A Menstrual Cup = A Healthy Vagina
Vaginas are not something we tend to talk (or indeed write) about much. But, they are critical to the very future of the human race. We should take better care of them. One way is with a menstrual cup.
A menstrual cup of any brand (keeper, mooncup, diva cup, lady cup) works on the same principle. That is that if we insert a small cup made of some non-reactive smooth material, we can manage our periods without harming the vagina.
I am sure most women do not think their vagina is at risk of harm just by using soft and cuddly tampons. Indeed most of us experience no obvious ill-effects with tampons. But, the risk of serious problems is ever-present and the small problems such as recurrent yeast infections can be traumatic if not life threatening.
The main reasons a menstrual cup is so much better for you than a tampon, is that it is smooth, inert and will not affect the workings of your vaginal walls self cleaning mechanisms.
The rough texture of tampons means they are easily able to irritate the walls of the vagina. Particles of cotton are able to break off and cause further irritation. This means there is an increased risk of vaginitus or recurrent thrush. Menstrual cups are completely smooth, so there is no risk of any particles breaking off and irritating or causing infection.
Because all menstrual cups are made of medical grade silicon or natural latex rubber they are completely inert. The mooncup material will not react with your body. Likewise no particles can leach into your system. Even after concerted efforts to remove the dioxin causing bleaching process from modern tampon manufacturing, tampons are still repeatedly proven to contain dioxins. Your menstrual cup will not leach out any harmful compounds into your system. The same cannot be said of a tampon.
The whole point of using tampons is that they are active products, they are stuffed full of moisture attracting chemicals. A tampon actively absorbs moisture of all kinds from your body. Okay, we want them to absorb our menstrual flow, but along with that they change the balance of ordinary moisture levels too. The vagina cleans itself through its own secretions. The tampon interferes with this process completely. Menstrual cups are a passive method of managing periods. They simply catch the period flow, on its way out of the vagina. They do not interfere with the secretions happening on the walls of the vagina and so allow the system to continue to be self cleaning. This reduces the risk of infections or irritations further.
By catching your monthly flow inside their soft silicon shell, menstrual cups keep all that blood and tissue away from you. A tampon absorbs it all but keeps it touching your vaginal walls. Obviously when all that tissue is fresh it is not a problem, but as many women leave a tampon in for eight hours or more, that is a long time for it to be breaking down and in contact with your insides.
Often, women use a higher absorbency tampon than they really need, purely to allow longer between changes. This risks more problems with your bodys natural moisture levels. A menstrual cup is never such an issue. They last a long time between changes by the nature that they are designed to hold around a quarter of a womans total monthly flow. You should change them every eight hours of course, but there is no temptation which could harm yourself.
Whether you use a keeper, mooncup or any other kind of menstrual cup your vagina will be a happy, healthy place.
For more information on the benefits of moon cups and a menstrual cup review visit A Self Sufficient Life.
