Period? Or Period.
Being on those days of the month is still considered taboo in parts of the world. And to help you get through the few countable hours of suffering, hundreds and thousands of websites discuss period relief methods, period cravings, and period exercises for self-nourishment.
But, in your periods, are you nurturing the ‘nature’?
Let me tell you something: there is a lifelong subscription to eliminate your period trash from damaging the environment.
“Menstrual cup.”
I recall getting my first period and being handed a thin white cotton pad that held more plastic than cotton. And when it was filled, I was told to roll it up, wrap it in the paper, place it inside a plastic bag, and hang it in one corner of the toilet. Once the plastic bag was full of roughly 13–14 sanitary pads, I would throw it away making sure that no one is noticing this activity of mine! Else if Errhh! that moment of not wanting to answer anyone for what’s in the polybag!
The same went on each month for around 8 years!
I must have used 1200 sanitary pads during my 8-year menstrual life existence.
They are all still alive in some remote corner of the nation.
For eight years, as a person and a child of nature, I produced excess trash.
I would blame society like everyone else. But the difference is I choose to stand out from others.
When you grow in a certain environment you adapt their mindsets and lifestyle. It is so because you aren’t exposed to the world that is outside the bubble you are in. So it’s obvious you can’t educate yourself about what’s in the bubble of another world.
Meanwhile, you should be grateful for the smart techno world we are surviving in when it comes to this concern. So the journey begins with me finding out about these uncomfortable and stinky sanitary pads.
When I found that my sanitary pads were not genuinely functioning, I tried those extra-large ones after being swayed by marketing and, yes, their exaggerated opinions. Any sanitary pad made me feel an air of pity. They resulted in rashes that caused irritation, swelling, and redness.
Oh, and I wasn’t supposed to mention that I had rashes from sanitary pads since that would be embarrassing, right?
Thank you, social media (the internet’s boon), for introducing me to this unusual product that you are meant to insert inside your vagina.
No, not a sex toy or a penis, but a Menstrual cup, the ultimate game-changer.
In my thoughts, I had a million concerns, such as, “How do I insert?”
Doesn’t it collapse?
Is it secure?
Will it enter my body through my vagina?
How will I urinate?
How am I going to poop?
Is it going to hurt?
What if it goes inside my body?
What if it tears off?
And million other doubtful questions that kept me on to find out how this one small cup will make my fertility life, trash and irritation free…
Trust me when I say this.
Menstrual cups are a life-changing choice one can ever make.
I understand that menstrual cups look intimidating in the beginning. Only in the beginning though.
It is one miraculous invention in 1937 by Leona Chalmers, an American actress. The invention of the product didn’t seem to flourish in the market during that time because of the mentality of the time, and the diminished production of medical-graded silicon during WWII. The fact that it was hard to advertise a product that is related to a taboo, femineity, and the concept of talking out something that is to be inserted inside the vagina. Considering all these concerns the product was let on hold.
21st century, made people talk about the issue and discuss it openly. Not majorly but the people who stood up are bringing the change slowly.
Like Albert Einstein said once, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change”.
I am the change, I am talking about.
I started using a menstrual cup in October 2020. Yes, I had to ask my Amma before ordering the product. Yes, I had to convince her. Yes, I had to explain all about the product. Yes, it was awkward to talk about a product that was supposed to go inside my vagina, considering that such things I haven’t discussed with my Amma openly by then. No, I didn’t lack confidence. It wasn’t a piece of cake yet I knew my choice was going to change my priorities as a human being.
Switching to a menstrual cup terminated all the expenses that would have gone for buying pads every month. I don’t complain anymore about having stains on my pants. I don’t need to worry about rescheduling my trips for the sake of menstrual week. I don’t need to worry about where should I discard my pads. And all the benefits of the whole nine yards that bleeding humans usually stress and skip for later.
All I needed to worry about was learning how to use the cup effectively and live my menstrual life efficiently. Surfed through tons of blogs and videos of how to use a menstrual cup.
To date, I’m a proud consumer of menstrual cups.
I flatter the fact of being the odd one from the crowd to be able to take a leap of faith and took the initiative of change. It is a remarkable matter for me when it comes to this matter.
So far I’ve been able to influence around 5 people to switch from regular pads to menstrual cups.
Like every other person, it’s hard to believe in blogs and articles and buy something indeterminate in our society.
Yet, it starts with one making the change.
Seeya in the next blog. Stay hydrated.
