Hi!

So this weeks blog is very unlike my usual blog posts, but I think this is something important to talk about. But I’ll put a warning here that it does involve lots of TMI about periods.

So lets talk periods! More specifically; the period cup.

I read that Every year the average woman uses something around 5 plastic bags worth of plastic in period products that goes to landfill every month. In a life time that’s about 150kg of plastic per person which is a scary amount! And to be honest, it’s totally unnecessary now thanks to the period cup.

It’s kinda a gross concept (well it was to me), essentially it’s like a tampon but instead it’s a silicon cup that sits up there and collects it all. You can leave it in for 8-12 hours (or less if you have a heavy flow). The cup also can last years, you just disinfect is by boiling it for 3 mins in a pan of water and voila.

So how did I get on ?

Day 1:

Not gonna lie I could not get it in, so that was unsuccessful

Day 2:

My friend had told me that she took a bath before her time putting it in to relax everything so i tried that. After many attempts I got it in ….and then thought I’d never be able to get it back out! Because I tensed up and couldn’t even feel the bottom of the stem. I actually panicked a bit here and felt a bit faint. All I could think was; “what if I can never get it out!”

BUT I left it a few hours and then had a feel and it was sat in there comfortably and had lowered down a bit. It was actually super comfortable.

I did have a little leak (I was wearing a panty liner so it was okay and it really was just a tiny bit) so I’m guessing I didn’t get it in perfectly but it did still collect my period without any scary leaks. When I removed it 8 hours later I just sat on the toilet, gently pulled the stem until I found the grippy bits at the bottom of the cup, squeezed that and then just gently pulled it out. It was way easier than I was expecting. Clearly not stressing or tensing up is the way forward.

Day 3:

I got it in without the bath on my 3rd try. It was at a bit of an angle and so it wasn’t in properly straight away as the stem was poking at me a bit. Again I tensed up and so had to leave it for a bit to readjust and wriggle it round a tiny bit.

Day 4:

Much more successful, I got it in with much more ease than I was expecting and I got it out much easier as I was probably more used to it.

On my second period use I had no issues taking it out and putting it in (i even managed it while slightly intoxicated). This time I actually tried sleeping with it in- it’s WAY comfier than any other period product I have ever used.

So to conclude

I highly recommend you using a period cup for your next ‘time of the month’. Since drafting this post in December I’ve continued with it! now that I’ve lost the fear that it’s going to get stuck up there I’m really confident with using it.

As soon as you’re used to it, it’s hassle free cause you can keep it in all day and do everything with it in, and so much comfier!

It’s also a very easy way to do your part for the environment and cut down your plastic waste. Just give it a go!

Where to buy

I bought mine on amazon and there is such a range such as;

They vary in cup size and price so it’s worth having a little research and deciding which one sounds better for you.

There is so much online regards advice and why you should try a cup so if you’re still thinking about it maybe have a little research.

Thanks for reading this slightly more graphic and intimate blog post than normal. See ya next week x