The average woman will use over 500-period pads and tampons over the duration of 2 years and approximately 11,000 tampons and pads in their lifetime, the vast majority winding up in landfill and plastic waste. 1.5 billion .. (yes BILLION) menstrual items are flushed down Britain's toilets every year!!
If you are a tampon girl, like me, you need to double-check the tampons you are putting into your body. Most tampons include ingredients such as Rayon, Dioxin, Non-Organic Cotton, Fragrance and Chlorine and these are extremely harmful to your body. Toxic Shock Syndrom (TSS) isn't just caused by leaving your tampon in your body too long but can be caused by toxins produced by bacteria. Using high-absorbency tampons increases the risk of TSS.
Reusable and sustainable sanitary products have been around longer than we probably realise yet it is only in the last few years that they have really been encouraged. I have always wanted to make the change to not only cheaper option but a more environmentally friendly one too.
Here's how I got on...
The Organicup is an award-winning menstrual cup which replaces pads and tampons. It is an easier, more environmentally friendly and greener option than using tampons or pads.
I decided on the Organicup because it is made from hypo-allergenic materials, it is 100 per cent FDA approved, latex and dye-free. It is also vegan, cruelty free and has a 90 day satisfaction guarantee, so if you have tried your menstrual cup for 3 periods and either don’t get on with the product you can either swap it or return it and get a full refund.
Finally, OrganiCup is packaged in a cardboard box with a reusable fabric bag for your cup. There is no unnecessary plastic waste!
Most menstrual cups come in a range of different sizes. I chose option A as this is for people who have not given birth, there is option B for those who who have given birth and mini size for those who are in their early teens and new to using products such as this one.
Compared to tampons, menstrual cups can be worn for up to 12 hours, rather than a tampon which you might change every 4 hours. This is what I loved. I loved not worrying about keeping track of time and thinking about how many tampons I needed with me when I was out. When placed correctly, much like a tampon, you shouldn't feel it, you can swim, run, dance and even sleep without any worry or pain.
When it comes to cleaning it, you can either rinse it out if you are in a toilet where you can do that (preferably a disabled or private toilet) or you can empty it, wipe it down with toilet roll and then re-insert. Easy peasy.
Sounds like a dream right?
Wrong (well for me that is).
If I'm going to be honest, the first few tries were very much a struggle. I was messaging some of my friends (who already use the menstrual cup) asking them for the advice of the best way to insert it and feel comfortable. Everyone's body is so different and what works for one person might not work for the other, and I found that out the hard way. Youtube is your best friend in this situation!! There are so many videos of girls explaining what works for them and how they insert it, this really helped me out a lot.
There are a lot of ways you can insert the cup such as the ’C’ fold, the pinch fold and the 7 fold. For me personally, I found the 7 fold the best, but again everyone is different.
If you are a pad wearer than this step might take you a little longer, but you'll get there, it just takes practise.
Now without going into too much detail, when it came to rinsing it out after a few hours of wearing it, this is where I hit my first hurdle. I couldn't find it to remove it. Basically the cup I was using comes with a little stem which is a guide to go by in order to release the suction and ... well, I couldn't find it!.. And when I say I was in all sorts of positions is an understatement. I felt like I was a contortionist. It was not quick and easy like I had seen on the videos. After a long time, much longer than it should have been, I got it out and pleaded that I would never, ever, put myself through that again.
I told myself to not give up and give it another chance so day 2 I inserted it like some kind of pro and thought 'Yes Lys, you got this'. A few hours passed, completely forgetting I was on my period because I was so comfortable and then realised I needed to attempt to take it out. SPOILER ALERT.. it happened again !!...
After a lot of research I the found out that the length of your cervix can really alter the size or length of the cup you should use and that it’s good to measure it and find out. I also noticed that some cups can suction themselves to your cervix which is obviously what happened to me.
I definitely haven't given up trying and I really want to master it! Don't let this put you off. A few of my friends use a menstrual cup all the time now and live by it. They find it super easy to insert and take out and have no leaks and no worries.
Unfortunately, the part I am struggling with is removing it and that's kind of vital. I will perhaps try and different cup and see if that is different for my body, I think its definitely a trial and error kind of situation.
Despite the literal ups and downs, I would still 100% recommend making the switch. Do your research on the different options and watch Youtube reviews on them. The cup is worth a shot, it may or may not work for you, but if it works it’s going to be a real game-changer!
Check out https://www.organicup.com/ for more information.
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