A Girl Chat May 4, 2007
Posted by spacemom in : Nance , trackbackOkay, If you are male and squeamish, You might just want to browse somewhere else for today…
So now that those who are still around know what I am talking about, It’s that time of month again. Yes, Aunt Flo, the Red Flood, On the Rag, Raggin’ it, the Red Hag, you know, menstruation. It bites. I hate it. Okay, it was all nice and useful for those 18 months the kids needed the padding, but please can this just stop? Alright, I know, I am only 36, so I’ve got another 10+ years of this (130 ish times, lovely!)
My mom (bless her heart) handed me a box of pads and tampons when I was 12 and left me to read the instructions. Um, okay. I plan on teaching my girls a bit more. I learned a hell of a lot about my body from Fertility Awareness Method (FAM) and checking cervical mucus and cervical position while trying to conceive.
One thing I just accepted was a menstrual cup. Before y’all go ick on me, hear me out. Instead of placing a diaper (pad) on my panties or inserting a piece of cotton (tampon) in my vagina, the last two cycles I have used a menstrual cup. The one in particular is the Diva Cup. The idea is simple, a silicon cup that is held my the vaginal walls and collects the menstrual discharge. So far, it is wonderful. You can sleep with this in. No leaks, empty it twice a day (morning and night). It’s not that messy and pretty easy to insert and remove once you get the hang of it.
The best part? Small environmental impact! Instead of tossing 20+ tampons a month, I just empty this puppy into the loo and whoosh, it’s gone. The additional 3 oz of material a month is no big impact on the sewer/septic systems. Yes, you do wash it every time to prevent introducing new bacteria. So, an extra use of water, but dudes, this is SO MUCH CLEANER than pads or tampons.
I know, it sounds so, CRUNCHY (kumbayah my lord kumbayah), but this idea has been around since the 1930s.
The original design used rubber, which many people are allergic to, and Kotex had the corner on the sanitary pad market. I am so not the crunchy type. I will go nuts without my Internet, my jelly beans and my electricity. I do care about my panties and the environment, however.
A while ago, I remember reading on Cancer,Baby (my her soul rest) that she had "period panties" that she only used for her period. Then she saved the rest for the non-messy days. I thought this was a great idea,but I hope my Diva cup prevents any leaks!
So that’s my chat for today, go, research menstrual cups and consider them as an alternative to the traditional and messy and environmentally icky methods.
Comments»
May I just say that, hot flashes and insomnia aside, being menopausal is Da Bomb? No more cramps. No more migraines three days prior. No more suicidal depression switching to homicidal mania within the week prior. Yay!
Ahem.
My mom did just about the same thing yours did. Didn’t help much. Like you, I definitely plan to do different with my dotter.
I may have to try that…I am so sick of periods. Mine are pretty painful and mess y with the ednometriosis…
I’ve always been curious about the cups (I see them in the back pages of BUST every month), but wondered just how reliable they could be. Thanks for sharing your cup experiences, not many would.
Oh, and we ALL have period panties, don’t we? I have two pairs, a grey one that is so old the crotch has tears (kinda defeats the purpose).
i totally have period panties too and have since i was a teenager. i have been thinking about trying that Diva thing, thank you for the review!
I love, love, LOVE my Diva Cup. And…they have a ONE YEAR money back guarantee. So really, how bad can it be to try? My favorite part about using the cup (besides not having to run out and buy tampons?) is when you don’t bleed too much and you take it out, you don’t feel like you are ripping your vagina out!!!
Unfortunately this really doesn’t work for everyone. It depends on how you’re built. It’s a good idea, just doesn’t work always. Especially for those who don’t have sex with boys