House of Perversion

Menstrual Love!
Period. Yes, there are other options than paying $5-20 on disposable menstrual products.  The average woman  disposes of between 10,000 and 15,000 tampons, pads and applicators in her lifetime. That’s about 250 to 300 pounds of waste per woman.  In 1999, about 2.5 million tampons, 1.4 million pads, and 700,000 pantyliners were flushed away daily.  Hold up, I thought you were not supposed to flush those items anyways!  The Ocean Conservancy collected and cataloged debris along U.S. coastlines and they found more tampon applicators (2.2%) than condoms, syringes, plastic rings combined. Other than waste, tampons are linked to carcinogenic dioxin that manufacturers use to purify and whiten both raw cotton and the wood pulp that goes into synthetic fibers such as rayon, a common fiber in tampons. TSS is always a concern with tampons. Pads can be sticky and sweating.  They can harbor bacteria and smell. What are your options other than disposables? Menstrual cups:  Menstrual cups are small cups that hold the blood till it is dumped in the toilet.  They are reusable.  You merely pour it in the toilet, wash it in soap and water/wipe it off with toilet paper, and stick it back in.  There is no danger of TSS, you can keep it in for 12 hours, and they are comfortable.  They have a slight learning curve but so do tampons.  Some people have have less cramps with cups.  They are sports friendly.  Most people can use one with no leaks and you can put them in before your period starts (like you know you will start at 1:03 AM while you are asleep or during busy errands). Reusable cloth pads:  They can be really comfy, reusable, and made with fun fabrics.  They customized.  Some people find that their periods are lighter and they get less rashes. Overall, you will spend more money upfront but you will save it in the long run.  There have been at least 3 periods where I was completely broke. The choices were pads or food.  I think food is the winner.  I was very happy that I had a cup instead of depending on pads. Your choices for information and reusable menstrual products: <a href="http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20090112_theres_no_delicate_way_to_put_this_/" target="_self">Article about reusable menstrual products</a> <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/cloth_pads/" target="_self">Cloth Pad community</a> <a href="http://www.ecomenses.com/" target="_self">Cloth Pad Pro and Con</a> <a href="http://www.lunapads.com/switch.htm" target="_self">Why switch?</a> <a href="http://menstrualcups.org/" target="_self">Menstrual cup community</a> Resources: <a href="http://www.partypantspads.com/shop/discounted-items/liner-giveaway" target="_self">Free liner with s/h</a> <a href="http://perfectpads.net/home.php" target="_self">Perfect Pads</a> <a href="http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=tag_title&search_query=cloth+menstrual+pads" target="_self">Etsy search for menstrual pads...great deals</a> <a href="http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&seller_id=25809" target="_self">Great pad maker</a> <a href="http://www.amysragbag.com/" target="_self">Amy's Rag Bag...she will barter for goods!</a> Different cups: Diva Mooncup UK Lunette Mia LadyCup Femmecup Instead(not reusable but people do reuse them plus sex friendly) There is one cup that I did not list at all because it has some shady business practices due to a name of their cup. These are new and some will not be avaliable at all to the US: MPowercup Alicia I feel there is no reason to be ashamed of a woman's menstrual cycle.  It's just blood and a bit more goop.  What do you think they did before disposables?  They just folded up clothes and dealt with it.

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