Ok so I know what some of you are thinkingÂ….Reusable products??? Period??? ThatÂ’s gross!! NO itÂ’s not. Blood is NATURAL!! ItÂ’s part of who we are as woman!! You donÂ’t have to throw a party when Aunt Flow comes to town but you can (potentially) make it less of a pain. Pardon the pun.


A list of reusable products!



Washable Menstrual pads:



Have been around for Centuries….in fact it wasn’t until the 1940’s or so that disposable pads took off. Before than woman would just throw there “rags” into the wash and re use them. This is believed to be where the term on the rag came from.

The styles of modern pads veryÂ….but they usually consist of a liner (or two) and some way to hold the pad in place. Some pads use the wing system with either Velcro or snapsÂ….you simply tuck the liners in the pad between the wings and snap it into placeÂ…and presto your all set and ready to go. Depending on how you wash and care for the pads, a reusable menstrual pad can last you anywhere from 3 to 10 years. Prices for the pads can vary (from approximately $12 to $20) depending on the brand and size of pad you select.


Menstrual cups: These include The Keeper,*The Moon Cup (the keeper's version of the diva, it should say made in the USA on the inner rim)*The Diva, *The Moon Cup(the UK company-found at Boot's Pharmacy)*, Lunette and Instead.

*See note at bottom of thread.




Worn internally, a menstrual cup has a bell shape with a stem at the bottom that you use to pull the cup out. Measuring about two inches across, the opening of the cup forms a seal with your vaginal wall, allowing the cup to catch your menstrual flow. If you are allergic to latex IÂ’d suggest purchasing a Diva as it is made out of medical grade silicone.


Although their large size can seem rather intimidating, menstrual cups are quite flexible therefore allowing you to bend and fold it when you insert it. On average, a menstrual cup can hold about one ounce of blood. You should empty the cup every 6 to 12 hours but be aware that it can be tricky to remove the cup without spilling when you first start using it. A menstrual cup will cost between $30 and $40 but can last for up to 10 years.

ThatÂ’s 10 years without having to buy a tampon! (wow)



The instead cup is very similar to the keeper however it is designed to fit right up against your cervix and is only designed for a one time use. (Some woman will re-use it although this isnÂ’t recommended.) You can also have intercourse while wearing the insteadÂ…however some woman (like myself) that are small may have problems due to the insteads one size fits all design.

en.wikipedia.org . . .

Where the cup should sit.

en.wikipedia.org . . .

Where the instead should sit.


No reported cases of toxic shock syndrome have been attributed to the use of menstrual cups, nor have any other health risks. Note, however, that due to varying popularity, numbers of cases are not directly comparable between different products, and no option is guaranteed to be perfectly safe. en.wikipedia.org . . .

en.wikipedia.org . . .
This is what the cup should look like when you go to insert it.(This is the method I use...in all there are about 7 differant ways to fold a cup)
1) Fold the cup in half. (They are very flexible)
2) Fold that half in half and viola! Your ready to insert!


Here are some other folding methods that might work better for you.

community.livejournal.com . . .


Sea Sponges:


Natural sea sponges work exactly like a tampon. They are worn internally, held in place by your vaginal muscles, and absorb your menstrual flow. Similar to tampons, they do need to be changed every few hours. However, unlike a tampon, you do not throw the sponge away. Instead, you either insert another dry sponge or rinse the one you were wearing and then reinsert it. Sea sponges do not have an applicator; instead you use your finger to insert the sponge.
Although silk sea sponges are harvested, they are done so in a sustainable and responsible fashion. The sponges are completely natural and biodegradable. They are not treated with any chemicals or bleach, so you will need to boil your sea sponge before you use it the first time. A package of 2 sea sponges will cost between $7 and $12 and can be reused for up to 8 months.
www.epigee.org . . .





Common myths about Alternative Menstrual products.




But itÂ’s so unsanitary!! Actually NO it isnÂ’t and it some ways it better for you.

Think about itÂ….you wash your underwear right? (Or at least I hope you do!? Lol )
You donÂ’t boil it to clean it do you??? Nope just throw it in the wash!! So why do we associate sanitary napkins as being sanitary?

Same reason that toilet paper is white, because it has become normal. ThereÂ’s a complex historical argument behind this, but basically somewhere after the second world war, white became a symbol of sanitation. In actual fact, the tampon and disposable pad industry operates under no regulations that ensure sanitation and they arenÂ’tÂ’ t really all that sanitary. TheyÂ’re just white.

www.scarleteen.com . . .
Toxic chemicals like dioxins are used in the bleaching process as well as materials such as rayon that can cause peeling of the mucous membrane. (ouch!)

