Girlstalk about Menstrual Cup
Yesterday, the teenage class at our learning center was quiet because only a few students came. The rest had a scout activity to attend. So there were only Delon, Oming, Mang Dewi, Kristi, Mang Listya. I guess just the five of them. I showed the cloth diapers of my sons, my menstrual pads and my menstrual cup. Yes! Maybe you will think it’s a little bit ghastly or disgusting. But I had made sure that everything was cleaned. I even had rewashed my menstrual cup, just to make sure no stain at all on the white surface. But you know what this is part of learning. I believe they would understand.
Even more, I haven’t used my menstrual pad so long since I got my menstrual cup. So there we learnt and I let them touch my sons’ cloth diaper but not my feminine pads and my menstrual cup. They were eager and enthusiastic. Even Phoebe our current volunteer also wanted to see my menstrual cup. I demonstrated to them how to put the menstrual cup inside the vagina. It’s by folding it and then it will pop up inside the vagina. They were terrified of the pain when that thing is popped up inside the vagina. However, I told them that I always feel nothing when my menstrual cup is inside there. The silicone is soft and flexible, you won’t feel anything, trust me.
Oming and Mang Dewi said that they would use a menstrual cup when they were married. Well, that’s their personal options. Because in our eastern culture we don’t use tampons and we hold tight to our belief to keep our virginity by not letting anything get inside our vagina. But I have a different opinion about virginity. Never having sexual intercourse means virginity, although tampons, menstrual cup, and medical tools already got inside our vagina. Nevertheless, I had never used tampons, menstrual cup and never had medical tools inside my vagina before my marriage. So, I can’t say that my beliefe is right and their belief is wrong, that’s all so personal.
I myself used a menstrual cup for the first time was a few months after I gave birth to Kavin, my second son. If I was a teenager back then, I don’t know if I would be brave or interested in using a menstrual cup. But what I thought now, I would use a menstrual cup to reduce everyday disposable menstrual pad waste. To get its convenience during doing some sports because I love to exercise. And for the benefit of my health. Disposable menstrual pads are made with bleaching chemicals and plastics, they are actually nasty to our intimate and delicate area.
Yuck, nasty! That what I call nasty! Using disposable menstrual pad every month, so our intimate area is exposed to unhealthy things. But, showing my menstrual cup and cloth menstrual pad to my students is not considered nasty!
How about Phoebe’s reaction? Phoebe is a 20-year-old American girl, and she was pretty delighted to hear that there is a thing such as a menstrual cup! She hasn’t known before that menstrual cups exist! She couldn’t wait to tell her friends and sister about this! What great news! She told me that this is not fair that girls should always spend their budget on tampons every month, which is not cheap! A pack of tampons is about US$ 10. With one menstrual cup that you can buy through Amazon about US$ 23-28 (Diva Cup), you can wear it every month during your period, and that’s enough until 10 years!
Phoebe was amazed, and she asked me whether she could buy it here in Bali. So I said yes, she could buy at Zero Waste Bali store for Organicup that costs about Rp495.000 or at Love Anchor Canggu for Bali Dreams menstrual cup that costs Rp 150.000. Phoebe planned to go to Canggu this weekend and she directly texted her friends and sister about the menstrual cup. She told me maybe her friends and sister would like to get menstrual cups with her while in Bali.
It’s amazing that more girls are aware about their period and the waste that we can produce since we depend on feminine hygiene. Disposable menstrual pads and tampons can be reduced if we choose the most eco-friendly alternative.
The picture of the menstrual cup shown here is the menstrual cup that I bought for my friend in Surabaya, Yanty. I bought it at Love Anchor Canggu weekend market for Rp150.000, the small-sized one. I chose the small size because she is already married, but she hasn’t given a vaginal birth yet. Even now OrganiCup has already launched the mini size for the teenagers. Hmmm, interesting!
I’ve been using menstrual cup for four years now. The crowds start to be interested to this eco-friendly alternative so that several brands of menstrual cup come up. If you wish to read my review about my menstrual cup, read here.
Now, how about you, girls? Have you considered your waste during your period?
♡ Intan Rastini
