Ditching sanitary towels and tampons has made my period much less stressful. Crucially, it’s better for the environment too
I
was 18 when I tried a menstrual cup for the first time. I was studying at the University of Edinburgh and Scotland had just become the first country in the world to make period products free to those who need them. The university health service was offering menstrual cups alongside the usual sanitary pads and tampons. I picked one up out of curiosity and because I just couldn’t resist a freebie.
I was used to spending £10 to £15 a month on period products, more if I was caught short and had to do a panicked dash to an overpriced off-licence. As an eco-conscious teenager I already bought non-applicator tampons but often wore a security sanitary liner underneath. It was an attempt to keep the endless worry of heavy periods at bay: will I leak, run out of supplies, or find a clean loo in time? Even so, I leaked more often than I cared to admit.
When I first heard about menstrual cups, I was sceptical. They sounded fiddly, messy and invasive; after trying one, I realised it wasn’t nearly as complicated as I imagined. It took a couple of attempts to work out how to insert it properly but, once I did, there was no going back.