In fact some woman like myself have noticed less painful periods and less bleeding since switching over. I used to get killer crampsÂ…..but since the switch I donÂ’t!

This is just some new age hippy thing!

NoÂ….In factÂ…
Through the ages women have used different forms of menstrual protection. The Museum of menstruation has articles and photos of some early forms of menstrual protection. Including among other things, knitted pads, and menstrual aprons. Women often used strips of folded old cloth (rags) to catch their menstrual blood, which is why the term "rags" was used to refer to menstruation. Until disposable sanitary pads were created, all women used some form of cloth or reusable pad to collect menstrual blood. Even after they were commercially available, for several years they were too expensive for many women to afford. It took many years for disposable menstrual pads to become commonplace, but since then in most areas of the industrialized world, their use became almost exclusive.
Cloth menstrual pads made a comeback around the 1970s, with their popularity increasing in the late nineties and early 90's.
en.wikipedia.org . . .

ItÂ’s such a pain to wash them! I like being able to just throw it out and forget about it!

You still can buy products that are chemical free that you can throw out such as organic tampons and pads (found at most health food stores-some grocery stores have started to carry them as well)Â….but why waste all that money and why contribute to the landfill??

Think about it….a reusable cup or pad SAVES you in the long run! You also don’t have to run to the store in the middle of the night to get “tampons”. You always have them!


Here are some more links to help.

www.youngwomenshealth.org . . .
• The DivaCup divacup.com
• The Keeper thekeeperinc.com
• Instead softcup.com
• The Mooncup mooncup.co.uk
• Lunette lunette.fi
• Menstrual Cups and Natural Menstrual Products lunapads.com
• Sea Sponge Tampons, Cloth Pads, and Menstrual Cups gladrags.com

manymoonsalternatives.com . . .- for those of you that are handy and can sew manymoons have pad patterns that you can copy from to make your own!
www.sleepingbaby.net . . .
www.labyrinth.net.au . . .
www.borntolove.com . . .
shewhorunsintheforest.googlepages.com
hillbillyhousewife.com . . .
other great pattern sites!



Hope this article helps! IÂ’ll edit as I need toÂ….please if you see something that needs tweaking let me know!









*Just to clear something up.

There are now 2 silicone menstrual cups called a "Mooncup". One (the original, made in 2000) is made in the UK and is called "Mooncup". The second is a new cup (2006) brought out by The Keeper Inc, is made in America and goes by the names "Mooncup" and "Moon Cup" (depending on which website you visit).

liadan.bravehost.com . . .
www.labyrinth.net.au . . .

If you are purchasing a Moon Cup- PLEASE BE VERY MINDFUL of where you are buying it from.

What can you do?

If you've purchased the "wrong" cup
If you have mistakenly purchased a US Moon Cup, when you believed that you were purchasing a UK Mooncup, then you have a few options. The US Moon Cup has a 3 month return policy, so you can return it for a refund. If the seller made the product misleading, then you usually have the right to complain. Ebay should have a system where you can report misleading sellers.

To ensure you purchase the "right" cup

* If you wish to purchase the Original UK Mooncup, it is probably best to do so from their official site (www.mooncup.co.uk) so that you can be 100% sure that is what you are getting.
* If you wish to purchase one of these cups from a website other than their official websites (at places such as ebay), be sure to read everything you can, to ensure that the product they are selling is the one you want. As the USA Moon Cup is being sold using both the "Moon Cup" and "Mooncup" names, you may need to look at more than just the name.
* You can look at the image of the US Moon Cup (this) and the UK Mooncup (this) as a reference to check which cup it is you are buying. Look also at the pouch/bag they come in. Mooncup (UK) uses a natural cotton coloured bag with blue writing and their logo (a sort of U shape with a ball in it).*
* Generally if the store also sells the rubber Keeper, then the silicone Moon Cup/Mooncup is probably the USA Moon Cup (but that may not always be true)
* If you are not sure which cup a seller is selling, ask them. But be aware that some sellers may not be aware that there are 2 products with the same name. They should be able to tell you details about the cup that will answer your question as to which cup it is.
* If they are an English store (Websites will generally end in .co.uk instead of .com), chances are its the UK Mooncup, If it is a US store, chances are it is the US Moon Cup.

*Please note the pouches are generally made from different fabrics and may change between batches of cups, so look at the cup not fabric used on the pouch if you want to be actually certain which one the cup is.

liadan.bravehost.com . . .