I consider myself a pretty progressive person but when it comes to my period, I'm as close-minded and old-school as they get. Can you believe I'm 28 years old and I refuse to use tampons? Its crazy, I know. But one squeamish episode that almost ended with me fainting in a bathroom stall, was enough for me to stick to pads the rest of my life, or at least for now anyway. I had convinced myself that I was actually doing a good thing. Not using tampons means I'd never suffer from TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome). That stuff could kill you chica!
Read more ¿Qué más?: What's up with your period blood?
I can't promise you that I'll ever try tampons again. I'm far too squeamish and freaked out by my own period blood to ever give it another chance. But apparently it's not the only other option out there other than pads. Ever heard of menstrual cups?
They're apparently much better than they sound, at least that's what women keep telling me. It's literally a soft, silicone rubber cup that collects your menstrual fluid rather than absorb it the way tampons or pads do. I know what you're thinking. Who the hell wants to walk around with a plastic cup inserted inside their vaginal walls filled with period blood? But the makers of this innovative thing might have been on to something. Here are 6 reasons why you might want to switch to the menstrual cup!
You can use the same cup for a year: Apparently these suckers are super durable. The DivaCup actually recommends replacing it just once a year. But before you get grossed out, think of it like annual contact lenses. You clean them, you put them in, you take them out, you clean them again. Same concept.
You will save loads of money. Since you only have to replace this thing once a year, that's $30 a year on one cup versus $30 a month on tampons or pads.
It holds a lot more blood: Unlike pads or tampons, menstrual cups hold, not absorb, blood. It fact they can hold up to 30 ml of menstrual flow. Perfect for the girl with a heavier flow who's not freaked out by seeing her own period blood in a cup.
You can wear them for hours: Most tampons can stay in for 4 hours at most, but menstrual cups can hold you up to 12 hours. So you don't have to get up in the middle of the night to change it. No leakage here!
You can't get TSS: One of the scariest things that comes with tampons is the chance of developing TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome). But because cups don't contain chemicals like latex, BPA, dye or bleach, it's almost impossible to develop TSS.
You don't have to carry them in your purse: Since you can literally wear the same cup all year long (just as long as you clean after every emptying), there's no need to hold any in your purse. Those days of having tampons or pads falling out of your purse are long behind you.
Image via Corbis Images
