Let me preface this post by saying that this one is for the ladies. More specifically, this post will be about environmentally friendly feminine products. Boys feel free to stop reading now, or keep reading, but know that I warned you!
When I started reading Sleeping Naked Is Green I was hoping for a chapter on how to green that special time of the month and I was not let down. There was a chapter about The Diva Cup. This was the first time I had heard of menstrual cups and I was instantly intrigued. I had a feeling that a large amount of waste in my life came from disposable pads, tampons and their packaging. The following statistic is taken from the Diva Cup website:
"Women, on average, experience a lifetime menstruation span of 41 years (11-52). From use of disposable feminine hygiene, an estimated 12 billion sanitary pads and 7 billion tampons are dumped into the North American environment each year (1998). More than 170,000 tampon applicators were collected along U.S. coastal areas between 1998 and 1999."
Aside from cutting down on waste I was also excited by the fact that a reusable cup would save money. There are many different brands of cup out there such as: diva cup, moon cup, Lunette, Miacup and Ladycup. Personally I went straight for the Diva Cup based on Vanessa Farquharson's recommendation and I haven't tried any of the other cups, because the Diva works great! I'm never going back to disposable pads or tampons again! Let me take you through my experience...
At first I was a little nervous about the cup getting, well, stuck up there. I know it's not physically possible for anything to get "lost" but I was afraid that it might shift out of reach. I read and re-read the FAQ section of the diva cup website along with numerous reviews and finally felt like I was ready to use it. My first time using it was, um interesting. The insertion process took a few tries. There are a couple of different folding methods. I first tried the c fold, which didn't work. Next I tried the push down fold and it worked!
So it was in and I have to say it was very comfortable. I'm used to wearing tampons and this didn't feel any different. Then I patiently waited a few hours before my first attempt at removal. My worst fears had come true. It had shifted up and was a little hard to reach. I remembered what I read in the FAQ, followed the steps and it was out. Phew. Then I put it away and decided to try it again on my next cycle.
My second attempt at using it went much smoother now that I had some practice and knew what to expect. All of the reviews that I had read mentioned a bit of a learning curve and they are right. My first try at it was a little clumsy and may have been enough to turn me off from the whole idea, but I was determined to make this work. Now that I've got the hang of it I'm hooked. Let me tell you why I love it...
As I mentioned previously, it's a money saver. Some brands can last up to 10 years. The Diva suggests replacement every year or longer depending on how well you take care of it. I know that some women may not be too fond of the idea of inserting anything in there and I have to admit that it took me a while to even make the jump from pads to tampons, but it feels much more comfortable and takes away from my feelings of dread towards that certain time of the month. Speaking of tampons and pads, they are made from bleached cotton while the Diva is made of medical grade silicone. There is also no risk of TSS with a cup, it can be left in for up to 12 hours at a time and can be left in while sleeping.
My final thoughts are a little more personal, but I am glad to share this knowledge with the hopes that other women will consider making the switch to a cup. A few people have asked me about emptying the cup and if it is "gross." I wouldn't say it's gross, but it is a different experience. With pads and tampons you can't really be too sure about the amount of fluid. The cup allows you to not only see the actual amount (which will be much less than you expect), but it also has measurement marks. (The FAQ section on the diva website does a good job of explaining why). I feel like this has put me much more in touch with my own body, which in turn has made me much more comfortable with that time of the month. It has also made me much more comfortable discussing that time of the month. Which I feel is very important for women as a means to be comfortable with themselves in all aspects. I don't feel at all embarrassed by the fact that some men may read this. I hope that even they can benefit from the knowledge and maybe even pass it on to the lady in their life.
For those of you who still aren't convinced, or just aren't ready to take the leap, there are also many brands of reusable pads out there. Lunapads has to be the one brand that I see come up over and over again. I haven't tried them myself, but I have seen many good reviews about them. I have also seen brands of unbleached cotton pads at Whole Foods. So there are a couple different environmentally friendly options depending on what you're comfortable with. For me, it's the Diva Cup from now on.
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