Switching to a Period Cup Changed My Life
Written By Halley Sherwood
There aren’t many products that I could write about under the title of ‘things that have changed my life,’ but a period cup really is one of them. (and believe it or not, a milk frother might be the only other one)
About 2 years ago, I got this ad on instagram for a period cup that you could get for free if you just paid the shipping. I was like ‘heck yeah, free shit,’ and clicked ‘order.’ I put almost no other thought into it than that. I’d vaguely heard of period cups, but didn’t actually know anyone in my life that used one.
When it arrived at my house, I finally had to do some research, because the thing is a little more intimidating once you see it. It’s nothing crazy, just a tiny silicone cup, kind of shaped like an upside down pear??
I watched a tutorial on how to put it in, and I used it for the first time on my next period. At first it was weird. I’d only ever used tampons before, and they’re a lot more hands-off than a period cup. With a tampon, you just push the plastic applicator to get it in there, but with the cup, you’ve gotta do a little bit of folding and maneuvering. It definitely forces you to get acquainted with your hooh-hah, but I think that’s actually a good experience.
The first time I did it, it worked perfectly. The second time, it leaked a little. (Luckily I was home all day and had time to test it, which I highly recommend on your first couple tries). But by the end of that period, I’d gotten the hang of it.
Now, I’m 2 years into using exclusively a cup when I’m on my period. I haven’t bought pads in well over a year, and I only use tampons on rare occasions (mostly when I’m dry camping or in a place where I don’t have access to a clean, private bathroom).
Here’s why I think you should consider switching to a period cup:
You’ll save money- I haven’t bought pads in over a year, and I’ve had the same half-empty emergency pack of tampons for 2 years. If you calculate that the average woman uses about 20 tampons per period, and has 12 periods per year, that will have you saving around $84 a year on tampons and at least $840 on tampons for the next 10 years of your life.
Easy to carry around- I travel a lot, and it is soooo much easier to carry around this little cup in comparison to lugging around a probably over-estimated amount of tampons. Not only does it fit perfectly in my toiletries bag, but you can easily carry it around in your purse or car.
Eco friendly- if being more eco friendly is your thing, there’s absolutely no reason you shouldn’t switch to a cup. One cup lasts for around 10 years, whereas the average woman goes through around 2,400 tampons in 10 years. (and that doesn’t even include all the pads and panty liners that you can kiss goodbye). I’m not sure about the eco-friendlyness of silicone products, but the cup company I choose also uses 100% recycled packaging
Healthier for your body- We’ve all heard about the potential side effects of using tampons (toxemia, harsh chemical exposure, dryness, etc.). That’s actually one of the biggest reasons I decided to switch. When you use a period cup, you can leave it in for 6-12 hours versus the less than 8 that you can get out of a tampon. This has to do with the different methods of blood collection, and also means you don’t have to worry about it leaking like you would with a tampon. I can’t say I’ve noticed it myself because there’s a lot of other factors that I’ve changed, but some women say that the period cup also helps with their cramps!
If I’ve done a decent job of convincing you, I recommend heading over to Lunette’s website. They’ve got tons of info about using a period cup, as well as educational articles about feminine health in general. They’ve even got a way to help you choose a cup size, and you can order straight from them.
In addition to period cups, they’ve got a few other amazing feminine products like reusable pads, period panties, and some other fun things (;
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