Ok this one’s for the girls, If you don’t feel comfortable talking about that time of the month, or blood, this post isn’t for you. I have no boundaries in this topic and I’m way too comfortable talking about this. But I want to help make that TOM less a pain in the vagina.
As women we all have periods, they suck and are annoying. I hear ya! Honestly getting my period has always just annoyed me because I had to remember to stock up on tampons, you know all three sizes since your cycle changes from heavy to light. And for those of you who are blessed with mind debilitating cramps tampons can feel very uncomfortable.
So where I am getting at is 2 years ago I switched from organic cotton tampons to a reusable silicone menstrual cup. I made this change honestly because I was sick of changing out a super tampon every 1-2 hours, TMI I know but that was reality. Also tampons for me always bothered me, felt dry and uncomfortable. And since I get my period every month for 4-5 days I didn’t need something that was uncomfortable bothering and putting me in a bad mood.
Why did I switch, this was a personal decision. I’ve used tampons since I first got my period back in 7th grade, pads were too bulky and uncomfortable for me. I’ve played sports, exercised and rode horses for years and they just didn’t work for me. I’ve always had a heavy flow, thank you endometriosis and genetics, so having to change a tampon every hour on my second day (Is the second day worse for anyone else?) of my cycle was honestly just annoying and wasteful. So yes one of the reasons I switched to a reusable menstrual cup was to help the environment. Go ahead and pat me on the back for that one Mother Earth! The second was so I didn’t have to keep buying tampons, and going through them like hot cakes. This was also the time I was seeing a naturopath to help regulate my hormones and prep my body to get pregnant. For the first time in my life I started paying attention to the color, texture and if I had clots (sorry if TMI), and using a menstrual cup would be easier to help me notice these kinds of things.
I know silicone is FDA approved, BPA free, chemical free and as far as we know its toxin free. Because the menstrual cup is made out of silicone it can be reused, they can actually be reused for 10 years, which is life changing for the environment. I don’t even want to think of all the tampons going into the trash every year. Also per Saalt the menstrual cup also helps keep the pH in the vagina balanced and can be worn for up to 12 hours, making it super convenient for busy on the go gals, and the small one can hold 3 tampons’s worth of blood. Also I’ve noticed since switching to the menstrual cup my cramps have been less severe. Which is also a win win.
So now lets talk about fit and comfort, you should not feel the cup if it is the right size and inserted correctly. It may take a few brands to find what works for you, I’ve tried 5 and found which ones I prefer. I go back and forth between the Lunette and Saalt soft. With these two I do not experience leaks or discomfort. When I am more sensitive and I’ll use the saalt soft since it helps with pressure and bladder pain. For me the Intimina Lily Cup did not fit correctly, and leaked the whole time.
Next thing to master is how to get it up there. There are many different folds that you can do to insert it. I prefer the C fold, its easy and what works for me. It will take a few tries to see what fold works best for you! So don’t give up the first try. Also if you know when to expect your period you can put it in prior so you don’t have any oops messes. Here are some of the folds, if for some reason your cup doesn’t come with these instructions. You can also you tube different folding options.
C fold- top view 
C fold 
7 Fold 
Punch down fold- top fold 
Punch down fold
There are instructions of how to clean your cup, please follow them. You can boil it to sanitize then use mild soap to clean. Also after dumping it rinse it with cool water before cleaning to avoid staining. Since the cup is silicone it is safe to leave in for 12 hours, which means you can deal with it first thing in the morning and right before bed so less chance of dealing with it in public. You can buy wipes to leave in your purse in case you need to dump it in public.
But first let’s talk about cotton tampons and pads. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you don’t want to make the switch, cool I respect that. But please make sure you are using organic feminine care products. Per Naturepedic cotton is sprayed with 25% more pesticides than any other crop in the world. Personally I try to avoid pesticides, eating them, using them, having them absorbed into my body. Hello Giggles wrote a great blog post on all the reasons why NOT to use regular tampons. So now that we all know that conventional cotton is sprayed with nasty AF things, why would you want to put that up you vajayjay and absorb that into your body. And honestly I don’t give an F that the FDA says conventional tampons are fine for us. But we all know that pesticides are not really healthy for us. So do your research and make the best decision for your body.
Here are some organic options that I like.
Organic Tampons
And these are the Menstrual cups I recommend, just remember to get what sizing you fall under.
And if either of these options aren’t sounding good to you, did you know there is period underwear, yes underwear you wear and it collects all the blood, rinse and wash as normal. How cool is that!!
I hope I answered all your questions of feminine care during that TOM. Not only is switching to a menstrual cup better for the environment, but you won’t be running to the store because you are out of supplies. Don’t lie you know you’ve stuffed toilet paper on your underwear and ran to the store because Aunt Flo came early and you were out. Also the cup can help with cramps, are you ready for the switch? Leave a message below if you have any questions that I didn’t answer.
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