Hey, ladies!
If you’ve followed my blog since day 1, you would know that I’m someone who looks to improve my impact in the world. Right now, the world seems more chaotic than it usually is; there’s a pandemic, there are explosions and flash floods throughout the world.
It was in 2017 that I tried incorporating routines/habits that help reduce my waste production. Things like bringing my own disposable utensils and straws to opting for secondhand/thrifted clothes are examples of the ways I’ve tried getting into the sustainable lifestyle. Granted, there are many ways that I still can grow towards a zero-lifestyle but it’s still progress.
One of the ways women could reduce their waste is through opting for choices that don’t have plastic. Currently, feminine hygiene products like pads, tampons and liners are a large contributor to the world’s landfills.
This is where sustainable options like reusable cloth pads and menstrual cups come in. Yes, you read that right. Reusable. Back when women didn’t have fancy pads or tampons, they used cloth as pads to soak up their periods. They had to clean up the pads and use them the next day.
Reusable pads today are no different. However, they have evolved into a lot more specific product line… such as period panties.
When we’re talking about a period or menstrual cup, however, it might seem intimidating. CUP? Inside your vag? Yikes, right? Wrong!
As it turns out, period cups are actually smaller than you’d imagine and they basically form a suction around the vagina’s walls to create a vacuum. This, in turn, lets the cup stay in place and allows for maximum period catching.
In the US, the period cup has often been talked about and widely used. In the Philippines, let alone Davao, it’s very rare. We’re a country that opts for pads because tampons are seen as tampering with women’s virginity.
However, the past year has proven that a lot more Filipinas are slowly opting for sustainable options in their feminine products. A rise in sustainable options was noted in the past two years.
Last week, my friend Sam, who owns a local shop called Lifestyle by Bag Outlet Davao, reached out to me and asked me to review one of the new products she’s selling: Aunt Flo Ph‘s Period Cup.
I’ll be honest, I personally felt intimidated by the cups. My areas of concern were:
- How do you put it in????
- How do you take it out?
- Do you pee/poo with it inside?
I found the answers to these questions not long after I received the cup she sent me.
Here’s what I got in her package:
- An instruction card
- A collapsible sterilizer
- The Auntflo Period Cup
- A cotton pouch
The first thing I thought about the package was how adorable it is! People who know me would say that I’m a fan of pink and they wouldn’t be wrong. I love the light pink theme Auntflo has. It’s so girly!
The idea of a collapsible sterilizer is so efficient because ideally, if there wasn’t a pandemic, you could just bring your sterilizer along and be able to use it for changing anytime.
The second thing I immediately realized is how big the cup seems like. It seems a tad to big for me and I was kind of scared of how to put it in. This immediately resulted in me going on Youtube, looking for tutorials, reviews and even guides on how to put it in.
I rewatched the first video I watched about menstrual cups by Safiya Nygaard and looked through Youtube. I found the Youtube page for Put a Cup in It and was impressed by how thorough they explained period cups. I highly recommend that anyone who decides to try period cups watch their videos.
I watched Put A Cup In It’s Menstrual Cups Folds video and tried relaxing as I thought about how to do it. According to the instructions card, the first thing you should do before and after you use the Aunt Flo period cup is to wash it with mild soap and water, then put it in boiling water for 3-5 minutes.
Afterwhich, I went to the bathroom and tried to put it in. It was the second night of my period and I was having a relatively heavy flow. So, here’s what happened:
I went in the bathroom at around 10:45, brought my phone and watched a couple more Youtube videos from Put A Cup In It. I then washed my hands with my Betadine Skin Cleanser and proceeded to try to put it in.
I used the punch-in fold. This is type of fold is when you use your index finger to punch in the wall of a cup and make a sort of triangle with it. It’s one of the most common folds since it creates the smallest diameter.
After watching the various videos on Youtube and reading about period cups, I was aware that #MakingtheSwitch had a large learning curve. According to most of the videos I watched, it usually took more than 3 menstrual cycles to get the hang of using a period cup. Yup, more than three cycles.
Still, the process of putting it in was an ordeal that slightly shocked me. Hahaha. It was an interesting process because once inserted, you’re supposed to feel around the base of the cup to make sure that it’s inserted properly. You should allegedly feel a slight pop, indicating that the cup has unfurled inside you.
At around 11:10, I was done. I got it in properly, without my overthinking head second-guessing the position or leaks. I proceeded with my nightly routine and tried to go to bed.
The first thing I noticed was how weird the stem felt. I think it was long for me because it was the only thing I could feel. I tried looking it up and learned that most users cut the stem. I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment because I was too concerned with how I would get it out if I did that. I decided I could do that when I’m more confident with it.
An hour later,
I woke up to feeling like I had to poops. I went to the bathroom and thought about taking it out because according to my research, you could leave it in but you could also take it out. It all depends on how you felt about it.
Because I was trying it out, I decided to keep it in. I didn’t feel the cup shift or anything. I wasn’t really worried about it. I even checked for leaks and there weren’t any. (I wore a pantyliner just in case).
I shortly went to bed after and woke up a couple of hours later. When I wear pads, I usually have mini-panic attacks because when you get up in the morning and you have a heavy flow, it sort of gushes out and I freak for my pad and my clothes. Because of what I was used to, I thought that my period cup had leaks or might overflow because of the number of hours it took for me to take it out.
I walked briskly to the bathroom and proceeded to realize that:
- IT DID NOT LEAK!
- I checked and took it out and saw how much blood it caught and I have to say, it’s amazing what this cup can do.
I then waited a while and sterilized the cup again and proceeded to put it in again. I decided that I would trim the stem that night. I proceeded to wear the cup the entire day and was honestly surprised with the results!
Ideally, the cup can hold up to 12 hours worth of blood before leaking out. I wore the cup for over 10 hours and I didn’t leak once! Another positive thing about the cups are the fact that you can’t feel anything once they’re inside. It’s like you’re not on your period at all. It’s amazing, guys.
Of course, the thing that bothered me with the cup is the stem, which is relatively an error of mine because I chose to keep it long but other than that, I think I could use period cups on my heavy days. The fact that I can wear it overnight and not worry about leaks is 100% a great selling point already. The idea that I could be saving a ton of money from spending on pads and liners is also another plus. The greatest pro in this list would have to be the reduction in the waste I produce! Yay!
Overall, my experience with the Aunt Flo period cup made me know myself better, let me reduce my waste, and introduced me to a new aspect of sustainability.
Thank you, Sam, for sending these over!
If you’re from Davao and want some Aunt Flo period cups for yourselves, make sure to follow Lifestyle by Bag Outlet Davao! They also have an Instagram. Follow that, too!
Got more questions about period cups? Leave them in the comment below or send me a DM on my Instagram!
DAILY GAELLEY 