REVIEW: The Menstrual Cup
WARNING: If blood and female anatomy scare you, don't read any further. This post gets real.
So, I took the plunge. (No pun intended, but we might as well jump right in!)
For literally decades I've been hearing about the dangers of stuffing products up my vajayjay in order to go about my day like nothing's happening when it's that time of that month. (Here's a link to a more recent article from Time magazine: tampons-toxic-cancer.)
In more recent years, I've become more of an environmental warrior than ever. (I wrote one of my college entrance essays about the importance of recycling back in the **ahem** 80s). How could one not be an environmental advocate with all of the grotesque images of marine animal tummies filled with plastic bags proliferating our news streams?
Additionally (I'm guessing it's my pre-menopausal middle-age?), my menstrual flow has become horrific. (Sorry-not-sorry, if it's TMI: you were warned!) Let's just say that I grew mildly frustrated at having to clean my bed sheets every morning before work for a few days each month. Those huge, long-as-your-crack overnight pads, just weren't cutting it anymore!
I'd heard about the menstrual cup through a progressive girlfriend of mine, and even seen them on the store shelves--but at $30 a pop my monthly budget just didn't quite allow it.
Enter Instagram and its magnificent marketing algorithms. At just about the time that my early morning laundering reached maximum levels, an offer from First Greener to obtain a FREE menstrual cup appeared in my feed. Yes, I had to pay for shipping, but at $15, I was still able to obtain said cup AND stay within my monthly personal hygiene budget.
So here is what I found to be the good, bad, and the ugly.
1) The product came from China. I don't know exactly whether this falls under good, bad or ugly, but it did give me pause as I wondered about the safety of the product itself. After all, sticking unsafe products up into my VJ, you may recall, is one of the concerns at the top of my list. After some Google searching, I felt like it was safe enough to move forward.
Just a side note: it does take a little longer than usual for the cup to arrive due to it being shipped on some barge across the Pacific Ocean, but that's not that big of a deal--apparently some folks said their cups never arrived, but I received mine in about 6 weeks.
2) It is MES-SY. We have become so spoiled by our neat little cotton absorbing tamps that we have become immune to the fact that menstruation is a messy business. The British catch-phrase "bloody mess" comes to mind. This makes me laugh and having a sense of humor about it all helps. But honestly, if you can't deal with the reality that menstruation is lots of blood and bloody clots, then you probably can't handle the cup. (Truth be told, I like to think dealing with the bloody mess is a good reality check about life. And I have also come to the conclusion that I'd rather deal with a bloody mess in a small silicone vessel that can be easily cleaned than one that is soaked into my cotton bed sheets each morning.)
3) Related to the messiness of it, I have found that it is certainly nice to have a sink nearby--like one that you can reach directly from the pot! This helps curb the mess immensely. (The directions say that you can just dump the cup in the toilet and re-insert it if you need to, and I imagine you can just wipe your bloody fingers on some toilet paper, but a sink is a big plus.)
4) Perhaps the phrase "bloody fingers" caught your attention in item 3 above? Yep, that's right. Bloody fingers. I mean, I'm going to be frank: you have got to get UP IN THERE to remove it. Basically the cup forms a little vacuum seal inside your vag--which is one of its plusses really, because this means NO LEAKING--but you need to stick your fingers up in there--I mean way up in there--to break the seal when it comes time to dump the cup. This can require some intense finger manipulation--I'm talking both hands. At least it did for me. I'm a fairly new user--this is only my second month--so I'm thinking (hoping!)--this will get easier for me. But remember that first time you tried to use a tampon? It was like bathroom gymnastics trying to figure that out. Therefore, it's not a "con" per se, just something to be aware of. That said, it might be tough for a young girl (meaning one who hasn't had babies nor been sexually active) to use a cup.
5) When all is said and done, I have found the cup to be the only thing that has worked for my heavy periods. This thing does not leak. It's like a freaking miracle. You can go ALL DAY without spotting (though I do still use a panti-liner with it--mostly just out of habit.).
In summary, I am a now a firm believer in "The Cup." When I add it all up--the environmental* benefits, the financial savings, and the effectiveness of it--it makes the most sense to use. It's just good to know what to expect. Hopefully, this post sheds some light on that.
