While I’ve mentioned menstrual cups in past blogs, until today I’ve avoided writing about them outright. There were a lot of reasons for this decision. I never thought of this website as an official “How-To Zero Waste” website, but rather a documentation of my journey as a zero waster. There’s plenty of literature already available that tells you how to reduce your waste as a woman who gets periods. I’m likely to link to these sources rather than write one myself because I want to write something new.
What does this dilemma have to do with menstrual cups? Well, if you’re going to avoid the typical step-by-step guide in favor of writing about your personal experience, things are going to get real personal real quick. But you may be thinking, “What’s wrong with that? This zero waste lifestyle is all about being edgy and daring and getting out of your comfort zone. This zero waste blog is about celebrating those adventures.”
Wrong. This blog has always been about celebrating the fun and carefree parts of those adventures. If it stops being fun, I stop writing and there’s nothing fun or carefree about periods. Periods suck. The whole first chapter of the Bible is there to explain why they (and childbirth) suck so bad.
So why am I putting myself through this? What event occurred to convince me to talk about my period and associated products on the internet? Simple: For a short time, the news suddenly cared that tampons can hurt people. Specifically, they cared that a certain type of tampon was recalled because there were multiple cases of the tampons unraveling inside people’s bodies. Truly terrifying stuff. I shudder to think what methods may be necessary for removing those tampon pieces. It was a wake-up call for me to say the least.
But here’s the thing: tampons have always been dangerous. Unraveling is simply the latest development in the list of reasons why. For instance, Toxic Shock Syndrome as a result of tampon use has been a known side effect for years and can have serious and permanent effects on your health. I experienced a constant underlying anxiety about this when I used to use tampons.
Regardless of this knowledge, I–like many women–continued to use tampons because their convenience made them a calculated risk. The only other option I knew of at the time were pads. Bulky, stinky, don’t-stay-where-they’re-supposed-to-and-get-blood-up-your-butt-crack pads.
Then, a few years ago, even before I knew what Zero Waste was, I watched a video about what women biologists in the field do when they’re on their periods. It mentioned menstrual cups and that sent me on a wild path that ended in purchasing a Lily Cup Compact.
As far as zero waste menstrual products go, I’ve only ever used a Lily Cup Compact.
Let me remind you that this blog is not meant to compare and contrast the best and worst menstrual products (although I did have a friend write about period panties if you’re interested). This is also in no way an advertisement. Consider it more like a review: I chose the Lily Cup because it’s collapsible. It collapses into this tiny pink compact that I can even fit into lady jeans’ pockets. That’s right, you entrenched fashion bureaucrats. It doesn’t matter how small you make our pockets. Still we rise.
You may decide to use a different menstrual product, and that’s okay! No two women have exactly the same period. To make it even more fun, in my experience no two periods are exactly the same either. If you go into a discussion about period products assuming otherwise, you’re bound to be frustrated or cause a lot of frustration in others. So let me just say before we go any further that the following points about menstrual cups are simply my experience using them on my period. The results may be different for you.
Menstrual cups do have an upfront cost.
As a result, many reusable period products may not be accessible to everyone. In the long run however, I’ve saved money with a menstrual cup compared to when I used tampons. My Lily Cup Compact cost around $40 and therefore paid for itself in a year (if you don’t consider the fact that my purse was stolen and I had to buy a new one). In addition, menstrual cups can be cleaned with soap and water, or boiled if you want to really sanitize the thing before using it. This means that unlike period panties or reusable pads, I don’t have to spend more precious laundry money washing them out. Therefore, if you have room in your budget to invest in a menstrual cup, it does drive down the cost of a zero waste lifestyle over time.
Across the board, you’ll see one consensus when it comes to using a menstrual cup: using it takes some practice.
Learning a new skill as an adult is famously more difficult than learning as a child. So yes, menstrual cups do take some practice, which can be frustrating if you’ve been having your period since you were twelve. But I would argue this is the case for any period product. One of my favorite puberty memories is the first time I used a maxi pad, giggling up a storm because it felt like a diaper, and then walking around like a cartoon pirate for a few hours. One of my least favorite puberty memories was the time I lost a tampon in my vagina because the string broke off.
There are always learning curves when you’re managing a period with a new technique. If you can get comfortable using a menstrual cup, I believe it’s worth the struggle.
That said, you’re going to get real up close and personal with your genitals to use it. I think this is the biggest barrier for most women trying to cut down on period waste. To combat this, I would suggest trying out a menstrual cup on a day where you don’t have a lot to do and you can just hang around the house. I find that if I’m stressed or upset (even if it’s just having a place to be or a big to-do list), it’s difficult to use a menstrual cup. Therefore, ease yourself into the process by blocking off a day to get used to it.
