For me, this light in life was first introduced while doing research on, “How to do multi-day hikes without carrying a bunch of (un)-used feminine products”.  At first my brain wasn’t quite ready for this grand paradigm shift, but the day eventually arrived. I was sitting on the toilet, gazing at my shiny plastic wrapped tampon, and thought to myself  “How many of these leeches have I already used during my lifetime? It has been quite some time since I had my very first monthly week of terror.”  Obviously, I was shocked to find the answer after a non-invasive research — deeply shocked, ladies. You might not think about this when opening your pad or tampon. However, on average, a single person uses 250 -300 pounds of tampon/pads during their lifetime… that’s around 12,000-15,000 tamponina’s in a lifetime.

Now, can you visualize my scrunched up face, while sitting on the toilet, tamponina in one hand, while reading this information on my phone in the other? I can still envision that tampon falling – in slow motion – bouncing loudly on the floor, while my mouth gapes wide open. 15,000! Blimey. Pandora’s box of menstrual secrets had finally opened to me. An additional FYI, do you know that annually,  twelve billion tampons and pads are being disposed of, ending up in landfills or clogging up sewer systems? TWELVE BILLION! Can you imagine climbing a red Mount Sinai size of used tampons and pads encrusted in dried blood and human excrement? I think that it would indeed be quite an achievement to climb it. I wonder if the male sex would be climbing it?

If I was still using these unsustainable products, I would average around 240 tampons/pads/liners a year. A nice little Mount Sinai in my very own courtyard. But where do all these leeches actually disappear to? Sewers, Landfills, India, The Ocean? Isn’t that enough to make you think differently, and to look for an alternative? But maybe you are just too lazy to take the effort and finally use a more sustainable approach? Yes, I thought so.
Are you willing to try?
Can you put that prudishness aside and finally listen to what I and all those menstrual cup corporations have to say? If so, read the following guideline.

Steps to make this World Cup work for you.
The time might have come: you are mentally ready (what took you so long?)  to purchase the menstrual cup. YES? YES! Hurry, go purchase it now! That’s all I want you to do after reading this article – remember that I’m just improving your life here, and our beautiful planet. 

Size selection.
The size of the cup is of high importance. You want your cup to create a vacuum, to avoid leakage. So, when dropping that cup in your cart, you’ll have to select your funnel’s size first. Now, I normally don’t purchase exotic things for down there, but some of you may be more experienced in this department.
Anyways, selecting a size can trouble some women (based on personal research), which might hinder them from buying one. Because really, what size are you? But hey, it’s pretty easy actually. When we get older, our hips become a bit wider – yes you know – and our pelvic muscles stretch up a bit here and there. So the golden rule, you base the size on your age, also if you have ever given birth. 

DivaCup (Personally, I believe DivaCup is a trustworthy brand, and provides you with a lot of information and a little cute pink/purple bag, so your significant-other doesn’t have to face “the thing” in the bathroom). Diva Cup has three sizes:
– Model 0 for age 19 years and younger. This is the smallest cup, designed for those “youthful, strong pelvic floor muscles”.
– Model 1  age 19-30. Pretty average size, especially good if you have a narrow build  and have not had any children. 
– Model 2, age 30+. Weakened pelvic floor muscles, and also depends on if you’ve ever given birth, and is particularly efficient when having heavy flows.

Not that hard, eh? For example, if you are below 30, never had any kiddo’s, go for model 1. But if you are below 30 and have had a kid or two, you might need model 2 because your pelvic muscles are not like the Acropolis structure anymore – shh, don’t stress out.

The first cleaning.
What next? You want to make sure your cup is profoundly disinfected. Cleaning and disinfecting has been a common topic in 2020. But cleaning your cup has been important since the beginning of its existence. Let me tell you an important message. Always. I’m clearly stating, ALWAYS, clean the thing in boiling water before using it! Let it float around for a while in a steelcut pan – apart from the eggs – so all the yuckiness will be washed off. You don’t want to randomly stick unwashed objects into your vagina.

Proper placement.
I remember a friend once saying, “I can’t imagine sticking that thing inside!” That made me laugh. She couldn’t imagine sticking it in her vagina. Ha! Yeah right. It’s not that difficult you know. Correctly placing it might seem scary at the beginning, but it’s not. Make yourself feel comfortable, and take your time so you don’t stress out. For example, don’t do it for the first time right before leaving for work.
People often get terribly impatient when they try a new thing. I understand. But this takes time. You can’t learn to become President of the United States within an hour. It takes around two, maybe three? Understandos? So let’s start the placement process.
After washing your hands, which you always do before insertion, you’ll need to take your time to learn about your favorite folding ways and properly sticking it in. DivaCup describes these two folding ways: The U-Fold, and the Push-Down Fold. Check them out here!

“But doesn’t it leak?” Is a question my friend and many others often ask. Well, to be honest, prepare yourself that during the first three periods you may leak, because you just didn’t place it correctly. Important to me is that I feel some sort of “plop” in the VG. Almost like a tiny cramp. If you feel the “plop”, or the vacuum occuring, you can be 100% sure it’s leak proof. If not 100% sure, use a pad or liner the first few times.

Did you manage to “stick it in”? Was the insertion successful? Well done, and don’t worry, almost everyone struggles in the beginning! But eventually you will love it, mainly because you can keep it in for around 12 hours! Yes, isn’t that brilliant? Now you will never have to bring spare parts, or be paranoid about getting Toxic Shock Syndrome. This is another reason I don’t want to use tampons anymore. Imagine forgetting you left your tampon in… One of my worst nightmares. You won’t forget about your Cup at the end of the day, because of the little extension that can be felt while  using the toilet.

Removal.
After approximately twelve magnificent- almost-forgetting-about-your-period hours, you need to remove your cup. Once again,  DAUNTING… What to expect?
My favorite way to remove the cup is by squatting above the toilet, pulling on the extension, grabbing the bottom of the cup between index finger and thumb and putting pressure on it so the vacuum will disappear. That way, you can easily pull it out, like a filled cup of tea, without making a mess.

The inbetween clean.
Another comment from a friend, “But how do you clean it? Isn’t it gross?”
Why would it be gross if it’s your own body? Just forget about the stigma of women’s periods and things being gross about it. I don’t even want to discuss this issue. It annoys me. Period. What is really gross and difficult to comprehend is that there are “artists” on our beautiful earth who use their period blood as paint for art. Uhuh, yep, that’s a thing.
Anyways, back to cleaning your cup. During my period, I empty it while taking a shower. I also use a feminine wash to clean it, my pro-tip, but boiling water will do.

What if you’re not at home, can’t take a shower, or on a night out? I’ll give you a very straightforward answer.  Empty your cup in the toilet, then wipe it with a tissue, and/or clean it with some water from the sink or a bottle you brought with you.
After this you start the insertion process again. Now you’re safe for another approximately twelve hours.

Summary.
Now, breathe. I hope you have finally ordered your magnificent forever lasting silicon cup, because let’s be honest, this comprehensive explanation was smashing. But, maybe it freaked you out. I really hope not. 
In case you need a summary, check out the following highlights. 
– First and most importantly,  don’t be so prude!  You too can switch from tampon to cup!
– Buy the right size.
– Disinfect before use.
– Choose a folding way.
– The cup will create a vacuum, so you won’t leak.
– Practice and take your time.
– You can keep it in for around twelve hours!!
– Be patient and aware that it can take an average of  three months before you are used to it.

So does this sound like your cup of tea? Did you buy it? Did you try it? YES!! What a relief. 

Welcome ladies,  to the menstrual cup society!