Cheers to Periods with a Cup

Period .
Periods …..
We, women have periods and periods over months, over years till we hit menopause. We use, rather used, cloth rags, and now use, disposable pads or tampons. But there are plethora of things which can be used alternatively – cloth pads, menstrual cups, or menstrual discs. You didn’t know? Me neither and this is a post about my journey to an easy comfortable reusable environment friendly “cup”.

5 years back
My son, about to turn five next month, was born then. And like a new mother, I struggled. I struggled with my own C-sec body, the little baby I held in my hands, breastfeeding (a story for some other time), diapers and the continuous rashes that he used to have.

I searched and searched the ins and outs of social media, different parental forums, blog posts and so on and on, to give him the best comfort I could give, with the limited knowledge passed to me over the ages. Some advocated cloth nappies, wet with a single use, while others diapers, and both I found either inconvenient for me or uncomfortable for the baby. And then, I came across Superbottoms, Bumpadum and many other cloth diaper brands for the babies. And from there, my quest for a reusable and comfortable option started.

4 years back
My periods started comparatively soon after having a baby. And I wished why why why, please let me have had a break for a few more months. And with that, I started noticing that peculiar smell emitting from the chemical disposable pads. Perhaps, as a mother, I had become more susceptible to smells! And along with it, the garbage I was contributing every month to Mother Earth! Tampons, I was always scared of, after reading about the shock syndrome associated with it.

I started searching for alternatives to pads and I was amazed how come I never came to know about it in my previous 15 years. And I understood that definitely, there should be more marketing and news about such sustainable options.

Cloth pad
Though I read a lot about menstrual cups, I gradually wanted to switch to sustainable options and it was cloth pads that I selected. And then COVID hit!
I still persevered in my sustainable cloth pad tryst, though it required more effort. But I had become comfortable with the softness of cloth pads. Now even in cloth pad, there are multiple types – pads for heavy flow, pads for medium flow, pads for light flow or just panty liners. I tried them all, from various brands.
BUT
There was a major constraint – how to go to office or outside for “long” hours. I had purchased wet bag for my son’s diapers, so at least there was some help. It was still a hassle though!

1 year back
I had been reading about menstrual cups since past 2 years, but it felt a big leap. There was so much content available on the internet. Size of the cup to be determined with cervix size and that to be checked during periods! Loop in the cup! A stem! Stemless! F***! And I wondered how am I going to select one. But but but, I did it. I started noting down all popular brand names, writing pros and cons, took the plunge and bought a “Safecup” “large” size (because it seemed Csec moms and those with 30+ should buy this). I still wondered if I will ever use it or keep it in my attic, like the other multiple things that catch my fancy.

I was so scared for first time usage but it was still a breeze. I had read about the many folds we can do and the C fold (punch-down) and 7 fold (triangle) seemed the easiest. But 4 hours later, my worry grew no bounds when I wasn’t able to take it out. I struggled and stressed. “Nope, I don’t think it will come out. I bought the wrong size. It’s gone inside vagina.” I googled. All talked about taking a break and then try with relaxed mind. After a few minutes or more likely, half an hour, somehow, I breathed in and out. And pop, it came out! Great.
It was better the second time. Third time, even more so!

Now
It’s so easy, you know. You just need to flush out all that period blood every 4/8/12 hours depending on your flow, clean it up with plain water and voila, it’s done. No garbage refills! No tension to spill blood! No stress to sleep in just one straight posture in the night! No need to remember how many pads to keep on a long trip, or those sudden periods outbreak (for those with PCOS can correlate)! Only one menstrual cup will last you for many many years because they are made of medical grade silicone and that’s safe. Only thing to take care of, is sterilization – before and after your periods. And that’s very important.

And as my friend, Priyanka says, “Menstrual cups are the blessings for women in period – I started using them 3 years ago and haven’t touched sanitary napkin since then ! They are economical and most importantly environmentally friendly option. It is surely one of the best in market to be your friend during your period!”

Any questions, you have, do post in comments below or DM me on my Instagram profile @alkanicks . Happy periods! And yes, periods can be happy and it’s a choice you can make – cloth pads or menstrual cup, whatever suits you the best.