Though I’m guilty of procrastinating over several of the lifestyle changes I have been wanting to make, there is one lifestyle change I made a year ago that I am extremely proud of. I am a cupvert.
Before I elaborate, a request to any men reading this. Please don’t scroll past this thinking that this has nothing to do with you. It has everything to do with you. Menstruation is a reality. Every female you know – whether a relative/ friend/ partner/ colleague – has or will or does menstruate. The female species has been made to feel embarrassed and ‘whisper’ about this biological fact for way too long. Yesterday was World Menstrual Hygiene Day and on this occasion please show your support to every woman you’ve ever known by liking, commenting and/or sharing this post.
I came to know of menstrual cups a few years ago and everything about them sounded right.
- It is environmentally friendly – You do not generate any waste. Your blood is flushed down the toilet and there is nothing that needs to be disposed. No wrapping in newspapers and finding an appropriate bin to discard in and more importantly no adding plastic waste to already overflowing landfills where they take an average of 800 years to decompse!
- Budget friendly – Cups are a one-time investment and can be used for many years without ever having to replace them, as opposed to using pads or tampons where your stock has to be replenished every month. An individual goes through approximately 11,000 pads or tampons in a lifetime. Compare that to one cup every 10 years. Easy math.
- Safer for your health – They do not interfere with your vaginal environment. They don’t dry the vagina and retain healthy bacteria that prevent infections and rashes. They are also free from latex, BPA and other harmful chemicals and additives that are found in tampons and pads.
- Fewer changes required – A cup can usually last for about 12 hours before it needs to be emptied out and inserted again. Compare this with other menstrual hygiene products that need to be changed every couple hours.
- Less leaks as compared to pads and tampons – If your cup is of the right size and inserted correctly the vacuum suction will mean no leaks unless the cup is overfull.
- You can even go swimming with it! Tried and tested
Despite knowing a lot of this it took a long time to start using them myself. I felt I may not be able to insert the cup properly and it would be uncomfortable for me. It took me a couple of terrible rashes due to the use of sanitary napkins to give me the final push. The first attempt was full of fear and confusion, but I persisted and after a couple of cycles of getting comfortable with it, the whole process of removing and inserting the cup doesn’t take beyond a few seconds.
This single lifestyle change I made has been such a big boon for me, my household and the environment at large. The cup is so comfortable that I don’t even feel it and I would like to encourage every woman who is sitting on the fence over trying one out to take the plunge. My only regret – that I did not cupvert earlier.