DITCHING TAMPONS & WHY IT’S TIME TO TRY THE MENSTRUAL CUP

When I chat to my female friends and family about lady bits and bobs I get the impression the majority of them use sanitary pads and tampons. Which is no surprise because growing up sanitary pads and tampons were really the only two options when it came to dealing with your period. Until this year I didn’t really have an issue with using tampons, although I was slightly concerned with the risks of TSS I never really thought about it too much. Since going vegan, however, it’s made me re-think about the environmental effects of using tampons. Just think how many ladies there are in the world. Then, think of how many periods that equates too and how many tampons are disposed every year! That is a hell of a lot of tampon waste! It wasn’t only the environmental aspects of tampons that gave me the heeby jeebies. Recently, my periods have gotten more painful (I’ll go into that in another post) and it got to a point a few months ago where by I physically couldn’t use tampons any longer. That’s when I started doing some research on alternatives. 

 

WHY THE MENSTRUAL CUP?

Well, other than the reasons listed above. Here are a couple of positives on why you NEED to try the menstrual cup…

• The eve cup holds more liquid than any tampon or pad. Depending on how heavy you are, it can last between 9-12 hours!
• It’s better for the environment – Tampons and pads are a massive burden on our landfill.
• It doesn’t dry out your vagina.
• Clean sheets – because the cup can hold more liquid than tampons and pads it means no leaks in the night!
• It’s more affordable – the Eve cup is £21.00 from here and with good maintenance it will last for 10 years.

The eve cup comes in three sizes so it can accommodate whether you’ve had children or not. You can chose the colour, I went for a lovely girly pink. It came in a really cute little pink bag which is awesome because it means it’s discreet when you’re bobbing off to the loo too!

 

WHY SHOULDN’T YOU USE TAMPONS? 

As I mentioned earlier I didn’t think too much about using tampons up until this year. But when you think about the chemicals tampons are made of it sort of doesn’t sit well with me. The chemical residue from tampons can be absorbed through the thin tissues of the vaginal walls. Even chemicals from pads can be absorbed through the skin contact. One major concern for me is dioxin. The FDA recently banned the use of dioxin, a carcinogen, in the use of bleaching sanitary products. Now, chlorine dioxide gas is frequently used for bleaching, but this can still produce dioxin residue in the finished item.

 

THE USE OF TAMPONS AND ENDOMETRIOSIS

A 2005 study in the Journal of Women’s Health found that seven brands of tampons had measurable levels of dioxin. Besides being a carcinogen, dioxin has been shown to induce endometriosis in an animal study with monkeys.  The widespread use of toxic tampons may be a significant factor in the skyrocketing rates of endometriosis in young women today. Which, personally for me is a major concern. I have Endometriosis running in my family and I’m currently in the process of having hospital appointments, scans and internal examinations to figure our if I actually do have Endometriosis too. So, you can understand why I’ve recently been more cautious about what I’m using during my menstrual cycle. I think it’s so incredibly important to talk through these issues to raise awareness of how harmful tampons can actually be. I’m thinking of doing a whole other post on Endometriosis – although I haven’t yet been diagnosed I think in the past 6 months I’ve learnt so much about the illness that I could use the information to raise awareness. Let me know if you want to hear my story.

I hope you’ve found this post helpful some what. I’ve got a video going up on Wednesday at 3pm on how to insert the Eve cup so be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel here so you don’t miss out.

Thanks for stopping by my little cherubs! Don’t forget to leave me a comment on whether you’ve used the Eve cup and let me know your thoughts!