9 Reasons to Ditch Pads and Tampons
Are you tired of buying and tossing pads and tampons, or sick of getting a burning pad wedgie? Then it’s time to ditch the pads (and tampons)! Conventional pads and tampons aren’t the only option out there for women and girls on their period, it’s just the most widely commercialized. Savvy Every Day is sharing why women ditch the disposables for a reusable silicone cup, and the reasons they’re so happy they did. Keep reading to learn why you should ditch your pads and tampons, then never look back.
1. The Planet
According to menstrual cup manufacturer, Diva Cup, women use an average of 20 tampons a month or 240 a year! That’s a lot of product just sitting around in landfills, taking just as long as disposable diapers to decompose. When you use a cup, you’re throwing away less, and what you do throw away will eventually degrade if disposed of properly.
2. Your Health
The medical-grade silicon in menstrual cups is said to be safe for the female body, meaning it does not put women at risk for toxic shock syndrome, or interrupt with the body’s natural PH balance. Conventional pads and tampons have bleach, synthetic materials, and perfume, none of which should be in (or near) the most delicate part of your body. Save yourself the chemicals from these products, and the potential tearing from an abrasive tampon by trying out a silicone cup<
3. Your Budget
Most menstrual cup manufacturers say you can use the cup for up to 10 years! Diva Cup is a bit more cautious, stating that you should change the cup any time you have a yeast infection, if an odor or severe discoloration occurs, if you drop your cup in the toilet, or at least once every year. Either way, at $30 per menstrual cup, the cup is paid for after 2-3 periods.
4. Preparation and Space
Instead of stockpiling your cabinets with a ton of Costco-sized boxes to prepare for potentially periods, or running to the store at the very last-minute, all you need is one little pouch with a cup in it and some scent-free soap. Think of all the drawer space you can reclaim!
5. Discomfort
Because cups sit lower, and in a different position than tampons once inserted, they’re more comfortable during the day. The non-absorbant silicone material of a menstrual cup will also allow your body to function as intended, meaning it doesn’t absorb all the natural lubrication in your body like tampons (which can create an extremely dry feeling). You also don’t have to feel a synthetic material scratching at the walls of your vagina, potentially leaving fragments behind that can become a breeding ground for bacteria and develop into toxic shock syndrome.
6. Embarrassment
Pads and tampons need to be changed anywhere from 2-8 hours, depending on your flow, and if you don’t change them in time your clothes are in for a real treat! Menstrual cups can go 10-12 hours without a change, and never leak when they’re installed correctly.
7. Heavy Load
Instead of stashing pads in the car, in the purse, in the back up purse, and in the diaper bag, you can carry less. This means that when your little one is done with diapers you can be too (because pads and tampons are essentially like diapers for women . . . rash and all). That’s right, no more accidentally dropping your pad out of the bag, or worrying if anyone saw you shove a giant pink pad (or green now that they updated colors) into your pocket on the way to the bathroom.
8. Understanding Your Body
Once you start using a menstrual cup, you become more aware of the amount you bleed throughout the day, as well as learn a lot about your body in the process. With pads and tampons, you kind of just place them and hope they absorb. You don’t think about how your menstral cycle works or why.
9. Odor
Have you ever felt insecure about the smell of your period and wondered if others can smell it too? It sounds kind of strange to say, but it’s a real thing. Menses smell when you use pads and tampons, so you feel like you smell, your trash smells, and sometimes your pets get into the trash and there’s a big smelly mess. When you use a menstrual cup your blood doesn’t smell! The cup creates an airtight seal inside your vagina after you place it in correctly and rotate it to ensure proper opening. When the cup is sealed, no air can get in to make the blood create a strong odor.
Looking for more info on menstrual cups? Check out my Diva Cup review, here!
*Diva Cup sent Savvy Every Day a cup to review, which was used to create this article, and the next article coming soon about using the Diva Cup for the first time. Diva Cup did not tell me what to say, and my opinions are my own.
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