Why are we scared to try menstrual cups?
Many of the people we have spoken to are scared to try menstrual cups or are confused on what they really are. But why is that when menstrual cups have been around since the 1930’s (just as long as tampons)? Well it’s a very complex issue, that involves society, the media, and our education. Hopefully, this blog will help to break down the complexity and make menstrual cups seem as normal as any other sanitary method.
Is your mum to blame?
All of us who menstruate can identify the warning signs that let us know it’s about to be ‘our time of the month’ again. Some of you organised people might use this time to make sure you have sanitary products in your bathroom cupboard, or like me you only think about it when you see blood. Now, what product do you use? Is it the one you’ve used for years? The one your mum bought you when you started for the first time, or the sex ed teacher promoted you to use? This repeated practice of buying and using the same product you have always done, is probably the reason why you’re scared to try a menstrual cup. So I will now use this opportunity to define what menstrual cups are:
“Menstrual cups are flexible, reusable cups made of rubber or silicone that are worn intravaginally to collect menstrual flow.”
Why do sanitary product adverts make us cringe?
We’ve all experienced a lovely night in watching the tele with our family or friends, and then the advert comes on, the one were periods are advertised as time were you can climb a mountain and wear white clothes – doesn’t it make you cringe both with embarrassment for even mentioning PERIODS, and because no menstruating person relates to that scenario. These adverts are unrealistic, unrelatable, and most importantly they don’t educate you about the product. And when I say product I mean a disposable tampon or disposable sanitary pad, in the world of television adverts there are no mentions of reusable products. Consequently, reusable menstrual products, like cups, are seen to be alien and unknown. Hopefully, our campaign will help you to realise that menstrual cups are another option that may be more suited to you, and below are some reasons why (courtesy of Mooncup):
Or is this part of a wider issue of education?
People have periods. People menstruate. These are not statements you will hear in everyday life. But why is that? Neither of those statements are radical, they are facts. Sex education in primary and secondary school was the first time many of us learnt about our bodies and menstrual cycles, and I bet you can all remember sitting in a circle full of giggling girls and an embarrassed educator. This isn’t an experience we all treasure or feel empowered after, so no wonder we all stick to the same products we have always used, rather than go through another awkward educational experience again. Our campaign may have led you to be in a dilemma about menstrual cups, you may even relate to some of the reasons below, that were given during a research experiment (Stewart et al., 2009).
But have no fear, if you want to learn more about menstrual cups there is an endless amount of reviews online – yes some will scare you into never wanting to go near a cup – but I can tell you from personal experience it is not as scary as it seems (you can read my review here). Here is the simplified process of using the Mooncup, which is the same for all menstrual cups except the empty time differs across brands:
So how can we make menstrual cups as normal as tampons or pads? Well we need to start having more open discussions about periods right from the beginning in schools but also throughout our lives. Periods shouldn’t be a taboo subject in society. I’m not asking everyone to start talking about periods just as much as you talk about the weather, but without honest and realistic discussions, we are always going to find menstrual cups scary because they are not only seen to be something radical but they also ask you to become more intimate with your body then you might be used to.
We at be green. Period ask you to pledge to try a menstrual cup. Studies have shown that satisfaction with cups increases with duration of use. But, it can take up to 6 cycles for users to feel comfortable with them, so don’t worry if it seems weird at first. We also hope that our campaign will encourage you to have more discussions about periods.
References:
· K. Stewart, M. Powell & R. Greer (2009) An alternative to conventional sanitary protection: Would women use a menstrual cup?, Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 29:1, 49-52, DOI: 10.1080/01443610802628841
· Research | Web exclusive. FLOW (finding lasting options for women). Multicentre randomized controlled trial comparing tampons with menstrual cups. Courtney Howard MD CCFP(EM) Caren Lee Rose MSc Konia Trouton MD CCFP MPH Holly Stamm MD CCFP, Danielle Marentette MD CCFP Nicole Kirkpatrick MD CCFP(EM) Sanja Karalic MD CCFP MSc Renee Fernandez MD CCFP Julie Paget MD CCFP
· The ideas in this blog are inspired by the reading of Shove, 2012 ‘Putting practice into policy: reconfiguring questions of consumption and climate change’.
