Menstrual Cups
What is a Menstrual Cup?
A menstrual cup is a type of feminine hygiene product which is made of flexible medical grade silicone, worn inside the vagina during menstruation to catch menstrual fluid (blood containing uterine lining). Menstrual cups are shaped like a bell with a stem. Every 4–12 hours (depending on the design and the amount of flow), a cup needs to be removed and emptied, then washed and reinserted. Once a month menstrual cups should be sterilized, usually by boiling in water. Manufacturers have different recommendations for when to replace menstrual cups, but in general they can be reused for five years or more.
Menstrual Cup Benefits:
- 12 hour leak-free protection!
- Made from the highest quality healthcare grade silicone to assure comfort and durability.
- Does not contain any of the following: latex, plastic, PVC, acrylic, acrylate, BPA, phthalate, elastomer, polyethylene, and free of colors and dyes.
- Reusable and eco-friendly – no waste, no chemicals.
- Features extra grip ridges for easier removal.
- Lower costs and less landfill waste.
Some cups are designed for long-term use – even years – providing a significant cost savings over tampons and pads. Since you can reuse them, there’s less waste to clog up our landfills and fewer trees sacrificed to make the paper-based alternatives. Keep in mind that some cups are designed to be disposable. Make sure you read the box label carefully before buying if you want a reusable one.
• Less embarrassing odor. You won’t have to worry about embarrassing menstrual odor wafting out at the most inopportune times, since the fluid doesn’t get exposed to air as it does with pads and tampons.
• Vaginal pH and beneficial bacteria stay in place. Tampons absorb all your vaginal fluid along with the blood, which may disturb the delicate pH and bacterial balance in your vagina.
• Fewer visits to the pharmacy. Even if you replace your cup once a year, you’ll still make 11 fewer trips to the pharmacy than you would if you used the disposable paper-based methods.
• More time between changes. You need to change tampons every four to eight hours, depending on flow. You can go up to 12 hours with a menstrual cup before emptying.
• Easy to use. Anyone who has used tampons, especially the kind without applicators, should have little trouble learning how to insert a menstrual cup. If you’ve ever used a diaphragm for birth control, you’ll have even less trouble learning how to use your new cup. Simply fold it so it looks like a tampon, aim it toward the back of the vagina and give a little push. It should actually draw itself up. When inserted properly, you shouldn’t feel its presence at all.