Using a menstrual cup in the name of zero waste with OrganiCup

This post is a paid partnership with OrganiCup, as always all opinions are my own – unedited and unaltered. 

It started when I was nine, yes NINE!

I was the only girl in my primary school who had her period at the time and I couldn’t leave the house because I was incapable of managing it. Traumatic and isolating to say the least I’ve struggled with periods ever since; talking about them, accepting them, managing them. For good reason, they just haven’t been my thing. I know I’m not alone and the core belief that they are humiliating, dirty and shameful is still very much the norm. When I told my mum I was writing this piece over coffee this morning, her true to generation reaction was ‘aren’t you embarrassed to put that on your blog?’. For the record, no I’m most definitely not. 

I came across the OrganiCup as part of my growing interest in the zero waste movement. After placing my order, I tagged them in an Instagram stories post and they contacted me to work together. All kinds of ickyness bubbled to the surface, but the feminist in me roared an almighty YES! The thing is with periods, we all have them and we need to talk about them. If Meghan Markle can, we can. There is no shame. I believe the more we talk about them the better. I wish I’d known about the OrganiCup sooner and I’m excited to share my experience of using one with you. 

What the heck is an OrganiCup?

First of all, it’s nothing new. OrganiCup is the award-winning menstrual cup that replaces pads and tampons. Made of silicone it is inserted the same as a tampon. Once inserted it unfolds to form a vacuum which keeps it in place – don’t worry it won’t fall out. You can find out more about how to use it here. It can be used day and night, is chemical free and as long as you boil it for 3-5 minutes after monthly use it will last you years, subsequently making it wallet and environmentally friendly. 

There are two sizes; I got size A for women who haven’t given birth. I think the way you feel about giving something like an OrganiCup a go depends on how you approach new things. I personally love a new routine so I felt really enthusiastic about giving it a go. Enthusiasm aside, reading the instructions and taking time to watch the video is important from an education and comfort point of view. 

How my experience went

The worry of doing it right or wrong was the worst part. Once I felt confident with the putting it in and taking it out bit I felt much more comfortable. This didn’t take long. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing for me to begin with but neither are tampons. Once I got used to it and mastered the technique I completely forgot it was there.

My biggest fear is always always a leak. Every time I stand up from a sofa it is engrained in me to turn around and check it before I walk away. I won’t confess how many times I’ve had to tie a jumper around my waist. My experience with OrganiCup with regard to leaks was very positive. I was really paranoid the first time around but never had a reason to worry. Although for my own personal piece of mind I prefer to also use a liner. 

Surprisingly there was a lot less mess and smell than I expected. If leaking is my greatest fear, my second is clearing a room because people can smell me and heaven forbid I don’t mirror the floral scents portrayed in the adverts we see on telly. It’s a complete myth that our periods have odour – they don’t. You can read more period myths in this really interesting article I found. Less mess meant the toilet bin is no longer a source of embarrassment or worry.

I felt especially great for the zero waste aspect. Reducing the amount of waste and plastic we produce is a cause that’s really close to my heart and I really noticed the difference by making this simple switch. Our sanitary towels end up in landfill and contain the equivalent of four plastic bags. It simply isn’t sustainable and where possible we have to do something about it. 

Waste issues aside I’ve found they are incredibly cost effective. Even though we need them to live our everyday lives throughout our periods, sanitary products are still considered a luxury. Our periods are estimated to cost us £20,000 over our lifetime! Thanks to the OrganiCup when ‘that time of the month’ comes around I not only have one less thing to worry about – I have a lot less to buy!

My second favourite thing about the OrganiCup is how little it needs to be changed. Once in the morning and once at night in my case, but remember we’re all different. I work from home so changing isn’t as big an issue as it used to be when I worked in an office but the less I have to faff around with it the better. To be clear, you can sleep and swim in it. 

So that’s about it. Not without it’s cons and I’d still rather not have to deal with my monthly visitor – BUT that’s never going to happen so I feel like we need to embrace it. I’ve used the OrganiCup twice now and I felt much more at home with it the second time around. I have no plans to go back to sanitary towels or tampons and expect my OrganiCup to be hanging from the peg rail in my bathroom for many years to come.

My introduction to menstrual cups has got me really interested in the big P, much to my nine year old self’s disgust, and more specifically how it all works. Through Laura Jane Williams (a fellow menstrual cup covert) I have recently discovered, menstrual coach Claire Baker. She has really helped me learn more about my cycle; how it works, how it affects me throughout the month and it’s been fascinating. If you’d like to learn more too I think you’d love her work. 

If you’re thinking of trying an OrganiCup they’ve given us 20% off any purchases when you enter the promo code JessicaRW20 at the checkout.