Snail Spirals

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Disclaimer: This post will have nothing to do with knitting, weaving, or anything fibery. It will have to do with the sometimes messy reality of being a woman. It may very well fall into the realm of Too Much Information, so if it bothers you, just stop reading and move onto the next blog on your list.
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First a little personal history: When I started menstruating at 13, my mom only let me use pads. I hated them. I hated my period and what my body was doing to me. When I was allowed to start using tampons at ~15, it was a whole new way to look at the world. I felt free. And when I discovered applicator-free o.b. tampons at 19, I finally began to make peace with my body. It was so great to be able to tuck supplies for an entire day into one pocket, and they didn't leak. I no longer dreaded my period. I had total brand loyalty to o.b., and never used anything else after discovering them.

Now, let me ask a question of the women reading this. How much do you spend in a year on “feminine supplies,” tampons and/or pads? Where I shop, a 40-pack of o.b. tampons is $6.19. A 50-pack of Always pantiliners is $4.49. A 36-pack of regular Always pads is $7.49. I can go through most of a box of tampons in one cycle, plus daily pantiliners and the occasional pad as backup on a really heavy day. What’s that in a year? Well, figure about $7.00 per cycle, thirteen cycles a year, total of about $91 per year. This, of course, assumes regularly spaced, normal length cycles. (Insert hysterical laughter here.)

The fact is, I’m a heavy bleeder, and I use a lot of supplies. This bothered me over the years, as I thought about all that cotton and paper and plastic ending up in the landfill/sewer. However, I had no desire to use cloth pads, given my aversion to pads in general. Using applicator-free o.b. tampons was my compromise between environmental consciousness and personal comfort. I was comfortable with this decision.

Until last month. I was reading a thread on a bulletin board, and came across mention of a menstrual cup. I had never even heard of such a thing. My first response was “ick…” but then I got thinking about how much more environmentally friendly it is. After 23 years of “womanhood,” pregnancy, and childbirth, I’m fairly comfortable with the way my body works. I felt like this was something I should be able to handle.

So I acted. I got a DivaCup. I actually got it at a natural-foods store in Maine, while my dad was in a meeting. It was an all-day meeting, and Emma and I were tootling around Bangor by ourselves, so I didn’t have to explain this to my dad. (I can’t even imagine how many shades of red he (ok, we) would have turned.) I used it for the first time in Maine.

And you know? It’s great. It’s not messy, it’s comfortable, it’s easy to use. It didn’t leak once, and I never have to buy tampons again. Ever. The cup has a lifespan of about 10 years. At $30, my DivaCup will pay for itself in about 4 months. I’ll probably use a small pantiliner as backup against leaks, but I’m going to make a couple cloth ones instead of buying disposables. Since the cup never leaked, not even on the super-heavy days, the pad will only be insurance, not the front line of defense. Once I get more used to the cup, they may not even be necessary.

There’s apparently no risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome with a cup, it doesn’t dry out those sensitive tissues, it doesn’t contain bleaches, dioxins, or fragrances. It's cheaper. It's environmentally responsible. What’s not to love?

I’m torn between excitement at this cool new thing I discovered, and anger at the society that doesn’t discuss this option with newly-pubescent girls. Most mainstream stores don’t even carry them. Why did I have to wait until I was 36 to discover this? Menstrual cups have been around since the 1930’s, though not much used in this country until the 1980’s. I suppose it’s the “squeamish factor.” Really, it’s no worse than using an applicator-free tampon. Aside from all the pads and tampons that you wouldn’t be sending to the landfill, just consider the possibilities for living-ease during your period. Camping! Hiking! Travel! School! Nothing to carry or dispose of!

So anyway, that’s my evangelizing for the day. I’m opening myself to public embarrassment by revealing the intimate workings of my body. I may regret this post, but if it makes even one woman think about trying a cup, it’s worth it. Anyway, why should I be embarrassed talking about something that nearly every woman goes through once a month? (I shouldn’t be, but I am.)

Here are a few links:
DivaCup (silicone, Canadian company)
Keeper and Moon Cup (latex rubber and silicone respectively, US company)
Mooncup (silicone, British company)
Lunette (silicone, Finnish company)

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(Now I'm off to splash some cold water on my face and try not to hyperventilate at the thought of what I just posted for all the world to see.)
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