One of my mantras when zero waste living gets difficult is “Be kind to yourself.”
Since stress can make it more difficult to use a menstrual cup, I always have a back up plan. Whether you’re going through a big life event, stressed about your growing to-do list, or just ill, periods are stressful enough without unnecessarily adding a menstrual cup to the mix. I’m never actually without tampons or pads for this reason. Also, since leaking or overflow can occasionally be an issue, I plan on giving period panties a try in the future to cut down on my contingency waste. You may also find alternative methods helpful if you have vaginal sex on your period, as taking the cup in and out too frequently can be painful.
Once I got used to it, my menstrual cup was the best thing that has ever happened to my period.
While there are certainly some initial downsides, I’m so glad I gave menstrual cups a shot. Here are just some of the big reasons why they’re awesome:
- Most cycles, I only change my cup two or three times a day. Compared to tampons that for safety reasons should be changed every 4 hours, this has had a huge effect on my day-to-day anxiety. I no longer feel like I have to make sure there’s an accessible bathroom throughout the day. In a city like Seattle where there are few public restrooms, menstrual cups have made all the difference.
- While it can feel significant putting it in or taking it out, I don’t feel the menstrual cup while it’s in. In my pursuit to forget that I’m on my period as much as possible, this is a great victory.
- Like tampons, blood is relatively contained when you use a menstrual cup. I get a little grossed out by period panties and pads because my heavy flow means the blood is just…everywhere. So while menstrual cups can get a messy during the taking-out-and-cleaning process, I still prefer it to period panties and pads. Plus, as I said before, I only have to deal with the messy part a couple times a day.
- Menstrual cups really do reduce a serious source of disposable waste. With all the shame women often feel about periods (and sometimes just being a woman in general), it’s nice to reduce the shame anywhere we can. Keeping tampons and pads out of landfills and pipes has helped me. Also, I can’t have you forgetting that this is a zero waste blog.
- A lot of outdoorsy people will say that menstrual cups are a great option if you’re camping or spending an extended amount of time “in the field”. I have to take them at their word because I’m still learning how to a lot of my business outdoors. I do know that regardless of whether you’re indoors or out, using a menstrual cup means you have clean hands and have access to an excess of clean water and toilet paper. So far, I still need an bathroom with walls and running water to use my menstrual cup while camping or hiking.
After experiencing all these perks, I wondered why no one had told me about menstrual cups before. I’d been having my period for over a decade before I’d even heard of them. It doesn’t take a lot of research or logical thought to discover the answer:
Menstrual cups are not as profitable to companies as disposable period products.
Much like sustainable energy, invested capitalist corporations don’t want you to know about something you only have to buy once (maybe twice), particularly when they’re as affordable as menstrual cups. You buy one, and you’re good for years and years. Granted, I hypothesize that the reason menstrual cups are affordable is actually because there’s a lot of competition keeping people from using them. I wouldn’t want their affordability to change, but I suspect that if they become more popular, it may drop the cost of disposable products even more. Such a disruption to the marketplace would make it easier for women to care for their periods regardless of economic status (but that’s a rant for another blog).
However, no matter how prevalent the media is, a lot of the hush hush around menstrual cups comes from ignorance.
When I first decided to try menstrual cups, I told my mom and sister over a cup of coffee. I mentioned it in passing, and they completely freaked out. “Why?” they demanded and when I tried to answer they launched into a lot of misinformation about menstrual cups: they’re dangerous, they’re unsanitary, etc. Eventually I changed the subject.
In the last few years, I’ve seen the conversation shifting towards a better understanding of menstrual cups (and women’s health in general), to where I’m no longer as nervous to bring it up around friends and family. Often when I talk about them to women, they are intrigued at the very least. A few of them now use menstrual cups or period panties, too.
Ignorance perpetuated by the media is my actual reason for writing this blog. That, and training myself to not be ashamed to be a woman.
As I said at the beginning of this article, it’s hard for me to write about something as intimate as my period and the products I use to manage it. But life is hard enough without intentionally holding back useful information because it makes you uncomfortable. I’m hoping that by lending my small voice, I can help change the way women manage this incredibly annoying, painful, and inconvenient thing we all have to deal with from puberty til menopause.
So, to summarize: menstrual cups are more practical than pads and safer than tampons. They’re also way less wasteful. I think any person who gets their period (and can afford it) should at least try a menstrual cup to see if they like it. It may just become one of the most coveted things you own.