Is Menstrual Cup Right For You?

This tiny little device can save you money, save you a hassle and save the planet. But is it right for you?

- Melinda Murphy

Menstrual cup. There, I said it. I don’t know why those two little words make me blush, but they do. I don’t turnred when I talk about tampons or pads, but perhaps I should. Red with anger. Tampons and pads are really terrible for the planet. Truly.

While you may think that tampon you’re using is recyclable, it’s probably not; not really. Just look in a trash dump (or even a beach) and you’ll see them everywhere. Yes, a portion may be recyclable, but tampons have all sorts of bad stuff in them such as the chemical dioxin (a known carcinogen) that keeps them from being broken down. And, by the way, all those chemicals also aren’t too good for your own body. I mean, putting something full of chemicals in your most delicate place just doesn’t seem like a good idea.

Now let’s think about the numbers, which are, quite frankly, astonishing. Just say a woman uses 20 tampons per period. That’s 240 a year. On average, she’ll get a monthly visit from Aunt Flo for 40 years. That’s 9,600 tampons in a lifetime. Gulp.