A few years back I decided to stop wearing tampons. I read a few pieces of research on how they can disrupt a woman’s cycle and cause issues. Not to mention the abundant waste they create. So I switched to organic cotton pads, and I hated how they felt, how they smelled the waste they created and the whole experience.
I started looking into alternatives. I came across something called the Menstrual Cup. I ordered the Saalt cup in pink in the regular size because I have quite heavy periods. My first 3 days are very heavy flow, and the following 3 are moderate. I had a very hard time adjusting to it. First, you have to be really comfortable with touching yourself and getting deep in there to retrieve the cup. I had a very hard time the first few days. I was afraid the cup was stuck in a few instances. Alas, I got it out! It’s not so bad. While you wear the cup you can’t feel anything at all. If it’s placed correctly you won’t even leak or see any spots behind in your underwear. If you wear it incorrectly and it hasn’t ‘latched’ properly, then it’ll be like you’re not even wearing it. That happened a lot in the first few months, and I ruined a lot of my underwear that way. This issue brought me to the other product that I was interested in to combat this issue of ‘leaking’. Even though I loved how free and flexible I could be with the cup on my 3rd day on, the first 2 days were almost guaranteed a leak of some extend. That’s when I came across Thinx.
Thinx is underwear designed for period. The underwear is lined with several different layers of absorbent and repellent material that keeps you dry. I was wondering if I could use just Thinx instead of the cup so I tried the Super Heavy Thinx. Not a good idea. They feel like diapers and they smell worse than pads. I decided to try with the cup, as I had originally intended, and with the moderate flow Thinx. That worked amazing! The underwear feels much lighter and still comfortable but it gives you that extra security that you can get away with anything basically. The cup does the heavy lifting, and the Thinx just ensures you’ll stay dry all day.
There was only one issue I still had to tackle: the cup removal. I hated taking out my cup. It was difficult, messy, and just not pleasant. That’s when I came across the FlexCup. This is a normal menstrual cup, but it includes a pull mechanism to easily remove it without any struggle. It’s all pitch black which makes sure there are no stains visible. I’m currently obsessed with it because it actually sanctions better than my previous cup and it makes life SO much easier.
I have to say since I started using cups, my periods have gotten shorter and less painful. I can take two Tylenol the day before my first day and I can actually go to work and not even think about it. That was not the case a year ago. Of course, my diet and other lifestyle changes have affected this area a ton, but still, it’s something noteworthy.
I know this piece might have been a bit different than the usual, but I really wanted to share with you my experience with cups, as I feel like it’s an amazing option not only because it’s more comfortable, and healthier for our bodies, but also because it’s better for us, the whole world, the environment! A woman can accumulate up to 10,350 tampons in her lifetime. That is insane and I think it’s time we took this more seriously!
