Did you know that the average woman throws away up to 300 pounds of menstrual product in their lifetime?
Try multiplying that by the number of women in the world. That's a lot of bloodied trash going into the landfill! Not to mention they'll be around for, oh, I don't know, hundreds of years before they biodegrade.
The thought of my used tampon outliving me is kind of disturbing and disgusting at the same time.
If this also disturbs you, maybe even a little, then let me tell you how to green your lady cycle!
There are several options of reusable menstrual products for you to choose from: menstrual cup, reusable pads, and sea sponge.
Menstrual Cup
Let's start with the menstrual cup because this is what I use.
There are many different options when it comes to menstrual cups. It's actually almost like looking down the grocery store aisle trying to choose the perfect shampoo. I don't have much advice in terms of how to choose between the different brands other than to pick a color that you like and go with it (not that it matters anyway because it will be inside of you). I personally have the Moon Cup. It works just fine and I see no point in spending money trying out other brands. You do want to make sure that whatever cup you get is made out of medical grade silicone though.
What I love about the menstrual cup is that I only have to empty it twice a day: first thing in the morning before I go to work and around 12 hours after that. It's nice not having to worry about changing my pad/tampon throughout the day. Of course, this also depends on the heaviness of your flow during your cycle.
Another plus is that I don't feel my cup at all while I'm using it.
These cups run around $25-$30 on Amazon.
Some Useful Tips
- Do not be afraid of the size: it will fit, I promise! Just follow the instructions on how to insert the cup and you'll be fine. Remember to breathe.
- Do not use strong soap that will leave residue to clean your cup. It's going into a sensitive part of your body after all. I use Johnson's baby wash to clean my cup. Hey, if it's good with a baby, it's good with my baby, too.
- Make sure the holes around the rim of the cup is clean and clear. They help the cup breathe as it gets filled up.
- Cut the stem as much as you like. The Moon Cup comes with a pretty long stem and I had to cut mine down to less than half an inch left. You may opt to cut it all off. Don't worry, your cup won't "disappear" inside your body.
- If you're worried about leakage, pair the use of your cup with a reusable pad (next section).
Reusable Pads
I have used reusable pads as a second layer of protection when I first started using my Moon Cup, just in case. I now rarely use them. However, this is a great option for those who want to stop using disposable products, but menstrual cups are still too intimidating. A great site I found for buying these pads is at GladRags.
There are a couple of reasons that I don't use the pads. One being that they are bulky. The pads work by placing absorbent inserts into the holder, so they can get pretty thick depending on your flow. Here's a video on what I'm talking about, if you're curious:
The other reason I don't use the pads is simply because I don't want to deal with the mess, or the smell. It seems like such a hassle to clean them, whereas with the cup I can just rinse with some soap and it's clean. Also, we all know that the only reason our period stinks is because it comes into contact with air. Internal menstrual products solve that issue.
There are a couple of reasons that I don't use the pads. One being that they are bulky. The pads work by placing absorbent inserts into the holder, so they can get pretty thick depending on your flow. Here's a video on what I'm talking about, if you're curious:
The other reason I don't use the pads is simply because I don't want to deal with the mess, or the smell. It seems like such a hassle to clean them, whereas with the cup I can just rinse with some soap and it's clean. Also, we all know that the only reason our period stinks is because it comes into contact with air. Internal menstrual products solve that issue.
A word of caution: don't throw the pads into the washer without first rinsing them. I made the mistake and one of my white shirts was stained. Follow their cleaning instruction!
Sea Sponge
Last but not least, the reusable sea sponge.
As the name suggests, these are sponges that you insert to absorb your menstrual flow internally. It can be synthetic (the pink one in the picture) or naturally harvested. These are actual sea sponge that grew in the ocean and are sustainably harvested. If you want something that is definitely biodegradable, this will be the way to go. However, they don't last as long as the cup or the pads. The advertised reusable life is up to 6 months at Jade&Pearl (or more if you take good care of it).
One other concern for most consumers in regards to this particular product is its safety in terms of toxins. Sure, it's advertised as containing no chemicals and whatnot, but it did come from the sea. As much as I hate to admit it, our ocean nowadays are full of trash and chemicals which can get absorbed by these organisms at a micro level.
Plus, this product is not endorsed by the FDA either. So technically, it can't be marketed as "menstrual sponges," "hygienic sponges," and "sanitary sponges." If you look closely at the sites that sell these sponges in the United States, none of them will use the word "menstrual" or give you a description on how the product should be used. Some will actually let you know they can't tell you because of FDA regulations. So I decided to just opt out of buying sea sponges.
As the name suggests, these are sponges that you insert to absorb your menstrual flow internally. It can be synthetic (the pink one in the picture) or naturally harvested. These are actual sea sponge that grew in the ocean and are sustainably harvested. If you want something that is definitely biodegradable, this will be the way to go. However, they don't last as long as the cup or the pads. The advertised reusable life is up to 6 months at Jade&Pearl (or more if you take good care of it).
One other concern for most consumers in regards to this particular product is its safety in terms of toxins. Sure, it's advertised as containing no chemicals and whatnot, but it did come from the sea. As much as I hate to admit it, our ocean nowadays are full of trash and chemicals which can get absorbed by these organisms at a micro level.
Plus, this product is not endorsed by the FDA either. So technically, it can't be marketed as "menstrual sponges," "hygienic sponges," and "sanitary sponges." If you look closely at the sites that sell these sponges in the United States, none of them will use the word "menstrual" or give you a description on how the product should be used. Some will actually let you know they can't tell you because of FDA regulations. So I decided to just opt out of buying sea sponges.
In Conclusion
Out of the three different products I talked about, I definitely recommend the menstrual cup. Not only will it help the environment, it will save you money on buying all those disposable products for the years to come. You'll get your money back within the first year of using the cup anyway. Trust me, once I started using the cup, I never turned back!
