Tag Archives: menstrual cup

If half the World used a Cup…

Once a month we women go a little back to our mammal roots. Our fertile body aches and its clock rings. In the process we loose around 35 ml menstrual fluid (Wikipedia) – an average tea cup is 250 ml, so 35 ml does not seem much. For this we use tampons , seemingly clean and quick. In ten years one uses at least 1.200 tampons (10 tampons per cycle x 12 months x 10 years). At least. Now that is disgusting!

While working in London I discovered the Mooncup – a reusable menstrual cup that catches the blood. Recently I tried The Ruby Cup (white one) and Lady Cup (red one) for a comparison.

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All cups serve the same function of catching menstrual fluid. They have the great advantage of no smell, one-time cost and multiple uses. I can even go swimming – those cups are constructed to sit in place while being unnoticeable. The Mooncup was the first one I got to know off and happily used it for 5 years. The Ruby Cup is the same size and comfort. It comes with a great cleaning help that folds together. I am a big fan of this gadget. The Lady Cup is a little smaller. It might need more emptying but it is a “light weight”. Both are great!

The white Ruby Cup & the pink Lady Cup

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The little stem is used for removal and can be shortened. A friend of mine cut it off completely – that depends one  your preferred removal technique.

 

 

Ruby Cup with cleaning help

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The pink cleaning help folds together for easy storage. At the end of the cycle the cup can be boiled in it to be sterilized without even touching the pot.

 

 

How does a menstrual cup work: it takes some time to figure out how to use one and where it has to sit. Years of tampon use have trained ones’ hand. A cup does not go far in, it is bend a little, inserted and closes up. Once a day its content is emptied in the toilet and cleaned with water and soap. At the end of the cycle I boil it for 5 min and store it in a cotton bag. My friend just puts it in the cotton bag and washes it in the washing machine – its just some blood! She is a doctor and has used it for many years also: “don’t worry, things don’t just get lost in your vagina, especially not if you have a healthy relationship to it”. For a medical perspective it is worth to read her comment to my first article on the Mooncup here.

Those reusable cups come in varying sizes as a larger one is usually needed after pregnancy. Unfortunately not many shops sell them. But you can get them online e.g. on amazon or directly on the cups websites: www.ruby-cup.com or www.ladycup.eu.

Thank you for offering something with so many win-win’s!

mooncup

The monthly Re-CYCLE using menstrual sanitary cups

Mooncup

This is one of the least talked about sustainable products that has had a big impact on me. This is well worth supporting. I am talking about a reusable menstrual cup – the moon cup.

I first came across one in a London pharmacy in 2008. I had never heard about it but of curiosity I bought it for around 20 pounds – a bit of an investment for a sanitary experiment.

Using and appreciating all its advantages took a few cycles of getting used to. For me it is not inserted as deeply as a tampon and does not work when swimming. After those lessons learned it has ever since been my best buddy for the monthly catch-up. Talking to friends about it their initial reaction was disgust. I witnessed some deep fears of touching ones own body and blood. Menstrual predictability through the pill and overly hygienic worrying across many parts of life seem to have done their part on conditioning. However reflecting and questioning this routine, the advantages about using a moon cup are outstanding. This one cup can last my whole life. It is always at hand and there is no need to re-stock on sanitary supplies. It is hugely economical – this has saved me a few hundred Euros in the last 5 years. Apart from those cost-savings there is no waste and no toxins. And there are two sizes – size A for women over 30 or who have given birth vaginally and size B which is for everyone else. 

Now there is some extra work involved in cleaning the moon cup. Sterilizing can be done by boiling it in water for 5 minutes before and after each cycle. In between it can be cleaned with water and soap. Once a day you need a private bathroom to empty and clean it.

If you want to order a mooncup online or find out more check these links:

Info on original mooncup from the UK, cost around UK 20 GBP, they also offer free shipping to the US for 30 USD: www.mooncup.co.uk

For a wider range check out mooncups on ebay.com or Menstruationstassen on ebay.de

ReCycle!