We do have a choice

We do have a choice after all!

For the past twenty years I thought the only choice I had was between Stayfree and Libra. But recently my eyes have been opened to a new choice in menstrual products.

It was after I converted to cloth nappies for my youngest child and I stumbled across cloth menstrual pads on an online shop. At first the idea made me shudder but then month after month I wondered why I was spending a fortune on disposable products that only added to the landfill and environmental concerns that saw us switch to cloth nappies. It took another few months and lots of online reading until I convinced myself to at least try; after all if I was happy to put my daughters bot in cloth, shouldn’t I at least have a valid opinion on my own bot in cloth.

So online I went and I was bedazzled by the array of types, sizes and fabrics – not to mention pretty colours and ended up with the beginning of my very own cloth stash. I hid them away and made my husband swear he would not ever ask nor investigate what was in the ice-cream container in the laundry sink – aka my cloth pad soaking bucket. Although the initial thoughts of soaking and cleaning pads put me off, I found that they washed up fine. And the soaking and washing was really no different to cleaning nappies. I started washing them with the nappies and now I simply run them under water before putting them in the nappy bucket to soak.

After my first trial of cloth pads I was sold, which prompted another online shopping binge. I knew what I liked now and what fabrics worked best for me. I actually found myself looking forward to that dreaded time of the month so I could try out my new “fluffy mail”. It wasn’t long after that I stumbled across the menstrual cup. More googling ensued and I thought I would give this a try too. Tampons and me did not get along well, if the cup worked any better than them I would be happy.

The menstrual cup changed the way I viewed my period from the first month onwards. I literally cannot tell that I have my period, it doesn’t even cross my mind. So easy and carefree to use and so comfortable I could forget it was even there. The cup used with a nice trim liner and I feel 100% confident every day of my cycle and I will never look back. The cup decreased the washing and soaking and also helped on the very heavy days when wearing cloth pads meant frequent changes or bulky pads. It also made it easier to use cloth at work as I don’t have to worry about changing pads during the day. The cup will easily get me through a work day before it needs emptying and on heavy days it is a simple process of emptying and wiping it out before reinserting.

In my initial research into reusable products I found a lot of links to decreased period pain, shorter cycles and other benefits. It sounded good but I couldn’t see the link. After a year and a half of using cloth and reusable products I can honestly attest that my normal cycle has changed from a minimum of 5-7 heavy days to 3-4 light days. Cramping and other menstrual symptoms have decreased most months to a point where I don’t even need pain relief, this from a point where I wanted to curl up and die for the first two days on heavy pain relief. The monetary savings have been huge also – a minimum of $30+ a month normally spent of pads, night pads and tampons. But by far the best bit is picking which pretty pad or colourful cup I want to use next time good old aunt flo comes to visit.

I can also hold my head up higher knowing that the choice of cloth for my daughter was also good enough for me and even better, I know now when my daughter comes of age, I can offer her a choice I didn’t know existed; not just between Stayfree and Libra but putting her health and wellbeing as well as the planet first!

Check out these great sites for more info

Cloth pad shop

Twinkle lily

Your Cheeky Monkey

Lunette

Noonee Wilga