eco menstrual stuff - boring for men

[Rainy]

Just thought I pass this on just incase it hasnt been aired before. The mooncup is the eco friendly alternative to tampons towels etc and also exceptionally cheap when you consider just how much we must spend over our menstruating lives.

www.mooncup.co.uk/wc.php?u=1493

[Ranter]

It has been aired before Rainy, but quite a while ago so probably not easy to find.

I'm also evangelical about the mooncup, but having difficulty persuading some women I know.

[Clara]

Yep loving my mooncup!!

With washable pads too, there is no excuse to use disposable sanpro anymore! www.wen.org.uk has good resources as well (including easy instructions for making your own).

There are health reasons too. Many women who switch to washable sanpro experience lighter periods, the thinking being that the absorbant goo inside many disposable products actively draw more fluid from the body. I have also seen studies which conclusively linked levels of dioxins given to monkeys which increased levels of endometriosis. Dioxins can be found in the bleaches within cotton tampons.

I´m a bit of an evangelist for reusable sanpro - I think it needs to hit the mainstream the way cloth vs disposable has regarding nappies.

We have just started using cloth instead of loo roll too. So far so good.

[Rainy]

Unfortunately I dont think reusable sanitary protection will ever go mainstream - theres no money in it!
But the power of the word is massive so if we all keep telling our friends maybe it will help - the financial incentives alone are enough!
I dont understand women who say the mooncup is disgusting - if you use tampons whats the difference.
I see it as liberation from the massive pharmaceutical companies that have the majority of us by the short and curlies ......

[Clara]

Well there are lots of people making money out of cloth nappies and the accessories, and plenty of places you can buy washable pads.....so I´m hopeful.

I think the problem lies in that we have millenia of patriarchal judeo-christian conditioning that menstruation is filthy - sorry if that sounds a little out-there and ultra-feminist, but it would seem that most women don´t want to get their hands dirty with it. That´s not to blame, because I think the message is so strong and so old that it´s not surprising.

[Rainy]

yep - this is where our roles as mothers are so important.

[Clara]

Amen to that. The only way that we can truly hope to change the world is by raising the next generation - I guess that´s what a lot of people here are doing (papa´s included).

[Magpie]

I've been using Radpads (cloth pads) for years now, worn out the first lot and have just bought a new batch.

I have found I have more control over the flow, most of it ends up in the loo now. Not even a conscious thing, just more aware of it maybe? Or maybe it's just me getting older and wiser - ha ha!

[Rainy]

Im sure if men menstruated there would have been a'cure ' for it by now :-)

[red]

well - I love the mooncup. I think they are fairly pricey.. and now will want to buy a spare... and I have to order them online despite Boots selling them, cos not in my local Boots they don't ("a moon what? whats that for? " in loud voice at checkout....) and I suppose they must be better than tampons, from an eco point of view.. but I know I would carry on with the mooncup anyway.. cos its just more comfortable and more effective.

[Clara]

Oh don´t....they are now marketing a pill in the states to do just that.

Menstruating to me is the very essence of seasonality, seeing how our bodies work in relation to the phase of the moon. These pills, like most of modern society, are aimed at crashing on regardless of the season or natural forces - eating strawberries in december, air conditioned offices blah blah blah.... Sorry if I get unpredicatable for a few days of the month, I´m a woman not the borg.....


OOOH I´m really witchy today! Guess that must be the full moon tomorrow - where´s me mooncup

[possum]

Im sure if men menstruated there would have been a'cure ' for it by now :-)

There is, called a myrena coil - wonderful invention!

[Clara]

Presumably invented by a man.....

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/100001706.html

Good to see one of the possible side effects is "heavy menstrual bleeding"

[rag_grrl_nz]

I love my Mooncup and cloth pads too! They are cheaper in the long run 'cause they last so long.
Word of mouth and viral marketing is the best thing for them, just mention them to every woman you know. The great thing is that they usually are made/sold by small biz run by women so yaboosux to the multi-corps!!!

[Jandra]

Oh, but I love being Borg. At least I prefer it over suffering from cramps and headaches, backaches and irritability. So I have been a happy user of the Mirena coil for 3 years now. No need to use anything except for the lightest, thinnest pad occasionally for a few drops of blood. No cramps, no aches... I love it!

As for side effects... I think that driving a car has a higher percentage of chance to get involved in an accident at some point than the mirena coil has of increasing bleeding in stead of reducing it. And the mirena can be easily removed if it doesn't work for you. It's not exactly cheap, but no contraception (except for not doing 'it') is.

If other women prefer to stay in touch with their natural cycles, I can respect that. But if my cycle makes me more or less uncomfortable for 20% of my life time and there is a solution... well...

By the way, does anyone have a link to reseach about the environmental impact of washing all your toilet wipes and menstrual pads vs. using disposables of the non-bleached, recycled kind? I'd be interested to know more about that. TIA

Regards, Jandra