Ditz

Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: Vanities

Media Credit: safeliving.wordpress.com The Diva Cup (Don't Worry, Ladies, It Isn't Actually Green)

Since Tampax was founded in 1936, women have largely depended on tampons and pads to help get them through their periods. Many women, however, do not know the expense and negative impact these products can have on themselves and the environment. Largely, menstruation is used immensely for the consumption of the female masses and for the economic benefits of the country. Commercial feminine products are troublesome to the environment and personal health; tampons are created with "chlorine-free" bleach, which is bad for individuals and the environment. This process can generate dioxin, a known carcinogen. They are also linked with Toxic Shock Syndrome and stripping the vagina of natural lubricants. Tampons also contain artificial ingredients such as Rayon, and many companies add deodorants, which should never be inside the human body.

Disposable commercial feminine products cause environmental devastation; women who use five tampons a day for five days per month for 38 total menstruating years dispose of 11,4000 products. This is an extreme amount of waste that women rarely comprehend due to our society's commercialized norms. The lack of knowledge about alternatives is confounded by perpetuation of tampon use in television commercials.

Another concern with feminine products are the costs. In the U.S. alone we use--and of course throw away--around 20 billion tampons and pads a year, according to green blog itssoeasybeinggreen.blogspot.com. This amounts to an outrageous cost and waste. In response to these costly, personally and environmentally dangerous feminine products are alternatives many women do not know about.

Two such alternatives, which are safer for the individual woman as well as better for the environment, are Lunapads and the Divacup. Lunapads are washable pads, which allow your menstrual blood to flow naturally. The Lunapads have no risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome or carcinogens. They are reusable and affordable, cutting down on waste and costs unlike the commercialized competitors. However, in being a reusable pad, you have to be willing to wash it. One Lunapad user contributed, "I was really surprised at how absorbent the pads are, and I love the fact that they don't hold moisture close to your body, very much unlike plastic pads. And best of all, I feel like I'm doing the landfills a favor when I toss my pads in with my laundry every month." Lunapads can be found online at lunapads.com.

Menstrual cups such as the Divacup, collect blood in a soft medical grade silicon cup. The Divacup is reusable, lasts ten years and is affordable, equating to 25 cents per cycle versus $7, the average cost of tampons. The Divacup is very sanitary, comfortable, reliable and convenient. Almost every woman's initial reaction to The Divacup is one of disgust, but when women first heard about tampons, they had the same reaction. The Divacup works as a silicone cup, which collects the menstrual flow, easily, comfortably, and without any leaks and funky smells. This, like the Lunapad, cuts down on waste and costs. Both of these products, being reusable, mean women have to actually witness their periods in order to clean the products to reuse them. One Divacup user contributed on their website, "Women need to be more open-minded and get over the fact that your period is not gross, it is very natural. Every female in the world should own a DivaCup and once you get over the steep learning curve, it will be the best thing your vagina has ever experienced!" This process can be very liberating as women connect more with their body and do not hide menstruation. Divacups can be found online at divacup.com.

Users of both have expressed increased connection to femaleness and pride in being a woman as well as happiness in knowing they are not contributing to the waste associated with tampons and pads. So take a chance-I bet you never knew you could have a green vagina!