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14
Jul

Ditching Tampons for the Softcup

— by Tiffany in Natural Product Reviews

This post brought to you by Softcup. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Softcup

When it comes to our periods women have other options, beyond the traditional tampon or sanitary pad, though you would not think so by looking at most store shelves. Tampons and pads reign supreme and yet both have so many issues, healthwise and environmental, that it makes sense to look at the other options.

Pads are sumpremely uncomfortable (like wearing a diaper), they leak, and they end up in landfills in mass quantities. Tampons give us a bit more freedom but they rob us of moisture and put us at risk for Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) which is pretty nasty. Both are made with bleached materials and a host of not so savory chemicals.

Years ago I made the switch to a menstrual cup and have never looked back. I sing their praises to any woman who will listen and lately many women have asked me what I think about the disposable cups on the market like SoftCup. I never tried them so I didn’t have much to offer other than my initial reaction which was that I do not prefer single use disposable products. This week though I decided to give it ago in the name of research of course, and see I thought about them. I was pleasantly surpised to find that that I like them very much.

It is a cup that collects that menstrual flow and instead of washing and reusing like you would with a regular cup, these are meant to be tossed in the garbage after each use. They are much safer for you then a tampon, with no known risk of TSS. It’s hypo-allergenic, latex-free and completely safe when used as directed. I think they make a great intro product for any woman looking to see if a cup will work for them.

Softcup

Insertion was easy. You just squeeze the cup together and insert by pushing down and back as far as it will go. I found it easiest to insert in the shower. Getting it out had me just a bit worried but that was no big deal either. You just bear down a bit and hook your finger under the rim and remove (keeping is steady to avoid a spill). After that you can dump the liquid in the toilet (or let it go down the shower drain), stick the cup back inside the wrapper, and throw away.

softcup

What I liked best: They are very comfortable (can’t even feel it). I could exercise as usual and this was a biggie for me because I love my CrosssFit classes and I have had issues with my regular cup during strenuous exercise. On heavy flows days I will skip class but that would not be necessary with the Softcup. I could swim while wearing it and and even have sex while wearing it without any kind of mess whatsoever ( I was very impresed). It can be worn for 12 hours.

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Sunday, July 14th, 2013

8 Comments

  • Betsy (Eco-novice)

    A great way to try the cup before making a $30 commitment!

    • http://www.naturemoms.com/blog Tiffany

      I agree. :)

    • Bknaturally

      But it’s $30 for 10 years! that’s $3/year. No way the Softcup beats that. I get the comfort or convenience of it, but from an economic and environmental standpoint, I think the only competitor would the Sea Pearl sponge, but clean up in a public place might be daunting. I have a friend who had used them for years and even in public, has never had an issue. Whatever works for you. :-)

      • http://www.naturemoms.com/blog Tiffany

        I think she meant it is a great way to try a cup and see if you like it before spending $30 on one and deciding you hate it.

  • http://upliftingfamilies.com/ Christy Garrett

    I would be interested in trying this product; however, dumping the cup in public wouldn’t be very much fun.

    • http://www.naturemoms.com/blog Tiffany

      The softcup would be less of an issue to use in public. A regular menstrual cup is though. You pretty much have to empty it and reinsert without rinsing and then use toilet paper to clean up a bit before you exit the stall. I have only done it once and it wasn’t very fun.

      • Bknaturally

        I’ve been using the up for three years and once I got the hang of it, it was no problem. Initially, I carried a small bottle of water in my purse for clean up, but now, only on the heaviest of days, I simply soak a bit of paper towel, clean up whatever little mess there might be and I’m on my way. I really have never had a problem and my heavy days look like a crime scene, so that’s saying something! Like anything else, practice makes perfect. It also helps to anticipate. Now, three years in, I can tell when my cup is heavy and I need to change it. I try not to let it get to that stage. On lighter days, using a public restroom isn’t an issue at all.

  • Lisa

    If you have trouble with your regular (reusable) cup leaking on your heaviest day, it *may* be that the cup doesn’t fit well. I just switched from a Diva to a Lunette and I was blown away at the difference! The Lunette is slightly shorter than the Diva. Turns out it fits me WAY better. No leaks at all. I just had my period during a beach trip — no problems whatsoever, spent all day at the beach most days! It seems like the Softcup is shorter than a lot of reusable ones so that could be the problem for you too. :)