Menstrual Cups: Why Use Them?
Here at Gaia Collective, we love out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to period care. Bye bye bleached pads. Sionara chemical laden tampons. We want products that nourish us from the inside out, especially during our time of the month.
What’s more, if a product is sustainable for both our bodies and Mother Gaia, we’re all about it!
That’s why we’re tapping out tampons and swapping them for a toxin-free, eco-friendly alternative - the menstrual cup. While cups have been around since the 1930’s, they’ve only recently gained the glamour of the period care spotlight. Wondering if menstrual cups are for you? Read on...
A menstrual cup is for you if:
You’re into non-tox living - Menstrual cups are made with non-porous medical-grade silicon, which means no harmful toxins and it doesn’t harbour harmful bacteria
You want to prevent TSS - Tampons, regardless of material, can create tiny tears that can allow harmful toxins to enter the body, including the TSS toxin. (Elite Daily)
You’re ready to ditch dryness - Tampons absorb blood, while menstrual cups collect it.
And prevent leakage - The cup creates a suction effect that keeps it from leaking
You’re watching your wallet - $30-$40 on one menstrual cup (which lasts up to 10 years).. Compared to disposable options, that means more change in your purse and (and less trips to store or online orders)
And conscious of your eco footprint - A single menstruator uses between 5 and 15 thousand menstrual pads and tampon in a lifetime. The majority of which end up in landfills and take longer than a lifetime to decompose. Thousands of tampons or a few silicone cups? We choose the cups.
You like convenience - Menstrual cups can be left in up to 12 hours. Compared to tampons, which you’re advised to change every 4-6 hours, you can keep your menstrual cup in overnight! (WebMD)
You’re interested in cycle synching- Menstrual blood contains vital information about your reproductive health. If you’re aiming to live in synch with your cycle, getting to know your blood is a key component and using menstrual cups instead of tampons can help.
Menstrual cups may not be for you if:
You suffer from pelvic pain or Endometriosis - For our fellow flowers who experience tons of pain during their period, a cup (or anything “up there”) might cause more pain. Instead, we suggest using period panties (use code “XYZ” for 20% off our favorite Proof panties!)
You have a tilted pelvis or low cervix. This isn’t to say you can’t use a cup, it just might take some more trial and error as far as figuring out how to properly insert it.
You’re not cool with touching your menstrual fluid. While we believe getting to know your period blood is important for building a loving relationship with our bodies, we understand it might not be your bag right now.
Ready to make the switch? There are tons of great, female-lead menstrual cups to choose from, but our favorite is Saalt.
To get your Saalt menstrual cup and support Gaia Collective’s initiative to elevate the conversation around menstrual cycles, get your very own GAIAbox. Every box not only contains one beautiful Saalt menstrual cup, but for every GAIAbox sold we’re donating a cup to a menstruator in need. So as you care for yourself (the GAIAbox is full of self love goodies), you’re also caring for the women in need around you.
Click here to get your GAIAbox today!
Fun facts: In 2018 alone, people in the U.S. bought 5.8 billion tampons, and over the course of a lifetime, a single menstruator will use somewhere between 5 and 15 thousand pads and tampons, the vast majority of which will wind up in landfills as plastic waste. (Borunda)
Traditional plastic applicators take 500 years to decompose - and the women of the world use 10 billion of them every month. (Winter)
it takes a tampon longer to degrade than the lifespan of the women who wears it and the average woman will use over 11,000 disposable, one-time-use menstrual products in her reproductive lifetime. That's a lot of tampons. (Winter)