Not really about diapers...

...but it's totally related.



Guys, please stop reading.



Family members, please stop reading if this will ook you out.



Only ladies left, right?



Awesome, let's proceed.



So in thinking about the excessive cost and wastefulness of disposable diapers, it's only natural to begin thinking about femenine hygiene products. I mean, how much money will you end up spending on tampons, pads, and panty liners throughout the course of the menstruation phase of your life? Let's just say that you start at age 13 (although many girls start younger), and complete menopause when you are 55 (although for many women, it's older). That's 42 years! 504 months! 504 cycles! Let's say you spend an average of $7/month for tampons and pads. For these modest estimates, you're looking at $3528, plus tax and inflation, so by the time we're finally done, it could be closer to $5000.


What if you have children? Let's say you have 3 children, and don't begin cycling again until each of your children is 9 months old (due to breastfeeding, hormonal changes, whatever). That's 18 months of no cycles per 3 children, or 54 fewer cycles. You're still looking at $3150 before taxes and inflation.


All of this is to say nothing of the waste! We all probably flush tampons, but we're not supposed to. And pads are about as biodegradable in a landfill as disposable diapers are. Don't even get me started on the chemicals and bleaches used to process these things, which you are then either putting immediately next to or even inside your body. And we do all these things without even thinking twice about them, because I did for years, too.


Well, no more for me!

I just got my Diva Cup in the mail today and I am so excited! I read my directions, washed it, and started using it right away. (I'm not a weirdo, I'm having my cycle right now.) It was so easy to use and it's totally comfortable! I don't even feel it, just like a tampon.

I love that all I have to do is empty it into the toilet, wash it, and re-insert throughout my period. It eliminates the unnecessary waste from tampons and their applicators and pads. It's far healthier than products which strip all the natural moisture out of you, and it has practically zero incidence of adverse health issues, like toxic shock syndrome. Also, at just $32.50, it cost less than 5 months' worth of disposable products, and I can use it until menopause.

Some women use cloth menstrual pads instead, which is fine for women who prefer external protection. I personally don't, so the cup is the route I chose. I still use disposable panty liners as a back-up, but will probably eventually switch to a cloth one that can be laundered with the diapers.

Anyway, I'm pumped! I never even knew this was an option before I started using cloth diapers, so I figured that there might be a lot of women who will be interested, but likewise wouldn't even think twice about it.


*** EDIT TO ADD: I found a website that sells the diva cup for much cheaper. I wish I had found this website before I purchased mine, but it would thrill me to know that I saved some other ladies some money. Check out www.luckyvitamin.com.