Now let's hear it from you! Are you a proponent of The Cup? Why or Why Not?
xox,
m
* Yes, I realize that silicone is synthetic. But it is known to be safer and more bio-friendly than plastic (i.e. think of all those plastic tampon applicators that people use--ICK!!). Even if you use cardboard tampon applicators, think of all that wrapping--and the chemicals and production that go into those items, whether it's a tampon or a pad. This cup is a small item that can be used for years and then recycled. It's a no-brainer as to whether or not it's better for the environment than pads and tampons. Just wanted to make that clear. :)
So, I took the plunge. (No pun intended, but we might as well jump right in!)
 |
| Menstrual Cup by First Greener. Photo: Meghan King Johnson (c) |
For literally decades I've been hearing about the dangers of stuffing products up my vajayjay in order to go about my day like nothing's happening when it's that time of that month. (Here's a link to a more recent article from Time magazine: tampons-toxic-cancer.)
In more recent years, I've become more of an environmental warrior than ever. (I wrote one of my college entrance essays about the importance of recycling back in the **ahem** 80s). How could one not be an environmental advocate with all of the grotesque images of marine animal tummies filled with plastic bags proliferating our news streams?
Additionally (I'm guessing it's my pre-menopausal middle-age?), my menstrual flow has become horrific. (Sorry-not-sorry, if it's TMI: you were warned!) Let's just say that I grew mildly frustrated at having to clean my bed sheets every morning before work for a few days each month. Those huge, long-as-your-crack overnight pads, just weren't cutting it anymore!
I'd heard about the menstrual cup through a progressive girlfriend of mine, and even seen them on the store shelves--but at $30 a pop my monthly budget just didn't quite allow it.
Enter Instagram and its magnificent marketing algorithms. At just about the time that my early morning laundering reached maximum levels, an offer from First Greener to obtain a FREE menstrual cup appeared in my feed. Yes, I had to pay for shipping, but at $15, I was still able to obtain said cup AND stay within my monthly personal hygiene budget.
So here is what I found to be the good, bad, and the ugly.
1) The product came from China. I don't know exactly whether this falls under good, bad or ugly, but it did give me pause as I wondered about the safety of the product itself. After all, sticking unsafe products up into my VJ, you may recall, is one of the concerns at the top of my list. After some Google searching, I felt like it was safe enough to move forward.
 |
| source: firstgreener.com |
2) It is MES-SY. We have become so spoiled by our neat little cotton absorbing tamps that we have become immune to the fact that menstruation is a messy business. The British catch-phrase "bloody mess" comes to mind. This makes me laugh and having a sense of humor about it all helps. But honestly, if you can't deal with the reality that menstruation is lots of blood and bloody clots, then you probably can't handle the cup. (Truth be told, I like to think dealing with the bloody mess is a good reality check about life. And I have also come to the conclusion that I'd rather deal with a bloody mess in a small silicone vessel that can be easily cleaned than one that is soaked into my cotton bed sheets each morning.)
3) Related to the messiness of it, I have found that it is certainly nice to have a sink nearby--like one that you can reach directly from the pot! This helps curb the mess immensely. (The directions say that you can just dump the cup in the toilet and re-insert it if you need to, and I imagine you can just wipe your bloody fingers on some toilet paper, but a sink is a big plus.)
4) Perhaps the phrase "bloody fingers" caught your attention in item 3 above? Yep, that's right. Bloody fingers. I mean, I'm going to be frank: you have got to get UP IN THERE to remove it. Basically the cup forms a little vacuum seal inside your vag--which is one of its plusses really, because this means NO LEAKING--but you need to stick your fingers up in there--I mean way up in there--to break the seal when it comes time to dump the cup. This can require some intense finger manipulation--I'm talking both hands. At least it did for me. I'm a fairly new user--this is only my second month--so I'm thinking (hoping!)--this will get easier for me. But remember that first time you tried to use a tampon? It was like bathroom gymnastics trying to figure that out. Therefore, it's not a "con" per se, just something to be aware of. That said, it might be tough for a young girl (meaning one who hasn't had babies nor been sexually active) to use a cup.
5) When all is said and done, I have found the cup to be the only thing that has worked for my heavy periods. This thing does not leak. It's like a freaking miracle. You can go ALL DAY without spotting (though I do still use a panti-liner with it--mostly just out of habit.).
In summary, I am a now a firm believer in "The Cup." When I add it all up--the environmental* benefits, the financial savings, and the effectiveness of it--it makes the most sense to use. It's just good to know what to expect. Hopefully, this post sheds some light on that.
Now let's hear it from you! Are you a proponent of The Cup? Why or Why Not?
xox,
m
* Yes, I realize that silicone is synthetic. But it is known to be safer and more bio-friendly than plastic (i.e. think of all those plastic tampon applicators that people use--ICK!!). Even if you use cardboard tampon applicators, think of all that wrapping--and the chemicals and production that go into those items, whether it's a tampon or a pad. This cup is a small item that can be used for years and then recycled. It's a no-brainer as to whether or not it's better for the environment than pads and tampons. Just wanted to make that clear. :)
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