Hi blog fam!! Hope everyone has been doing good. So I did a thing this last month. Ever since about March this year, I started seriously considering switching from pads and tampons to something more sustainable for the environment. I found some stuff such as reusable pads, period underwear, and menstrual cups. The first two seemed like a hassle to me, and I didn’t know anyone who personally used them. I decided to start looking up period cups instead. A friend of mine had told me her experience with them, and how she loved using them. I tried finding them in stores, but they weren’t available. In places that they were, there wasn’t much variety and it was too expensive. Finally, I was browsing the streets of Instagram, and I saw an ad for period cups on @sleekygal’s instagram page. I contacted her, and the cups she had were the cheapest I had come across. She was also available in Nigeria and could ship to me (nice!). I did a little poll on my instagram @adaora97, and these were some of the results: Only about 84% of poll takers had ever heard of period cups, 9% had ever used period cups, and 49% would ever use one. These stats prompted this post. Here are some things I’ve learnt from using a period cup

1. Where can I get them?: For people in the abroad, check your supermarkets like Target, etc or whatever the equivalent is near you. You can also check on amazon. I feel they have the greatest variety and you can read reviews. For my folks in naija, contact sleekygal. She is on instagram and can deliver at least to Lagos, PH city, and Abuja. If you have any other places, please let me know in the comments.
2. I have it, now what?: So, when you get the cup, you are to sterilize it in boiling water. You should subsequently sterilize it at the beginning and end of each cycle.
3. Is it painful to insert?: For me, it was not painful to insert. You can look up videos on how to insert your period cup, or you can follow the instructions that come with the cup. I have used tampons previously, and found it to be quite similar, mostly because they involve inserting objects into the v***na.
4. How does it help the environment?: Period cups, or at least the one I got, can be reused for up to 10 years (I don’t know if I would use mine that long o). But the point is that you are only using one product for a very long time. That means you save money, since you aren’t constantly buying pads or tampons. It also means you are contributing to reducing waste in the environment that is produced from traditional period products. This was one of the selling points for me tbvh!
5. Does it get stuck?: No, it doesn’t. And to my knowledge, it can only go so far. There is a mini-handle that allows you to grab onto it and remove it. I found that to be very effective. You can also insert your thumb and index finger to grab onto the bottom of the cup, and remove it as well.
6. How does it even work?: The cup I have, and recommend is medical grade silicon. You fold it, to look like a C or U, depends on who is looking at it lol. The folded cup is then inserted into the vagina while one is squatting or like I do, seating on a toilet seat. Just make sure you relax because that makes it easier.

For the most part, I have enjoyed my experience. The worst thing that happened was me not inserting the cup in properly. This caused me to leak. After that, it didn’t happen again (learning curve!). I also panicked one night because I thought it had swam into my system. Nope it was right there! If you have used a cup, please share your experience in the comment section. What worked, what didn’t, etc. If you have any more questions, please drop them and I will try to answer. Till next time, bye friends.