Wednesday, July 27, 2011

For Women Only


Wait, do I have any male readers? Well, if I do then don't read this post. It will gross you out. 

You're still reading, aren't you?

Stop it!

Anyhow, a few days ago I was perusing the grocery store aisles and realized I needed more girly supplies, or "wands of power" as I like to call them. I stopped in front of the tampon section and just stared. And I don't know what caused this, but all of a sudden I was really tired of buying the little fuckers. I was tired of having to ask my husband to pick them up sometimes. I was tired of having to explain to him that there are scented ones that he should avoid. I was tired of having to even wonder why the heck I need to smell like lavender down there. I didn't think I would ever come across a day when a friend would sniff my crotch in a friendly greeting and say, "My, my! You smell divine today!"

So I passed up the wands, took a trip down to the hippie pharmacy and picked myself up a Diva cup. Menstrual cups were something I learned about in my women's studies course in college. At the time I remember thinking, "Woah, whoah, woah. You have to put your hand where? And you have to empty it and wash it, and... ewww! And I don't like you TA! So screw you and you're crazy holistic mumbo jumbo! My tampons and I will bid you adieu." But with all the issues I've had by now with tampons leaking and pads getting moved around and underwear being thrown out, I'm finally ready to give it a try.

If you've never heard of this before, a menstrual cup is a collector rather than an absorber. The idea is that you insert the cup, don't worry about it for 10-12 hours (Yes. You saw it right. None of that every four to six hour stuff.), take it out, dump out the contents in the toilet, wash it off in the sink, and reinsert for another 10-12 hours. It might sound nasty, because really, who doesn't get grossed out by blood. Then again, how many of us women folk have had to deal with that anyway when washing spotty underwear, losing our grip on a tampon and ripping off a pad from our skivvies.

They are apparently reusable for years - one woman reviewing it said she had had hers for ten and it was still going strong. It comes with this cute little pouch and a Diva pin. I have the feeling that after a few months of not having to worry about buying tampons, running out of tampons, forgetting to change the tampon, and for GODS' SAKES, trying to pee without hitting the damn tampon string, I'll definitely feel like a diva. :P

See, men? Now aren't you creeped out? Think you might have read too much? You should have listened. And the only way you can get back at me, is if you do a review of some kind of strange male device. Like the portable male urinal. Weird....

8 comments:

Joxy34 said...

I know a lot of people who use them...over here we call them mooncups... if yours have a stem, a lot of friends say they are more comfortable if you cut it off very short.

Danielle said...

http://veganrockergirl.blogspot.com/2010/07/ladies-only-menstruation-ahead.html

I reviewed these last year...check out all the cash you save using one, too!

Anonymous said...

I use Glad Rags for my period. A former friend introduced them to me and while I was very skeptical and grossed out at first, after a few months I tapped into my inner hippy and I haven't looked back since. Love them.

Ailie said...

Mooncup user here. Highly recommended but as noted above, trim the stem to the length that suits you, and if you have even the whisper of a hint of a tendency to yeast infections, do not attempt to remove or replace without scrupulously clean hands.

Also if your cervix moves about during your cycle, you may find it gets uncomfortable or the cup slips towards the end of your period. Ditto if you're doing a lot of undulation work (ask me how I know this...)

Unknown said...

I really want to know Lilith, how DO you know this?

The only issue I have with undulations is on an empty stomach. Really big gurgling sounds. :P

Mrs BC said...

Please tell me how you go with this, because I am seriously considering getting a mooncup. I am sick of spending money on bleached cotton! Sick of explaining to the hubs that I wanted a LARGE pack of REGULAR, not a REGULAR pack of LARGE.....
x

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I'm glad you posted this. I've been talking myself in and out of buying one for a few years. I don't wear tampons due to a hymen rupture issue. I bought a cup last week, only got to wear it for the last day of my period, and really loved it. My husband thought I had gone mad when I told him what it was. Seriously, I've never seen him with a more terrified look on his face before. But really, it's pretty awesome.