So of course, I stopped using them.

With a little bit of curiosity and a lot of Google, I found that something.

Its called the menstrual cup.

A tiny cup in your vagina.

Its designed to catch the blood and uterine tissue thats expelled during menstruation.

When the cup is full, or after 12 hourswhichever comes firstyou remove the cup and empty the contents.

Then, you wash and reinsert.

Sounds easy, right?

Thats what I thought when I immediately bought one to try it.

Let me tell you, inserting that thing the first time was an experience.

You have to fold the cup and insert into your vagina, where it pops open.

You do this by ensuring the cup is open and tugging down on it.

In other words, the muscles in your vagina are supposed to hold this thing in.

Putting it in hurt.

I was afraid to push it in all the way and it popped open and smacked against my clitoris.

Fortunately, I was able to insert it successfully.

Ive swapped cups four different times during my journey because I couldnt find the one that fit me right.

There were so many different brands and sizes to choose from.

I was so sure my first cup was the right size.

Only to find that it wasnt.

1 super tampon full of blood=2 regular tampons?

I had no idea how much I was actually bleeding.

If you ever suspect your blood loss isnt normal, see a doctor through yourhealthcare plan.

I realized that I was totally ignorant of my body before the cup came into my life.

Not everyone is open-minded.Of course, I had to tell my friends about my new discovery.

Not all of them were as deterred about the health risks of tampons as I was.

There are alternatives.Getting my menstrual cupnot to leakwas a problem all in itself.

It seemed that getting it in and out successfully was the challenge when really that became the easiest part.

The cup is certainly not for everyone.

They seem expensive at first, but when you consider the costs, theres really no comparison.

It seems silly, really.

you might do just about anything with it in, except for have sex, of course.

When the menstrual cup is in your vagina, you dont feel it at all.

If you do feel it or its at all uncomfortable, its not in right.

Although inserting the cup feels fine for me now, taking it out is always a little uncomfortable.

That is, until you become familiar with your flow.

I know when to check mine and when I know its ok.

The menstrual cup also poses unique challenges for public restrooms.

When you take it out, I would definitely recommend washing it with soap again before reinserting it.

I got a UTI from not washing my cup before reinsertion my first summer using it.

Cleanliness is really important here.

You want to wash your hands before removing or inserting the cup.

Wash the cup after you take it out and empty it.

see to it you rinse all the soap off.

I would recommend using a natural plant-based soap such as Dr. Bronners.

Then you’re free to safely reinsert.

Theres really no better introduction to the cup than just trying it out if youre interested.

Theres so much we dont know about our bodies, especially our period.

The menstrual cup has been this love-hate thing for me.

Which means it syncs rather well with my period, right?

Consider alternatives to tampons and give the menstrual cup a try!