A menstrual cup is a hygienic, reusable sanitary product, made from a soft,
medical grade silicone. It’s usually around 2 inches long and free of irritants
and does not contain any latex, dyes, BPA, toxins or bleaches and is absolutely
safe to use. A menstrual cup holds around 30ml of blood and you would be
emptying a menstrual cup less frequently than changing your pads or tampons. To
use a menstrual cup, you need to first wash it with lukewarm water; remember to
wash your hands first. Then fold the cup slightly and insert it in your vagina,
just like a tampon. The best part is that it can stay in your body for up to 12
hours and you can even sleep wearing one. Just keep a bottle of water with you
when travelling out so that if your cup fills, you can empty it any public
toilet, wash it and use it again.
Let’s take a look at five reasons that
prove why you should be using a menstrual cup:
#1 Stay fresh
When you insert a menstrual cup, a light seal is formed with
your vaginal wall, allowing the menstrual flow to pass into the cup, without
any leakage or odour, hence keeping you feeling fresh.
#2 Does not affect your pH balance
Tampons usually absorb 65% menstrual fluid and 35% natural
moisture, which can worsen your vaginal dryness creating an imbalance of
moisture and pH levels of your vagina. However, since menstrual cup only
intakes the blood flow, it does not interfere with your vaginal environment.
3# Gentle and safe
Menstrual cups are made using special medical grade silicon,
which is non-allergic and is perfectly suitable even for women who have
sensitive skin, eczema, allergies or thrush. As compared to pads and tampons,
which sometimes end up causing rash or irritation, menstrual cup is very gentle
on the skin.
#4 Good for environment
Do you know how much waste you add to the face of the earth when
you use tampons and pads? The average woman throws away around 125-150kg of
tampons, pads and applicators, which end up in landfill sites. Unlike pads and
tampons, menstrual cups are reusable, eliminating waste when throwing away and
thus does not have any harmful affect on the environment.
#5 Save your bank balance
On
an average, an Indian woman is assumed to be spending around Rs 200 a month on
sanitary products and if her cycle goes on for 30 years of her life, she would
end up spending around Rs 72,000, whereas the cost of a menstrual cup is just
about Rs 300- 400 and even if you end up buying them 3-4 times, you would be
spending just a negligible amount in comparison. You could get yourself a
holiday for Rs 72,000, isn’t it?