Menstrual Cups vs Sanitary Pads — The Dire need for Menstrual Management in Rural India

A Menstrual Cup is a small, flexible cup made of silicone or latex rubber. Instead of absorbing your flow, like a tampon or pad, it catches and collects it. You can reuse them up to 5 years. Menstrual Cups are in existence since 1932 when L.J Goodard has patented for a cup titled as ‘Vaginal Receptacle’. Like most of the cups, it was a bell object that a person could include in the canal to collect the menstrual blood.

Ever since a menstrual cup has taken different sizes and shapes through years. In today’s world, the menstrual cups are made of soft, sterilized, medical-grade, pliable materials like silicone, elastomer, rubber or latex.

Benefits of a Menstrual Cup:

• Reusable upto 5–6 years.
• Made of 100% Medical Grade Silicone assuring no side effects.
• No toxins as it is chemical free.
• Sustainable with a positive impact.
• Eco-friendly without causing environmental damage in production and disposal.
• Offers up to 12 hours of protection.

Menstrual cups became explicitly popular because of the fact that they can be reused. They are durable with a life span of 5–6 years. Most of the individuals consider menstrual cups as eco-friendly products, especially the ones that are committed to reducing waste which is created through plastic, non-biodegradable and non-recyclable materials. There are others, the low-income group people who would use them as they can save them a lot of money when compared to pads and tampons or other menstrual hygiene products.

Menstrual Cups vs Sanitary Pads:

An average woman uses around 10,000 sanitary products during her 40 years or more years of bleeding, which is why it makes sense to take the menstrual management into serious consideration.

Sanitary pads: Sanitary Pads/Napkins were the earliest forms of feminine hygiene which is why they are still used by many. They vary in length, size and absorbency levels. With their advantage of easily placing and removing, these pads are prefered during the light flow days or spotting days. Some women combine the pads for extra protection without knowing the disadvantages that they can’t create. They tend to make women uncomfortable, and they are not suitable for intense physical activities as well.

Menstrual cups: The menstrual cups, on the other hand, collect the fluid rather than absorbing it to be disposed of later. The bell-shaped cup can be removed and reused. They are easy to clean since they are made of rubber or silicone. They last up to 12 hours and can help women who have average to heavy menstrual flows. The flip side is that they are difficult to insert, but once you know about the woman’s body, you can come up with your insertion techniques.

Here why you should use Menstrual Cups?