Menstrual Cups are taking over pads and tampons

Women of reproductive age are faced with the challenge of containing the three to seven days of blood flow during their monthly menstrual cycle. 

Though a lot of ladies have adopted menstrual pads or tampons for their monthly periods, menstrual cups are now quickly gaining popularity as an alternative to pads and tampons.

Why is this?

The two major pros of using menstrual cups have been cost-effectiveness and comfort of use.

Conventional products such as sanitary pads and tampons are becoming very expensive, steadily going beyond the purchasing capacity of many women, especially women from low-income households.

Unable to buy these expensive products, they are forced to use other means to manage their cycles, such as using strips of cloth or more recently, reusable pads.

A single menstrual cup goes for as low as N4000, and due to the nature of its use saves months in pad purchases. The cups come in a range of sizes.

A number of brands make menstrual cups, they are typically bell-shaped and made of flexible, medical-grade silicone. Unlike pads and tampons, the cups do not absorb blood but simply collect it. This means it will need to be emptied about every 6–12 hours, depending on how heavy a woman’s flow is.

To make use of the cups, it will need to be folded and inserted into the vaginal canal. There are many options for how to do this and lots of online tutorials showing different folding styles on YouTube to practice folding and inserting the cup. Once inserted, It shouldn’t feel there is anything inside and it shouldn’t leak.

The cup is to be cleaned with gentle soap and warm water after each use. If it needs changing in a shared or public restroom, wet wipes can be used to clean the cups.