This post got banned from Facebook for inappropriate information.. I LITERALLY CANNOT BELIEVE THAT!
If you don't want to hear about periods and our sacred moon time boys, then get out of here!!
Now ladies, some of your may already use a menstrual / diva cup and others may be interested, but not sure of the pros / cons. This post will hopefully lay it all out.
What is a menstrual cup?
A silicon reusable cup inserted into the vagina to catch blood. It is emptied, rinsed and re-inserted, feels similar to a tampon, except instead the cup is reusable.
Benefits of a menstrual cup:
Saves money: The initial investment is more than the usual monthly pick-up. However, the savings are there in the end since the cup is reusable, plus I always find it nice that there can be no immediate hassle to pick up supplies every month. Clinics give out free cups, so a great place to ask about trying one for free.
Saves environment: The packaging of the cup is the only waste. The use of other sanitary methods use plastic and paper on every use! If we counted up all the waste per year, that would be at least a garbage bag full, and multiply that by how many women we have on this earth and that's a lot of waste! Did you know there are reusable pads? Period underwears? Plastic-less tampons?
Less overall: Instead of counting trips to the bathroom, we can leave the house with the confidence of the cup already in us, or in our pocket. Ideal for travellers, and people who travel light or want less to worry about.
Stay in-tune: Allows us to really see what is going on. For people who are shy at the sight of blood this may be an eye-opening experience. We can really determine how much blood-loss is occurring, the consistency, colour, and thickness. This can help us monitor our health, such as what types of food cause what, how stress impacts our cycle and why certain days we may feel weakest or strongest.
Comfort & size: The cup is extremely comfortable. The silicon bends with the body, comes in multiple sizes, allows for full range of movement and compared to another sanitary options, the cup can hold more blood.
Disadvantages to the menstrual cup:
More detail below, but the double trip to the sink can be cumbersome if you are in a rush or are in a public bathroom.
If you forget your cup and then have no supplies! Obviously this is an easy fix, either still carry emergency tampons / pads in your bags or make a trip to a store.
It gets stuck? This happened to my friend and I am still unsure of how she let this happen... but you just have to relax, lubricate the area with coconut oil or another oil, and pull it out. lol. I personally have never experienced this issue. Perhaps in her case she had the wrong size....
TIPS: to keeping it sanitary:
Just like all feminine hygiene products, proper procedure is important. We have to honour our body and keep things clean.
When it comes to menstrual cups- it is best to make a trip to the sink before the toilet to freshen up our hands.
At home it is pretty easy to dump the cup, and then rinse in the sink (most likely beside the toilet). In a public restroom things can be a little different, so either bring a water bottle, use toilet paper or bring it out to the sink to rinse.
Insertion fear:
Looking at the cup, we might think: how does it even work? get up there? feel? and how do we get it out? Each box comes with an instruction manual, and a diagram of how to angle during insertion- plus tips on the removal process. Also check out the diva cup website they do an awesome job.
For first-timers or nervous gals, coat the cup in coconut oil, shea butter or cocoa butter to help lubricate the area.
Removal:
The stem is used to pull the cup out. After the first use, feel if the stem needs to be clipped shorter, because you don't want it hanging too low / causing irritation.
To remove: pull the stem to bring the cup lower to fresh air. At this point we can grasp the bottom of the cup and pull it out. How do you know when? You can feel when the cup has become enlarged and full, plus you get the hang of timing.
Cleaning:
Water is usually enough to rinse the cup.
We can clean the cup with castile or another natural soap.
What do you think?
Samantha