Everyone on my timeline these days seem to be talking about one thing – the menstrual cup. While most times I’ve felt too lazy to click on it, I was intrigued when a friend of mine pinged me a story talking about why shifting to a menstrual cup from tampons or sanitary napkins was a great idea.
To be honest, I am most of the times quite averse to using a foreign object during my menstrual cycle and that is precisely why I have not made the big shift to tampons yet. Call me crazy but I’ve had enough of ‘I know a girl whose tampon got stuck you know where’ stories to freak me out. However, I think that menstrual cups could be a great idea, albeit something that you will get used to with time.
What are menstrual cups all about?
Menstrual cups aren’t really a new thing. The DivaCup was always out there however the cups were non flexible, running up to two to three inches in length. The recent Lily Cup Compact which was redesigned to fold up and look like a condom is a rage right now because of its extremely flexible design.
Design apart, the cup follows pretty much the same formula. Think of it as a washable, reusable substitute for your tampons or pads. Similar to a regular tampon, here you have to fold the cup in half and then insert it inside the vaginal canal. Once positioned, the cup automatically unfolds, creating a seal against the vaginal walls to collect the menstrual flow. You can remove it using the stem at the bottom of the cup, which you grab and slowly pull out.
The cup has to be emptied every 8 to 12 hours depending on the flow, so you don’t have to trouble yourself with regular bathroom visits in the middle of the night.
A menstrual cup can be purchased for about Rs.700 online, but it’s cost-effective since you can use it for up to five to seven years – think of the number of pads you use up each month. Another thing that is making these cups all the rage is their environment-friendly nature. Made out of medical-grade silicon, you are not only eliminating the waste but also giving your vagina a healthier alternative to tampons (which tend to absorb your vagina’s self-cleaning properties).
However, not everything sounds so good. First off, they require more maintenance; rather than removing a tampon or pad and using a new one, you will need to empty the cup and clean it with water before reinserting. Honestly the sight of all that blood doesn’t sound good to me.
Also, inserting and removing the cup are skills you’ll need to master. If inserted correctly they won’t leak but if not… well, I don’t need to say it. And then talk about removing it slowly. If you pull it a little too vigorously, the mess can sure be a pain to deal with.
While getting used to them can take some time, especially if you haven’t already used tampons, in the longer run menstrual cups are a cheap, eco-friendly and smart choice.
So are you ready to commit to the cup? Tell us in the comments below.
Image courtesy: Kickstarter
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