Types of Re-Usable Menstrual Products

After recently stumbling upon a specific menstrual product called the Menstrual Cup, I became curious about the other forms of re-usable menstrual products.

Most people have only ever heard of the standard disposable tampons and pads, never contemplating the fact that there may be other methods of protection. For many people, they never really think about what using these disposable products may be doing to their bodies, the environment, and their bank accounts.

Menstrual Cups
Menstrual cups are small silicone cups that sit inside the vagina by forming a light suction seal and collect the menstrual flow.Menstrual cups have been around since the early 1930's but never caught on as much as either disposable pads or tampons.

Ruby Cup Size Medium - Purple

Menstrual cups have recently started to become more and more popular for many reasons including the fact that they are super convenient and easy to use once you have the hang of it; once inserted, it is safe to leave the cup in for up to 12 hours! This is because of its capacity which holds 3-4 times as much as a regular tampon, as well as the fact that it collects rather than absorbs the menstrual flow, therefore not allowing bacteria to grow, eliminating the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome.

There are countless different brands and styles of menstrual cups, some of the most popular and well known are:
 - Moon Cup
 - Lily Cup
 - Ruby Cup
 - Diva Cup
 - MeLuna Cup

Almost every brand of menstrual cup have at least two different sizes, typically one for a light to moderate flow or women who haven't given birth or are under the age of 30, and one for women who have a medium to heavy, have given birth or are over the age of 30.

Cloth Pads
One of the most popular and widely known form of Re-Usable Menstrual Product is Mama Cloth, also known as re-usable cloth pads. They come in many different lengths, widths, shapes, thicknesses and fabrics.

Pretty Bloomer Cotton Cloth Pad Set

Cloth pads are most popular among people who have used disposable pads previously, and wanted a more comfortable, environmentally friendly and natural alternative.

They can be purchased from retailers or from stores on etsy, or can easily be homemade if you have access to a fabric store and a sewing machine.

Sea Sponge Tampons

These sea sponge tampons can be found on accidentallygreen.com

Sea sponge tampons are a natural alternative to regular tampons, they hold roughly the same amount depending on what size you use, they have to be changed just as often, and they still pose a small risk TSS when worn incorrectly.
One difference between sea sponge and regular tampons other than their materials is that sea sponge tampons are completely safe to have sex with.


Period Panties
Period panties are basically just a pair of underwear that can be worn to soak up your menstrual fluid. It works in a way almost like a cloth pad that has been sewn into a pair of underwear, however the underwear remain as thin as regular underwear.

Thinx is probably the most well known brand of period panties. They stock 6 different styles of underwear: high-waist, thong, cheeky, hiphugger, sport and boyshort.


Re-Usable Tampons
Re-usable tampons are tampons that can be washed out and re-used. They often come in the form of a cotton square with a thin string sewn into one edge, It then rolls up and inserts like a regular tampon.

I hope this post helped those of you who are just getting into the re-usable side of menstrual products, or even those who only knew of a cups of cloth pads.

Bella
xxx


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