£67,031.92 is a frightening number indeed....

Treadingonplaymobil

Periods and saving money and being eco friendly to boot

Possibly not one for the squeamish/those who don't have periods?

I keep meaning to post about this, not because my solution is something that's new to me, but I know I've acquired one or two eco warriors as well as all the usual people who just want to spend less, and I have one magical solution to my three main period issues:
1. physical discomfort (I am sensitive to any perfumes and lots of chemicals in standard sanitary wear).
2. Environmental concerns - so much waste.
3. Saving money - perfume free, plastic free sanitary wear costs a small fortune.

Step forward, the Mooncup. Honestly, it's amazing. I know there is a lot of :eek: at the prospect, but honestly, I can't recommend it highly enough. And if you buy either branded sanitary wear or perfume/plastic free stuff (i.e. more expensive products), then it pays itself off super quickly, so even if you only persevere for a few months and decide it's not for you, you won't lose out financially. (NB there are loads of other brands now. I use a mooncup because that's pretty much all there was when I bought one six years ago).

Interjection: I know this diary is about my journey, and I've been using one for years, so this isn't a recent MS change I've made and want to record here, but I really think (hope) it might help someone out there, so I'm posting about it anyway.

I really really think every woman without physical challenges that prevent it should give it a try. I wanted to give a few tips/reasons for anyone who might be tempted to give it a go, as it can seem really alarming and totally hippy.

First things first, you don't have to be a crazy eco-warrior to try it. This isn't about making a compromise during your period for the sake of the planet. I find it better than any sanitary towel or tampon I have ever used. The capacity and comfort are far superior to any disposable product I have used.

I also just tried to work out how much it's saved me. I think mine was only £15, but they are £20 now, so let's use that for comparison. I can't wear tampons - too uncomfortable - but I think prices are similar between towels and tampons. Google tells me that women use between 15 and 22 pads/tampons per period, and MySupermarket suggests if I buy Always on offer then it will cost me around 10p a pad (more like 15p if not on offer), so that's a cost of £1.50-£2.20 per period at the offer price, so let's say £2 for the sake of an easy sum. At 13 periods a year (one every 28 days), that's already £26 in only one year. I've had my mooncup for six years, so assuming I'd paid £20 (which I didn't), I would have saved £136.

And that's without even considering the kilos and kilos and kilos of non-recycleable, non-biodegradable (or very slowly biodegradable, since even 'eco' sanitary towels don't degrade well in landfill. In fact nothing degrades well in landfill, even paper) waste I have not contributed in that time.

Plus my inner feminist does a very inelegant two fingers gesture at the 5% tax we pay on sanitary wear. Some form of protection during one's period is not an optional extra! I know that's going to be phased out, but the fact is we are all paying it every time we buy a packet of tampons or towels (or a mooncup, but at least we're only paying it once).

A few questions that I've been asked over the years by friends that I have preached to:
1. Does it hold as much as a tampon? Yes, more, and more reliably.
2. Is it difficult to insert? It takes a bit of getting used to, but I honestly stopped thinking about it within two, maximum three cycles. I wore sanitary towels as a 'back up' initially, but only do so now for one night, as I always have one very heavy night 24 hours into my period. There are loads of instructions on the mooncup site and others on different techniques for this.
3. Can you use it at the beginning and end of a period? Yes, it's not like a tampon which can be uncomfortable during light flow. You can wear it from beginning to end.
4. The stalk is terrifying! Trim it completely away. You will still be able to get it in and out perfectly easily.
5. I've had a major repair after childbirth, will it still work, is it uncomfortable? It will still work, it will not hurt. I speak from experience.
6. How long does it last? Basically until it starts to look like it's degrading in some way - splits, stickiness etc are all signs that it is coming to the end of its life, but not that it is going to leach and horrifying chemicals into you, so don't panic about replacing it before this happens, wait until it actually happens - the only thing that will happen if it degrades, as far as my endless googling can make out, is that it won't work. Some companies (who are in it for the money) recommend replacing yearly, but that absolutely isn't necessary. A decade seems a perfectly common lifespan for one, and is suggested by some manufacturers. Mine appears fine after six years, no visible changes.

NB I know there are reusable sanitary wear options. I have never bothered to investigate as my mooncup is minimal maintenance - I don't need more laundry in my life. But especially if you've used cloth nappies, as we did <polishes halo> it surely can't be any trickier to deal with! But if a mooncup horrifies you for some reason, I think this is a waaaaaaaaay better second option than disposables.

If anyone has any questions about menstrual cups, please do ask, I'd be happy to try to help .

[Deleted User]

I will second the mooncup - I have used mine for over a year and rave about them to anyone who will listen (not that many people, suprisingly).
Love your q&a!
They are fab - try it and see!

wishingthemortgaheaway

Csp here...... I agree about them causing extra washing, but I did not get on with the moon cup or similar items.

JoJoC

I'll add my support of using a mooncup! I've used mine for around 9 months now and have never looked back.

joeyjimbles

Sounds like a very sensible approach to me - now what can you do to help me sort out the joys of menopause? :rotfl:

XSpender

Thanks for sharing this info. It is something I have been considering for a while due to discomfort from tampons and irritation from towels.

It might stop my inquisitive DS asking me why I wear ladies nappies :rotfl:

sashybo

TOPM, another happy mooncup user here, I can't even remember when I started using it, probably 10+ years ago now. I think I was still at uni actually & they were pretty new.

It really is much more comfortable than a tampon & so much easier when travelling. I actually need to buy a new one, haven't used it since having DS as will need the other size now. I have mostly been using washable pads in the meantime as they're much comfier than normal pads for me.

I have found that most women I've mentioned it to previously think it's strange & yucky, so I don't tend to mention either the mooncup or washable pads IRL.

JoJoC

XSpender wrote: »

Thanks for sharing this info. It is something I have been considering for a while due to discomfort from tampons and irritation from towels.

It might stop my inquisitive DS asking me why I wear ladies nappies :rotfl:

From experience it doesn't! It just opens up a new line of questioning about what that is and where it's going! We have a sort of open-door policy in our house, so nothing toilet related is sacred. But I have now started locking the door one week per month because I just can't deal with the questions... my two are only 5 and 2 so they aren't ready for the truth yet!

Silver_Queen

I've been debating on and off about getting a cup of some sort for years...might now take the plunge!

System

Having not needed sanitary protection for 6 years I had never heard of a mooncup . What a great invention, better for the environment. I am going to ask my daughter if she has heard of them.