Since having my son, I've suffered with really heavy, damn awful periods. The pain, I could work through with painkillers and a hot water bottle, but it was the heaviness of flow that literally stopped me in my tracks. I was using Tampax super, super tampons and they were only lasting an hour or less in the first few days. I had to wear awful sanitary towels as well and couldn’t go very far without risking leakage and needing a loo. (Once I actually used my son's nappy to give me a break from toilet runs!) (Oh the glam)
The I discovered the menstrual cup. I was looking at ways to reduce the toxins in our home and came across several articles on the menstrual cup.
My first thought was. 'No way!' Having fingers covered in blood and the faff of having to wash the cup wasn't appealing at all, but after reading about the toxicity levels in female sanitary products and various case studies from women who had used them. I decided to get over myself and give it a go. I had nothing to lose.
There are a lot to choose from, it turns out, but I went for the Moon Cup.
Best. Decision. Of. My. Life.
My periods changed literally over night. It took a couple of months (about 3 periods) to nail using it and getting used to cleaning it, but it instantly stopped the leaking and having to stay by the toilet for those first days of my period.
Once I'd mastered putting it in and cleaning it, there was no stopping me. After the first month of going tampon free, my periods had improved significantly and now, over a year later, I barely get any pain at all and I only have a ‘heavy’ bleed on the first day. And you can't really call it heavy compared to what I was getting.
Going from a week of pain and a lot of mess, to one day – I can totally handle that. The only problem I now have is that I have to keep an eye on when I’m due on, because I don’t get those stomach knots that signalled the red flag. (Although the chocolate cravings and tears are often a good sign!)
I know it sounds like a huge change to make if, like me, you’ve been using tampons or sanitary towels all your life. And I totally get that catching your period blood in a cup has very little appeal, but if you’re suffering with heavy bleeding and crippling pain every month, I urge you to give it a go. Even if you don’t suffer with bad periods, I’d still urge you to look at the chemicals in the sanitary products you’re using. It’s not good. It's really not good at all.
It is a big change to make, so I've had a think and come up with some tips to help you through the first month:
The I discovered the menstrual cup. I was looking at ways to reduce the toxins in our home and came across several articles on the menstrual cup.
My first thought was. 'No way!' Having fingers covered in blood and the faff of having to wash the cup wasn't appealing at all, but after reading about the toxicity levels in female sanitary products and various case studies from women who had used them. I decided to get over myself and give it a go. I had nothing to lose.
There are a lot to choose from, it turns out, but I went for the Moon Cup.
Best. Decision. Of. My. Life.
My periods changed literally over night. It took a couple of months (about 3 periods) to nail using it and getting used to cleaning it, but it instantly stopped the leaking and having to stay by the toilet for those first days of my period.
Once I'd mastered putting it in and cleaning it, there was no stopping me. After the first month of going tampon free, my periods had improved significantly and now, over a year later, I barely get any pain at all and I only have a ‘heavy’ bleed on the first day. And you can't really call it heavy compared to what I was getting.
Going from a week of pain and a lot of mess, to one day – I can totally handle that. The only problem I now have is that I have to keep an eye on when I’m due on, because I don’t get those stomach knots that signalled the red flag. (Although the chocolate cravings and tears are often a good sign!)
I know it sounds like a huge change to make if, like me, you’ve been using tampons or sanitary towels all your life. And I totally get that catching your period blood in a cup has very little appeal, but if you’re suffering with heavy bleeding and crippling pain every month, I urge you to give it a go. Even if you don’t suffer with bad periods, I’d still urge you to look at the chemicals in the sanitary products you’re using. It’s not good. It's really not good at all.
It is a big change to make, so I've had a think and come up with some tips to help you through the first month:
MY TIPS
Stay away from festivals and long days away from the comfort of your home toilet, for the first period. It does take some getting used to and you'll probably want to be at home for the first 'insertion'!!!
Keep a bowl in your bathroom if your toilet isn't next to your sink. It's best to give it a good rinse every time you empty it, and when your period is a bit heavier in those first few days it's better to stay sat on the loo and wash the cup in a bowl of hot water than having to make your way to a sink and risk 'dripping'. (I know!)
When you're using a public loo, either take a bottle of water to squirt over the cup, down the toilet, or (if that seems like too much of a faff.) (it does to me!) just empty and put it straight back in. I don't think it's worth the risk of dropping it down the loo. You shouldn't have to change it as often as you did with a tampon, so it's not really that much of an issue anyway.
Keep wet wipes and a dedicated towel nearby. Yeah it can get messy. Use wipes or loo roll to keep hands clean during and then wash them after you’re done. Obvs!
Some months, I use a sanitary towel for the first two nights. I tend to go to bed around 10pm, so it's a long time and sometimes it can leak. But if you're up in the night anyway, you won't need to worry about that.
Benefits
For me, it's significantly reduced my periods - from the amount of blood to the pain.
Cost- I paid £20 for the Moon Cup. You start saving money after just a couple of months. (Especially if you've got very heavy periods and have to use both tampons and towels)
Waste - there is none! No smelly, blood stained tampons or towels left in the bin. Did you know that smell is the tampon, not your blood? Huge bonus for me. (and for our landfill sites too)
Chemicals – it’s not an easy one to prove. (Because the manufacturers don’t tend to spill on the ingredients that go into making tampons and towels) But it does make sense when you actually look into it. Some might say it’s nonsense. Some will say it’s scaremongering. I say, the results speak for themselves.
Cons
It is a bit messy, but ladies it is just your blood and it's very easily washed off. Trust me, I was wary about this part. But the benefits, for me, far outweighed any issues I have getting a bit of blood on my hand. You just have to get over it. I don’t even think about it now.
This is a great summary from Buzzfeed '18 reason you should use a menstrual cup'. Check it out.
And because these things aren't for everyone 'An Ode of Hatred to my Diva Cup.'
And because these things aren't for everyone 'An Ode of Hatred to my Diva Cup.'
