Of late, I have started looking for ways to live in a more environment-friendly way, to limit my carbon footprint and to use lesser and lesser disposables. I know it's a long way, given how much dependent my life has become on plastic, synthetic things and disposables, but I can surely start small and build-on from here. One of the things that I recently discovered is how much trash women generate on account of sanitary products. Pad and tampons amount to huge amount of trash in the landfills, and being non-biodegradable, they remain and pollute the environment for a very long time. Giving up disposable sanitary napkins or tampons, I felt, would be easier, for weren't women managing the menstrual bleed without the ease of these products for so long? A lot of women I know have made the switch to cloth pads or menstrual cups, and I geared up too. I had a few questions about cloth pads and how practical it is, which I had a friend to answer for me. Similarly, I inquired around about menstrual cups and found a few things that will help me make up my mind. If you are considering switching to menstrual cups too, here are a few things you should know.
- Size: Menstrual cups are available in different sizes, mainly small and large. For younger girls, who have never had a vaginal childbirth, a smaller size will be comfortable. If you are over 30 and had a vaginal birth, a larger size might be needed. There's enough resource available online to understand your body type and what kind of menstrual cup will be suited for you.
- Inserting the menstrual cup: There are different ways for inserting a menstrual cup in your vagina. There are many youtube tutorials available for that. Once you start using a menstrual cup, try the different methods and find out what works for you. Same applies for removing the menstrual cup.
- Cleaning: This is the part turns off a lot of women when it comes to a menstrual cup. Yes, you have to use your hands to remove the cup full of your period blood and wash it. This will definitely take some time to get used to. But with practice, you can do it with minimal to no mess. To clean a menstrual cup, first you need to empty the cup in a sink or the toilet pot. Then rinse it out thoroughly. Then use a mild soap and water to wash the cup. You can also sterilise it by boiling it in water.
- That uncomfortable 'feeling': A major concern most women have about menstrual cups is feeling uncomfortable with having a cup wedged in your vagina all day long. Women who have made the switch say that even the feeling of sanitary napkins is not very pleasant, nor is the rashes or chaffing you can get with sanitary napkins. Once you start using a menstrual cup, you eventually get used to it. It is just like using a tampon.