Just Another Period Blog
Menstrual hygiene matters and it shouldn’t be something which is taboo, which is why I’m writing this post. We shouldn’t shy away from it! Instead we should spread the period love, I mean at least half the population has them every month!
It was time for a change and I decided one solution that could cover all my bases in terms of menstrual hygiene was in the form of a cup - a menstrual cup.
Eventually I found the ‘Organicup’, a Danish, eco-friendly and ethical brand which is focused on producing soft, organic, allergy and leak-free menstrual cups. I chose this brand because they are focused on their impact on the environment and they use materials that are less likely to irritate the body.
It worked out so well for me that I felt I needed to spread the word! You just have to get over the social stigma and strange ideas we have made up in our minds about the cups!
Fast forward a couple of years and, now, in 2019, I am a complete advocate for the Organicup but, to be honest, I haven’t always been a fan.
I ordered it after my friend mentioned she used it and it had made every month and every cycle easier; so she made me want to try it, but I was still very skeptical. Not only am I squeamish but the idea just grossed me out entirely. I decided to buy it and try it out as they had a free trial on which was ideal: if I hated it I’d send it back, no extra cost and no questions asked. But my first experience was...challenging; I thought I’d share my story so that you understand the challenges that come with trying out a new method to deal with your menstruation cycle so that you can break past that first barrier and make the most out of your menstrual cup!
“After opening this beautiful eco-friendly packaging I popped the cup in place and went about my evening and fell asleep! The next morning was when my problems started! After 20 minutes of stressing and panicking I finally got the cup out! I was light headed and felt sick so went back to bed for a while! The rest of my period I didn’t even want to use a tampon so resorted to years old sanitary towels I found hidden in the bottom of the cupboard!”
As the months went on I slowly encouraged myself to use the cup and now it’s just a part of me and my periods. Don’t get me wrong I’m still squeamish and if I see any blood in literally any other scenario I nearly pass out but this doesn’t bother me anymore. It almost makes me forget that I could have run out of sanitary products - or that I had to buy them!
The Cost effective solution!
The next point would be money! I had started travelling and was trying to save as much money to spend travelling as I could so this made sense. If I spent £20 now I wouldn’t have to buy another for 10 years saving me at least £700! I mean doesn’t it make more sense to have one reusable product for something you can guarantee will happen every month like clockwork! On average a person with periods spends nearly £70 a year on period products per year! Not to mention that the 300+ sanitary products that become waste and are used as landfill can take longer than me to decompose, which brings me to my next point:
It’s Environmentally Friendly!
Exactly one year ago today I pledged to be kinder to the environment and this meant making every part of my life “greener”.
Menstrual cups are good for the environment and, granted, many people might not rank this very high when buying menstrual products. But it matters quite a bit - it’s a product which I and ever other person who has periods, use and waste every month, without fail. Even if you chose the cup for other reasons, the environment is a little bit better with each purchase and it saves over 300 sanitary products filling up land waste sites per year.
So to recap:
I felt I needed to convince others to use the cup because I honestly think it’s a no brainer! In a serious note though, the points just make sense:
It’s environmentally friendly (there’s no outlandish packaging or constant trips to the bathroom with hideous coloured packets and there’s no need to throw away plastics)
It’s very cost effective (£20 for one which would last at least 1 year - not bad in my opinion)
It’s safer to use than tampons (the Organicup does not have plastics or other synthetic materials for you to introduce into your body. Reducing the risk of toxic shock syndrome???)
Now that the ‘organicup’ is a normal part for my life, it has made me curious. I have been researching into other alternative menstrual hygiene products. I keep being steered into the direction of period pants (or “lazy girl knickers” as my mum calls them.) I recently order a pair from ‘modibodi’ and surprisingly, for now, I am skeptical, I mean it took me 2 months to order the things! They are more expensive than the cup but many people swear by them; especially active, athletes and people going through their first periods. I thought they would be worth a try, especially when I just don’t want to use the cup! I will write “Period Blog Part 2” once I have tested them out and form an opinion! But for now, go and follow ‘organicup’ and ‘modibodi’ and learn more about your body and saving the world as eco warriors!
And if you enjoyed this piece don’t forget to share and like my blog to spread the period love!
