Menstrual Help
Periods suck, but we all have them. I have 3 girls so in a few years my house will be filled with menstrual weeks and a hiding husband haha. There are a lot of options out there such as tampons and pads to catch the flow but did you know there are other, more convenient, hygienic and earth friendly options to try? Here are a couple things I personally love.
I love period cups. Steph introduced them to me right after my second daughter was born. I was skeptical but once I tried them, I never went back to anything else! There are a few brands out there that I like.
Diva cups are my personal favorite. They were the first of many to hit the market and there are three sizes. Size 1 for before kids and size 2 for after kids. They actually just came out with a size 0! This is for 18 and under. My oldest has talked to me about periods and she wants to try these cups when she starts her period. I was skeptical for preteens and teenagers because they may be overwhelming or too large but Diva changed everything when they made one for teenagers. Pretty cool! They are very easy to insert and when you wear them, you put them in the morning and can leave it until it is time for bed! You just pull it out, dump the contents into the toilet, rinse and re-insert. It catches everything all day, no need to change it. There are less cases of toxic shock syndrome with these as long as they are used properly then with tampons. It’s very easy to clean with soap and warm water so it’s also very hygienic. Plus, you don’t have the waste of tampons or pads! I like having a smaller footprint on our planet so tossing away sanitary napkins just seems so wasteful to me. Also, they are perfect for the lake or the pool! I love them when I’m camping because I can leave them in and not worry about it all day. I also don’t have to worry about if I will be able to throw away my used tampon. That’s always hard while camping.
Here’s another option of a period cup. Lena also has different sizing based on your cervix height and flow. It is shaped a little different and I have a friend who loves this one a lot more than the Diva cup because it fits her better.
Some brands fit other women’s bodies differently. We are not one size fits all. Try them out and decide which is best for you. There are also organic options and ones made for ultra sensitive bodies. The market has so many of them so do your research on what your needs are and try one out. Once you get the hang of it, I doubt you’ll go back!
Some period cups can leak while you are getting use to them or if you have an extra heavy flow. These Thinx panties are perfect for wearing that first day to catch anything. No more pads!! I wear these particular ones that are “medium flow” however I still wear my cup with them so I don’t need “heavy flow” underwear. I just wear these in case my flow is super heavy to where my cup leaks slightly. This catches everything so I never have to worry about whether or not I’m going to have a “leaked through my clothes” situation that day.
The other reason why I stopped wearing tampons is I noticed that it slows down my flow which makes my period last longer. My period has always been very predictable in when it comes and the length it lasts for. I did an experiment where I would use tampons for one period and then the cup the next month. I did this experiment 3 times each to see if this really did change things for me. Oddly enough, my period would last 5-6 days with tampons and only 4 with my period cup. That may seem like not much of a difference but to me that was everything!
All in all, the concept of period cups and period panties may seem weird and foreign to most women. However, let’s get into the 21st century and use something that works a whole lot better without the waste. I don’t have time to slow down with my three girls so if I can just insert something and not worry about it all day or wear underwear that will for sure stop leaks, that’s what I’m going to do!