The Holiest of Grail The Menstrual Cup – Part One

WHERE DO ALL OF THESE BLOODY THINGS GO?

I can’t be the only person who wonders where all the feminine hygiene products go once they’ve been recklessly abandoned — after just one use? (Either down the toilet or in the bin.) For some bizarre reason, I used to imagine my ‘flushed down’ tampons instantly resurfacing in China — in some rich Asian man’s swimming pool…

But seriously, the supermarket variety of tampons, pads, and panty liners are not biodegradable because they are made of synthetic fibres. And I think it’s safe to assume there ain’t much recycling going on down at the ‘Old Tampon Treating Plant’…

Click through for part-two of this blog-post:
The menstrual cup (part-two)

TAKE ME FOR EXAMPLE – I’M A ‘REGULAR’ KINDA GAL

You’re supposed to change your tampon about every 3—4 hours during your menstrual cycle (obviously more frequently when your  blood flow is heavy)¹. That’s 6—8 tampons per day. Over the years, let’s say my average period has lasted for five days. That’s 30—40 tampons per cycle. I also require two ‘night pads’ for my two heaviest days. If I take these figures and multiply them by 13 menstrual cycles per year… Then I times these figures by the length of time I’ve been menstruating…

I MAKE MY FEMININE HYGIENE CONTRIBUTION TO LANDFILL AND THE OCEAN (AT THIS POINT) TO BE AT LEAST:

10,140—13,520 TAMPONS
(The current average cost of a standard tampon is .25c)
= $2535—$3380

676 NIGHT PADS
(The current average cost of a standard pad is .30c)
= $202.80

Note: there would have also been the equivalent of a couple of packets of panty liners thrown in there for good measure. And let’s not forget about ALL the plastic packaging that everything came hygienically encased in.

I’ve worked out what this has cost me, but can anyone work out what this has cost our environment?

The females of this world aren’t just contributing to landfill, we’re creating bloody mountains of waste! Not to mention the money we’re also wasting.

DON’T TELL ME THAT YOU DON’T KNOW ‘SWEET FANNY ADAMS’!

Commercial brands of feminine hygiene products can not only irritate your ‘delicate bits’, and cause allergic reactions, but they also pose a very real health risk (and I’m not just talking about Toxic Shock Syndrome). Many health conditions stem from an insidious build-up of chemicals, rather than a one-time exposure. The mucous membranes that line your vagina are highly porous, and therefore chemicals can quickly cross into the blood stream.

Not only are commercial feminine hygiene products made of rayon, plastic, and conventionally grown cotton² (and therefore harbour trace amounts of pesticides) these products are also:

THE GREAT WALL OF ‘JY-NA’

The feminine hygiene section at the supermarket is made-up of every shape, size, and absorbency known (and unknown) to woman-kind. Because of this bloody ridiculous explosion of tampons, panty liners and pads, it is no longer possible to send your partner or spouse on an ’emergency run’ to get you tampons. You would bleed to death before he returned³. (Remember you’re dealing with a species that struggles to find the peanut butter in the fridge or cupboard…)

Now-a-days there is a tampon, liner, and pad for every occasion:
— Your level of blood flow
— Your level of activity
— Your choice of underwear, and even
— Your ‘bloody’ mood..!

Note:  I think I’m getting old-fashioned… I thought everyone just wore standard issue ‘period undies’ at this time of the month?!

The Great Wall of ‘Jy-na’