Saving the world, one Mooncup at a time

Mooncups are something that I have thought about using several times over the past few years. Several times they’ve been mentioned or I’ve seen them when browsing on the internet. However, I’ve never taken action on it…until now! One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year was to start being more eco-friendly. I’m not doing anything drastic, just making small changes. However, the groundwork for this one started a few months ago!

First impressions

The packaging looks nice and, well, sanitary. Which I suppose you’d expect, as it’s a sanitary product! Then I saw the Mooncup and thought “Okay…how am I meant to get this there?” This seems a good time to say that you should probably stop reading now if you’re not comfortable with the discussion of menstruation or lady parts.

Fortunately, the instructions are very helpful. I found that there are several ways of folding a Mooncup for insertion. You may find you need to experiment with the different techniques. The medical-grade silicone was soft to the touch and felt like it would be much more comfortable than a tampon.

Mooncup review
Image used with permission thanks to Dilan and Me

Benefits

There are many benefits to Mooncups; I don’t know why I didn’t try one sooner.

The wearer

Because it’s literally just a cup that collects your period, you don’t get the dryness you would from a tampon if there’s not much to collect on lighter days. You also don’t have the worry of trying to work out whether you need a low, regular or extra absorbency one on any given day. They can hold up to three times as much as a regular tampon! Basically, the Mooncup has got your back whatever. I always feel like tampons are very drying; the mooncup website says that they can actually absorb 35% of your vaginal moisture. Perhaps I’m just extra sensitive, but I often feel as though I can feel the fibres too. Ugh.

If you are sensitive or have allergies, it’s great because they’re “latex-freehypoallergenic and [contain] no dyes, perfumes, BPA, phthalates, plastic, bleaches or toxins“.

Mooncups save you money because they can last for absolutely years. You make the money back on them in only around 6-8 months. You also don’t have that frantic “Oh no, I’ve run out of pads/tampons!” realisation when Aunt Flo comes to visit. Just go to the cupboard and there’s your faithful Mooncup, ready for action.

The environment

Like me, do you end up with a practically overflowing bin by the end of “shark week”? Tampons, their applicators and wrappers, sanitary towels and their wrappers create a lot of waste. You don’t have to worry about this with menstrual cups. Of course, this helps the world as a whole too as this is all just creating so much waste for landfill and thousands of tampons and applicators are washed up on beaches each year.

To add to the good news, they’re vegan too!

Getting to grips

I’ve been trying out my Mooncup over the course of three cycles now. At first, I found it difficult to insert. However, it didn’t take me long to work out which fold worked best for me and, most importantly, to relax! I personally found the C fold easiest.

Mooncup c fold
C fold instructions from the Mooncup website

I did find I needed to cut the stem as it was too long for me. However, it’s designed to be trimmed as we are all different shapes and sizes. The instructions tell you how to do this and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the silicone I’d cut was still lovely and soft with no sharp edges.

I was quite aware of the Mooncup at first, but I soon forgot it was there. It was certainly much more comfortable than a tampon! I also felt much more comfortable swimming with it in and confident that there would be no leakage. It’s also nice going to the loo with no bloody pads to look at or tampon strings to contend with.

Removal is something I’m yet to completely master, but I’m sure it won’t take me much longer. You simply need to pinch the bottom of the cup to break the suction and carefully remove it. The cup can then be emptied and rinsed out and dried before being inserted again. If you’re not in an environment where you’re able to do this, such as a public toilet or at work, a careful wipe with toilet roll suffices until you can wash it at home a few hours later.

Parting thoughts

I’m definitely going to persist with using my Mooncup as I feel it’s so much better for the environment, my health and my bank balance! It’s going to save me from some pretty awkward moments too. For example, I work in an office full of men. I dread getting my period whenever I’m at work because of how obvious it is when I have to take my bag to the toilets with me, or alternatively the under-the-desk tampon/pad up-sleeve shuffle. Which isn’t even an option in the summer.

So, perhaps I haven’t quite mastered removal yet. However, I partially put this down to having long Christmas nails for two of my cycles and getting a bit scared! I’m sure I’ll get there in my next cycle, but if not, Mooncup have an Advice Service in the form of a phone line and email address which is run by medical health professionals.

You know what? My honest opinion is I don’t even know why you wouldn’t consider even trying a Mooncup.

Disclosure: I was sent a Mooncup for the purpose of this review. As always, all views and opinions are honest and my own.

My Random Musings

4 thoughts on “Saving the world, one Mooncup at a time”

  1. I’ve been thinking of getting one of these for a while now but haven’t bitten the bullet. Thanks for your review, maybe I should go for it and just get one! #Anythinggoes

  2. Wow. I’ve heard of these, but, you know, trying something new is always worrisome. Thanks for sharing. This was super informative.

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