially if you put it in wrong. However, once you get the hang of it, and you place it correctly, you shouldn’t be able to feel it!
2. No leak scares!
You won’t have to mess up your underwear anymore like when you use pads or tampons. Because of the suction that is created when the cup is inserted, there leaves no room for an opening in the cup and therefore it is almost impossible to leak through.
3. Avoid those annoying rashes
It is very common to get rashes from the friction of a sanitary pad. Why not avoid that by switching to a menstrual cup?!
4. No risk of toxic shock syndrome
Leaving tampons in can severely increase your chances of infection and Toxic Shock Syndrome. Menstrual cups were designed to be worn for long hours without the risk of infection that tampons typically have. You might feel much safer using menstrual cups than tampons.
5. Fewer bathroom breaks
You would not need to keep panicking every few hours and interrupting your schedule to take those bathroom breaks to change your pad or tampon. Menstrual cups can be worn up to 12 hours, even on heavy flow days, and therefore are very practical.
6. lighter on your bank
Since menstrual cups are reusable for up to 10 years, you save money in the long run since you won’t be buying pads or tampons every month. There are a lot of people living under “period poverty,” which is a lack of access to menstrual products, sanitation facilities, and adequate education, and menstrual cups could be the solution to that.
7. Seriously though, it’s eco-friendly!
Tampons and pads for the most part are not biodegradable. They take years to decompose and therefore are very harmful to the environment. The Huffington Post calculates that the 70 percent of menstruating women who use tampons each go through about twenty per menstrual cycle. Women have an average of 456 periods in their life, which translates to 9,120 tampons used. Using menstrual cups would drastically reduce the waste produced during one’s menstrual cycle.
Along with all these advantages, using a menstrual cup can weirdly get you more in tune with your body and menstrual cycle. It can give you more insights into your flow and make you appreciate the wonders of your body. Hopefully, this article gives you enough reasons to consider trying a menstrual cup. There are plenty of brands out there now, all catering to different needs, so do your research and figure out what would work best for you. The menstrual cup really changed the game when it comes to menstrual products and sustainability and I’m so glad I chose to finally make the switch.
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