This post is about - Why and How, I made the transition from using cloth to pads, to tampons and to
menstrual cup.
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| Taken from google images |
Since the age of 15, I have been told to use the pads because it was considered more
hygienic than using cloth to collect the period flow. So for more than 15 years
now, without questioning this myth, I have been sticking in a pad which comes
wrapped in colourful papers, sprayed with pleasant scent and few even patched with
floral designs on their inside. It felt heavenly to be switching from clothes
to pads, because it needed no washing. Use and throw was the trend then. It was
easy to ignore the plastic going down the drain.
I have to thank the whole interlude of Padman movie and the volume of conversations
it spurred on Social Media around Menstruation.
I came across menstrual cups on one such posts and was very intrigued.
Trust me, inserting anything external into my vagina, till then sounded very
bizarre and freaky.
I spent days exploring/reading/discussing about this whole new
discovery. It instantly rang a bell for two main reasons. One, Sanitary pads,
obverse to my understanding, turns out to be very dangerous to your vaginal
health. Two, sanitary pads take centuries to disintegrate. Not sure if they
ever even decompose.
Let me just scratch the surface and highlight the impacts of Sanitary
Pads on Health and Environment.
Health
The impact of Sanitary pads and tampons range from skin rashes to infertility
to cervical and ovarian cancer on a long run. The commonly used chemicals
include dioxins, cellulose gel and plastic components in majority. Few
manufacturers use harmful pesticides and herbicides as bleaches. It takes no
effort for these chemicals to enter the blood stream as they are directly
exposed to the vagina.
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| Composition of a Sanitary Pad, taken from google images |
Environment
A quick math highlighted, I was dumping 20-30 cotton pads which is made
of 90% plastic with varied doses of superabsorbent gels, every month, which
comes up to approx. 360 pads every year. Now let me NOT go any further
multiplying this number with number of years, number of women population using
pads and stuff. I am so sure that the number is massive and alarming.
Here is to give you a glimpse of the journey of these pads, the raw
materials are mostly petroleum products and bleached wood pulp. There are treated
with several chemicals to make it hygienic and is dressed up in colourful
pouches. Only to sit under your vagina collecting all the period flow, and
eventually end up in a landfill. They easily take centuries to disintegrate
which means all the pads that you once used as a 15-year-old are still intact
in some corner of the world.
This is NOT fun at all.
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| Some more statistics, taken from google images |
So, what are the eco-friendly menstrual options out there
Cotton pads/tampons
Though I had switched to cotton pads/tampons which are lot less harmful
to your body, they are still dangerous to the environment unless they are
disposed in a sanitary disposal unit.
Cloth Pads
The conventional cloth pads are certainly eco-friendly and hygienic,
however, the process of washing and drying them in sunlight is essential and a
task. It’s bigger a task while you’re traveling. Inspite of being an
environment freak, the idea of switching back to cloth pad was NOT something I
was ready for just yet.
Menstrual Cups
It is a flexible silicone or latex rubber cup which collects your period
blood. They are folded to insert into your vagina, springs open and rests
against the vaginal wall. Inserting and removing the cup involves some learning
curve, and when inserted correctly, it is hardly noticeable.
As a first step, I switched to cotton tampons with applicators, later to
tampons without applicators and once I got a hang of inserting it, I was ready
to try the cup.
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| Taken from google images |
Few hilarious experiences,
· I was, on one of the attempts, searching for my own
hole. That's how ignorant I was about my own body.
· For some strange reason, I always thought having an active sex life will make it easier to insert the cup. But NO, it doesn’t
matter.
· The first time I was inserting the cup, I realised the
value of the F word. I freaked out the first few seconds, but wasn't giving up.
I'm sure there will be heaps of reasons/stories stuck in the mind. It's all OK. Trust me, these are just assumptions/crazy ideas we carry in our heads. Time to break them all.
Few advices that helped me,
·
Finding the RIGHT CUP IS THE KEY. There are heaps of
forums where you can find one that works for you.
·
Fingering yourself to understand the vaginal track
helps manoeuvring the cup in and out.
·
Using a lube (I use a good quality coconut oil) makes
inserting lot easier.
·
Drink lot of water. This is because, when you insert
an external object into your body, it may cause irritation. Water keeps your
internal system hydrated.
·
ALWAYS wash your hands before using the cup.
·
Cut your nails, else a scratch on your inside pains like
hell.
·
Follow the cleaning instructions carefully.
·
Get used to seeing your period blood up close.
·
Talk about it to friends/family.
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| Taken from google images |
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Reusable (one cup for the whole period)
·
Cost effective in a long run (cups can be used for
years)
· Cleaning is fairly easy (remove - rinse - reinsert)
and sterilise in boiling water before and after every period
·
You’ll understand your vagina better
·
Forget those rashes, pain, stain (even after an
intense yoga session)
·
Can be worn for long durations (up to 12 hours)
Cons
It was hard to say good bye to long nails which I fancied so much. Yo ladies, if you love your nails, I'm sorry, you gotta get rid of them.
Final words,
I have never felt so good about Periods before this. It feels truly
empowering and liberating switching to cups.
I wrote this post with an intention to reach this message to more women
out there. Please don’t hesitate to share this with friends and family.
I found some of these links useful,
