I’m sure you’ve heard the tampon horror stories by now. Toxic shock syndrome, carcinogenic bleach, and the list goes on. With more and more people turning to menstrual cups (such as the DivaCup), is it the right move for you?
The pros of menstrual cups
From an environmental perspective, menstrual cups are great, since they’re reusable. You don’t have to worry about filling landfills with all kinds of waste, between the sanitary products themselves, and the packaging for the products.
Another advantage of reusable cups is how friendly to the wallet they are. You can get one for about $40 in Canada. Conversely, a pack of 16 organic tampons runs for about $7. In the long run, you end up saving so much money by making the switch.
Tampons and pad can be a bit of a hassle when you’re on the go. They should be changed about every 4 hours, whereas your cup can stay in for up to 12 hours.
This brings us to the safety factor of the cups. Their Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) risk is much lower than it is for tampons. This advantage on its own is reason enough to switch over.
The cons of menstrual cups
While menstrual cups are great for a bazillion reasons, there are disadvantages associated with using them. For instance they can be a bit messy. If you spend more than 12 hours outside of the house, you may find it difficult to empty and clean your cup.
Some may be turned off when first using their menstrual cup because it may take some time to adjust. It took me a few months to learn how to insert mine properly. But now that I’m comfortable with it, I don’t think I would ever go back.
All in all, I recommend making the switch over to menstrual cups.
Do you use a menstrual cup? What’s your favourite thing about using it?
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