7 ms·

Sounds like it is way more ecologically sound than tampons; do women in America use them? Why not?

drakonka 7y ago
They are becoming more popular. In Sweden almost every pharmacy stocks at least one brand of menstrual cup, and now even some grocery stores in the feminine hygiene section. They're still not as popular as tampons, but there's definitely a higher level of recognition of them now.
- robin_reala 7y ago
  My local ICA supermarket has three or four brands of cup alone.
telesilla 7y ago
Thanks for asking! When you are a young woman just getting your period, it's confusing and messy. Society doesn't help in that it's also taboo. There is a lot of fear and worry involved with having your period that lasts for many women through their lives. I have friends who won't use a tampon that doesn't include the applicator [1] (it helps insertion without needing to get your hands dirty). So using a cup means, you are 100% going to get blood on your hands and you are going to be very intimate with the inside of your body. For many women who were brought up conservatively, and for those who remain conservative, this will never be an option. I try and promote the cup among my friends and encourage young girls to experiment in safety. Long-term, it will become more popular. There is also the issue of needing clean running water or wet wipes. Hygiene is crucial in cleaning the cup between changes and of course, you need to be able to clean your hands and have running water to deposit the menstrual liquid [2]. I'm not sure how this would work with a non-flushing / compost toilet actually, I found this article [3] which concludes that of course, blood is good for compost. I don't know what the sanitary conditions are in the kind of home these girls live in, in Kenya. [1] http://becomingagirl.weebly.com/applicator-tampons.html http://becomingagirl.weebly.com/applicator-tampons.html [2] https://store.lunette.com/blogs/news/how-to-clean-menstrual-cup-in-public-toilet https://store.lunette.com/blogs/news/how-to-clean-menstrual-... [3] http://minimotives.com/2016/11/10/periods-composting-toilet/ http://minimotives.com/2016/11/10/periods-composting-toilet/
- kaybe 7y ago
  While blood might be good for compost that also sounds like a prime method to distribute germs and viruses. Seems dangerous.
  - telesilla 7y ago
    A compost toilet is an aerobic environment composed largely of sawdust, human waste and sometimes earth that is decomposed by bacteria and fungi. Properly managed, it's perfectly safe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet
    - 24gttghh 7y ago
      You still don't necessarily want to/can't use composted human waste for growing food for human consumption, because many jurisdictions regulate their application in different areas of agriculture. e.g.: Virginia: "All materials removed from a composting privy shall be buried," and "compost material shall not be placed in vegetable gardens or on the ground surface.[0] Rhode Island: "Solids produced by alternative toilets may be buried on site," while, "residuals shall not be applied to food crops.[1] I'm all for doing it regardless, as it seems more sustainable than traditional sewage treatment! [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet#cite_note-26 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet#cite_note-26 [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet#cite_note-25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet#cite_note-25
  - smileysteve 7y ago
    Blood and Waste both carry similar risk and hopefully anyone using a composting toilet are aware of the needs to properly bake off organisms.
astura 7y ago
I'm only one person, but I'm an American woman, and I've been using a cup for 16 years. I've introduced them to one other women too. I also wear reusable cloth pads on light/spotting days. I wash my pads in the wash machine.
bastardchild 7y ago
One obstacle here (Germany) is, that young girls learn, how to handle their period during sex ed. And often even young sex ed teachers just don't know about cups. They teach what they were taught which is tampons and pads. And menstrual cups come with a lot more questions than those. Applying them requires some experimentation and you actually have to kind of explore what your vagina looks like. Best case in sex ed: You are not actively prepared that you might have to do that. Usual case: You see a plastic model of a vagina that is shaped nothing like yours and get the vague feeling that it's bad/dirty to touch a real one. In urban areas where you have younger teachers and more conversation about these taboo topics, cups are popular enough that you can buy them in every bigger drug store by now, but in rural areas it's as simple as nobody knows that this is an option.

They are becoming more popular. In Sweden almost every pharmacy stocks at least one brand of menstrual cup, and now even some grocery stores in the feminine hygiene section. They're still not as popular as tampons, but there's definitely a higher level of recognition of them now.

robin_reala 7y ago
My local ICA supermarket has three or four brands of cup alone.

telesilla 7y ago

Thanks for asking! When you are a young woman just getting your period, it's confusing and messy. Society doesn't help in that it's also taboo. There is a lot of fear and worry involved with having your period that lasts for many women through their lives. I have friends who won't use a tampon that doesn't include the applicator [1] (it helps insertion without needing to get your hands dirty). So using a cup means, you are 100% going to get blood on your hands and you are going to be very intimate with the inside of your body. For many women who were brought up conservatively, and for those who remain conservative, this will never be an option. I try and promote the cup among my friends and encourage young girls to experiment in safety. Long-term, it will become more popular. There is also the issue of needing clean running water or wet wipes. Hygiene is crucial in cleaning the cup between changes and of course, you need to be able to clean your hands and have running water to deposit the menstrual liquid [2]. I'm not sure how this would work with a non-flushing / compost toilet actually, I found this article [3] which concludes that of course, blood is good for compost. I don't know what the sanitary conditions are in the kind of home these girls live in, in Kenya. [1] http://becomingagirl.weebly.com/applicator-tampons.html http://becomingagirl.weebly.com/applicator-tampons.html [2] https://store.lunette.com/blogs/news/how-to-clean-menstrual-cup-in-public-toilet https://store.lunette.com/blogs/news/how-to-clean-menstrual-... [3] http://minimotives.com/2016/11/10/periods-composting-toilet/ http://minimotives.com/2016/11/10/periods-composting-toilet/

kaybe 7y ago
While blood might be good for compost that also sounds like a prime method to distribute germs and viruses. Seems dangerous.
- telesilla 7y ago
  A compost toilet is an aerobic environment composed largely of sawdust, human waste and sometimes earth that is decomposed by bacteria and fungi. Properly managed, it's perfectly safe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet
  - 24gttghh 7y ago
    You still don't necessarily want to/can't use composted human waste for growing food for human consumption, because many jurisdictions regulate their application in different areas of agriculture. e.g.: Virginia: "All materials removed from a composting privy shall be buried," and "compost material shall not be placed in vegetable gardens or on the ground surface.[0] Rhode Island: "Solids produced by alternative toilets may be buried on site," while, "residuals shall not be applied to food crops.[1] I'm all for doing it regardless, as it seems more sustainable than traditional sewage treatment! [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet#cite_note-26 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet#cite_note-26 [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet#cite_note-25 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composting_toilet#cite_note-25
- smileysteve 7y ago
  Blood and Waste both carry similar risk and hopefully anyone using a composting toilet are aware of the needs to properly bake off organisms.

astura 7y ago

I'm only one person, but I'm an American woman, and I've been using a cup for 16 years. I've introduced them to one other women too. I also wear reusable cloth pads on light/spotting days. I wash my pads in the wash machine.

bastardchild 7y ago

One obstacle here (Germany) is, that young girls learn, how to handle their period during sex ed. And often even young sex ed teachers just don't know about cups. They teach what they were taught which is tampons and pads. And menstrual cups come with a lot more questions than those. Applying them requires some experimentation and you actually have to kind of explore what your vagina looks like. Best case in sex ed: You are not actively prepared that you might have to do that. Usual case: You see a plastic model of a vagina that is shaped nothing like yours and get the vague feeling that it's bad/dirty to touch a real one. In urban areas where you have younger teachers and more conversation about these taboo topics, cups are popular enough that you can buy them in every bigger drug store by now, but in rural areas it's as simple as nobody knows that this is an option.