Let me start with a short story about a girl named Emily.
Emily’s had a long day, between classes, that group meeting she didn’t want to go to and realizing midday that she’s out of toilet paper and has to add a trip to the store into her schedule somehow. Luckily, she has a fancy evening out with her friends that she’s been looking forward to all week. She gets dressed up quickly, orders an Uber and she’s there. Finally, things are starting to look up. She orders those yummy bruschetta appetizers she’s been craving but just as she’s starting to relax, that sickening feeling hits her.
“Hey guys… does anyone have an extra tampon.”
“Nope.”
Just when Emily thought this day couldn’t get any worse, it became a complete disaster. She’s made a rookie mistake– forgetting to bring extra tampons when she’s on her period.
We’ve all been Emily, and it sucks. One day, I decided I didn’t want to be Emily anymore. I wanted to be free from the responsibility of having to remember to bring tampons and pads with me wherever I went for five days every single month. So I bought a menstrual cup and here are four reasons why I think you should too.
Menstrual cups make you forget you’re on your period. You only have to take it out in the mornings and at night if you have an average flow, so you can forget about it during the day. This might not be the case for those women with a heavier flow but I can guarantee that the menstrual cup dump will still be more infrequent than the tampon/pad change.
Menstrual cups are also better for the environment. Let’s do the math together for someone with an average period. Let’s say you use four tampons or pads a day for five days. That’s 20 every month or 240 a year. Let’s say a menstrual cup lasts three years if you take care of it properly. 240 times three years is 720 tampons or pads. If you buy the normal pack with about 16 tampons or pads, that’s 45 packages you wouldn’t need to buy if you had a menstrual cup for three years. If someone gets their period at age 15 and it lasts until age 45, that’s 30 years and 450 packages of pads and tampons you wouldn’t need to buy in your lifetime. And that’s just you! Think about the impact we would be making if every woman owned a menstrual cup. Let’s also not forget about the ladies who use pads and tampons together. Multiply all the above numbers by two!
Menstrual cups also save money. If we continued with our example from above and assumed that we would buy 45 packages of pads or tampons in three years, and each package costs about six dollars from Walmart or Shoppers Drug Mart, that’s $270 you would save in three years. Your total gain would be $235 after subtracting the menstrual cup that costs about $35. That’s around $2,350 saved in a lifetime. Let’s not forget about panty liners, which add additional costs. Take note I have done rough calculations – some brands cost different amounts, there are different sizes of packages and pads and tampons also vary in price.
On your period at the pool or lake? No problem. How can you enjoy your time by the water in the summer if you know you’re on your period and have to run to the bathroom to change your tampon right after you get out of the water? What if there’s no bathroom in sight? The menstrual cup solves this problem so easily. You can keep it in and go in and out of the water whenever you want.
There are so many other benefits to menstrual cups and it’s worth doing some research for yourself if you’re even the slightest bit interested. The way we deal with periods is at a turning point and I’m glad that I can say I’ve been part of this change. If you’re looking for one easy sustainable thing to do in 2021 or have always wanted to buy a menstrual cup, this is your sign to go to the store or order one online right now.