LADIES ONLY!!! Menstruation Ahead!!

Photo from the Diva Cup Facebook Page

Did you know…

The average woman uses between 300-420 pads/tampons a year???

So…what happens to all those when we are finished using them? Or, let’s take a look at the bigger picture…

“Women, on average, experience a lifetime menstruation span of 41 years (11-52). From use of disposable feminine hygiene, an estimated 12 billion sanitary pads and 7 billion tampons are dumped into the North American environment each year (1998). More than 170,000 tampon applicators were collected along U.S. coastal areas between 1998 and 1999. Our revolutionary, reusable product is a modern, viable alternative to disposable tampons and pads.
Most tampons and pads contain surfactants, adhesives and additives. In addition, most pads contain polyethylene plastic whose production is a pollutant. Also, dioxin, a known carcinogen, is a by-product of the bleaching process of tampons containing rayon. In landfills, many of these substances can leach into the environment (groundwater, streams and lakes) causing serious pollution and health concerns.” ~Taken from the DivaCup Website

170,000 tampon applicators alone collected on the US coast in only a year?!?! That’s disgusting! Not to mention, terrible for the environment. But what can we do?! It’s not like we can just let it all hang out, so to say…it’s not really something that as a woman, we can do without. What is left for us?!
Ladies (and probably not gentlemen), I give to you, the Diva Cup!


Okay, by now you probably think that I’m insane, talking about something like this, but I was asked for a tampon at work today, and told that I don’t use pads or tampons, and was met with the strangest look! I explained what I used instead, and was met with curiosity. I then tracked down the website and sent it to her, and the lady went out to Whole Foods on her lunch to buy herself one! After browsing their site myself, I realized how terrible for the environment all the other stuff really is…and how much of a burden it can become on your wallet.

I have been using a Diva Cup for about 9 or 10 months now, and I cannot believe I ever used anything else! I don’t know what it is, but the terrible cramping I used to experience (I used to miss at least one day of school or work a month due to cramps, severe nausea, and vomiting) disappeared instantly! Not only that, but mine cost $30…which is about what I would spend on 3 months’ worth of tampons. It’s recommended to replace the cup every 1-5 years, so you can see how much money I’m saving by using one! AND, the environmental aspects of this are awesome, too! Before I made the switch, I used OB tampons, because they don’t have an applicator, and I hate how much trash was involved in a tampon anyway. Now, I don’t have to throw anything away!! There is no footprint associated with the cup! And unlike a tampon, where I would go through a super-absorbency tampon every 45 minutes-1 hour, I can wear my cup all day long, for up to 8, sometimes 10 hours before I have to empty it! No worries, no carrying around obnoxious and embarrassing supplies during that time of the month, nothing!
Diva Cups are also made of medical grade, hypoallergenic silicone and not latex, so they can be used by nearly everyone. And if you do decide to make the switch and don’t know what to do with those leftover pads and tampons, you can always donate them to women’s shelters or homeless shelters. It sounds strange, but feminine hygiene products are the #1 needed item at these places, as women cannot afford them.

Seriously though, feminine products are filling up our landfills, are made with toxic and cancerous chemicals (yuck!), and seriously, aren’t we all a little tired of sticking that super dry, uncomfortable hunk of bleached cotton up our poonannies?? I know I was!