It was six months ago that Serine Serine Serikoyard bought her last tampon and switched to a reusable menstrual disc.
“I was already wary of tampons from an Environmental perspective Also from a biological perspective. I felt that they were very wasteful and expensive to keep buying consistently,” she said.
Americans pass through 19 billion disposable period products per year (mostly made from plastic and water-staining cotton), all of which become landfills. From menstrual cups to discs, there are better ways to do it.
Flexible discs and other reusable menstrual products gain traction as an alternative to the billions of disposable pads and tampons thrown into landfills each year. Products like discs, silicone cups and age-old underwear can be reused for years, making them cost-effective and long-term, in addition to reducing waste for people. The popularity of reusable alternatives has grown since the pandemic when it was easier to experiment with products for a period in home bathroom privacy. Women’s health Experts.
Celikoyar said she has been using tampons and pads for years. However, when she saw her friend switch to a menstrual disc, she decided to try it too.
“This experience was a game changer,” she said.
Disposable products get caught in landfills
About 12 billion disposable pads and 7 billion tampons enter US landfills each year, according to Dr. Lwam Semea, obstetrics and gynecology director at Kaiser Perman Santa Clara. The pads are mostly plastic. According to the National Institutes of Health, once they enter a landfill, they take up to 800 years to deteriorate.
Disposable pads and tampons are the most popular period products. Dr. Neviya Mysore, a women’s health expert, said it wasn’t because they were better, but rather the first option that children usually show.
“It often means, ‘What did your mom use? What did your grandma use?'” says Mysore, a primary care physician based in New York City.
Advantages and disadvantages of switching
The most popular is the menstrual cup, which is inserted like a tampon. The disc is inserted further, so it does not interrupt sexual intercourse. Both can hold more than several times the tampons, leaving them inserted for up to 12 hours, rather than the recommended 4-8 hours for tampons. Semere also said the risk of toxic shock syndrome commonly associated with tampons is much lower in menstrual cups and discs.
Cons? Products require some technique to get them right, and if you make it wrong, it can become messy. The cups and discs should also be cleaned regularly with soap and water.
Tammy Compton will restock tampons at the Compton market in Sacramento, California on June 22, 2016 (AP Photo/Rich Pedron Ceri, File)
“If you’re at work and you’re in a shared public toilet, it’s hard to do that. That’s not the most convenient,” Mysore said.
The cups prevent leaks by creating a suction, so pulling out the menstrual cup without breaking the seal allows those using intrauterine devices to remove them for contraception risk.
You may get used to placing discs that do not use suction.
“It’s expensive there, you don’t feel it, but it can be difficult for women to pull them out,” said Dr. Annemieke Van Eijk, an epidemiologist at the School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool.
However, for Celikoyar, the advantages of the disk outweighed the drawbacks. She said that longer, changing windows won her through consecutive concerts and Red Eye Flights without concern.
“Modern women are much better than traditional methods, and modern women have ease of use,” she said.
Cost comparison
Menstrual cups and discs usually cost between $15 and $40 and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are available online and at pharmacies and major box stores.
“Ideally, I’d like to experiment a bit to see what kind of cups are best for me, and it can be less costly to do that,” Van Eyck said.
Reusable products can help you save money in the long term. Celikoyar estimates she used three tampons seven days a day, or about 20 times a month. Tampons cost between 20 and 25 cents each, so anyone who switched to reusable products could break even after a few months.
For those who prefer pads, the most common reusable option is period underwear. This is comparable to normal look underwear with an extra absorbent lining.
“They’re great because we see people being inspired by the use of pads,” says Semere. “Because the materials on the disposable pads are different.”
Like pads, the downside is that you can’t know when everything is absorbed as much as possible.
Mysore said that it was the reason that some of her patients used their underwear as a backup and combined them with cups, discs or tampons.
“You can combine and match products from different eras depending on how heavy your flow is and what your period is for you,” she said.
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