I heard the term menstrual cup for the first time years ago when a blogger talked about her Diva Cup. I was so disgusted…how could someone use a cup to catch all that gunk and then have to deal with it afterward? I was so turned off by the idea. Until recently, that is.
After being stuck at home during COVID-19, I started thinking about ways I could create a more sustainable household. The first things on the list were limiting my waste by using only reusable water bottles, grocery bags, things like that.
Then I started thinking harder about ways that are outside the norm. I saw a June ad on Instagram and figured using a menstrual cup would be the perfect way to limit my waste while saving money.
Hold up, what is a menstrual cup?
A menstrual cup is a hygiene product that completely replaces pads, tampons and panty liners. Most menstrual cups are made of flexible medical grade silicone, latex or thermoplastic isometers. You insert it like you would a tampon, it catches all of your stuff and then you take it out, dump it out in the toilet, wash it out and repeat. They’re shaped like a little bell with a stem at the bottom that acts like a tampon string.
The first few times inserting it is incredibly awkward, I’m not going to lie. But you’ll get the hang of it. This post won’t get into the nitty-gritty of inserting, but you can watch this video to see how it’s done!
Keep reading and I’ll share which menstrual cup I have and my honest review! Before we get to that, here are 4 reasons I switched from tampons to a menstrual cup in the first place…
1) Menstrual cup’s are more sustainable
Tampons, pads and panty liners along with their packaging and individual wrapping generate more than 200,000 tons of waste per year. Not to mention they all contain plastic. The average woman tosses 300-500 pounds of tampons, pads and applicators in their lifetime. The lifespan of the cup means potentially saving the environment from the packaging and waste of more than 2,400 pads or tampons per user! *Mind blown*
When I heard these stats, I was flabbergasted! I can’t believe we use so much waste just to absorb all of the blood from our periods. If all women switched to a menstrual cup, we’d have significantly less plastic and waste problems in this country. We all have to do our part to support the environment so many this is ours?
2) Switching to a menstrual cup saves you money
I don’t know about you, but I definitely prefer tampons over pads. So if you also prefer tampons, you’re spending on average $7 for a box of 36 tampons. For a typical period, I would go through about a box each month. So in your lifetime, you would have spent about $1,773.33. That’s pretty crazy considering men don’t have to spend money on hygiene products every month (and that’s leaving hair, skin and nail products out of the mix).
3) The capacity of a menstrual cup is larger than a tampon
You won’t have to be worried about leaks when using a menstrual cup. One menstrual cup holds about 25-30 ml, the same as 3 tampons! Whaaat?! You can leave a menstrual cup in for 12 hours safely, too.
I typically take mine out 1-2 times a day — right before bed and when I wake up in the morning. That’s usually fine for me, but maybe if you have a heavier flow I’d check mid-day to be safe.
Either way, a menstrual cup requires way less attention than tampons. I used to change my tampon every 4 hours or so mostly because I was worried I would leak or the string got wet from peeing *eye roll.*
Once you switch, you’ll no longer have to walk to the bathroom in public while discretely hiding the tampon. You can put it in in the morning and forget about it until nighttime. Easy peasy.
4) Menstrual cup’s are a huge space saver
If you’re currently using tampons or pads, you probably have a little section of your linen closet or bathroom cabinet that has a box or two of different sized tampons, panty liners and maybe some pads. With a menstrual cup, you need almost no space.
I bought the compact sanitizer gadget from June and it’s perfect for storage between periods, as well as great for cleaning after your cycle. Otherwise, most menstrual cups come in a nice sachet bag that you can use for storage. Just make sure it’s completely clean and dry before storing.
No more tampon boxes taking up your precious storage space in the bathroom!
Honest Review of June Menstrual Cup
Like I mentioned above, I saw an ad for June’s menstrual cups which sparked my interest in trying one. I did some research on the other menstrual cups but ultimately went with June because the small cup was only $6. And since the average box of tampons is $7, this felt like a no-brainer. If I didn’t like it, I knew it wasn’t an L.
But it wasn’t a loss at all! I’ve only used the menstrual cup for 2 cycles so far, but I can confidently say I love it! It has made my periods much easier to manage and way less stressful. I don’t have to think about packing tampons in my purse whenever I leave the house or worry about potentially having a leak if I’m away from a bathroom for hours out and about.
I will admit, it is super awkward at first but you will get used to it. For me, it wasn’t the insertion or how it felt once it was in that was uncomfortable, but the removal mostly. When I would go to take it out, I’d get really nervous at first that it was too far up and hard to pull down. And yes I did Google if it’s possible for it to get stuck up there and it’s really unlikely (phew, huge sigh of relief). Give it a few days and you’ll be golden. All great things take time, right?
Anyways, I hope this was helpful in helping you decide to try out a menstrual cup! I can’t recommend it enough, especially the brand June. And if you’re still on edge, it’s only $6 so it’s worth a shot!