For Women Only
August 31, 2008 by Noel Boehm
Filed under Beauty Products
Okay I have something personal to discuss with you. It’s um about…um you know, your special lady time. Aunt Flow, “THE CURSE”, the rag, your menses or whatever you want to call it. I personally find “the rag” to be the most offensive of the bunch. This might be delicate in nature so I will encourage those who are easily offended or skeeved out to leave the room now. So I got my period when I was 13 and then hid it for another year. I was mortified at the thought of it and believed that everyone would know when I was on my period. Then you have to carry around a pad or tampons in your bag praying that no one sees. I was a gymnast, so I really had to wear tampons, which was a nightmare. I remember crying in the bathroom while on the phone with my mother because I HAD to wear one and I didn’t know how to use it. Life Lesson: The applicator is not meant to stay in. Horrific.
All this to say that even though we have come really far as women, we are still offered the same few options under the guise that they are what’s best for you. And although they suck we still keep using them. So after much soul searching and thinking about all the gajillions of sanitary napkins (that are anything but) and tampons just sitting in landfills I am not going to contribute to it any longer. I am going to try dum, dum, dum the Diva Cup. If you haven’t tried it, it’s sort of like Instead except for it’s reusable. It’s similar to the Keeper but it’s made of medical grade silicone. The gist is that it collects the flow for up to 12 hours and then is emptied, washed and reused. This means your don’t have to carry anything, change anything every two hours or worry about all the chemicals in tampons and pads. I heard about it a while ago and was sufficiently grossed out and amused. I then thought why is this any grosser than tampons? I HATE tampons however I feel forced to use them, with a pad to boot. What a crock. It’s taken a while for me to get the courage to try it but I am taking the plunge and I hope some of you will take it with me. Or if you have used it please, please give us your feedback. I think this would be HUGE if more women used these methods as opposed to the conventional ones. I also picked up a few reusable cloth pantyliners so I can ditch that habit as well. What say you? I want lots of comments about this; I need encouragement. You can tell grandma to come back in the room now.
Via Diva Cup
I have one, it works ok. But they have a tendency to leak a little. Not a lot, but similar to a very light every day discharge. So you may still need a pantyliner. The other thing is, if you have a very heavy period you will not be able to leave it in for 12 hours or it will leak. A LOT.
But the nice thing is, you won’t get all dried out the way you do from tampons. So if you want sex during, or after, you won’t need the same amount of lube, etc. That you would if you were using tampons.
But personally, I still prefer tampons. I find that the suction can make my cramps worse on the first two days or so.
Interesting, I was thinking about the heavy flow thing. But even every four hours or so is less than I have to change a tampon. Thanks for the info!
Not a fan of these at all. Way too messy. Not a fan of any of this stuff really. LOL And btw, I call it “George.”
I don’t find it to be any messier than a tampon or pad, once you get the hang of it. And I don’t have any leakage unless it’s way past time to be emptied, but that’s just me. My cramps aren’t any better or worse for using it. Also, I find I can go all day without having to empty it, so no worries on having to adjust the thing while at work or at the mall or wherever. And I never have to worry about carrying extra tampons, which is AWESOME.
First of all, I have not used anything but a menstrual cup in over 8 years. I sell The Keeper, a similar product made of gum rubber. I offer a full refund. If you don’t like it after 3 months you can return it (it is destroyed if you return it, everyone asks me that). I have sold hundreds and have had less than 10 women return them. The product speaks for itself. From a sustainability standpoint, this product has a lot to offer too. Tampons and pads create more waste than diapers! check out my website too for health risks associated with tampons. Scary stuff! http://www.greenpieces.net