Let’s talk about your period. I have them, you have them, most women have them!
They are messy, there’s nothing fun about them, and they can be expensive!
Last year I ran into a Youtube channel where a lady was trying out different period cups. Insert my curiosity. There I sat for the next hour, looking up alternative period products. Now, I’m not a self-proclaimed “crunchy mom,” but after reading up a bit, reusable period products began to sound doable, or at the very least organic products were on my radar.
A year has passed and many periods have come and gone. Here I am once more debating which products would work for me. Which products I should invest in?
Reusable pads
Reusable panty liners
Menstrual cups – which one?
Period panties
Should I “free bleed”?
Reusable tampons, organic ones?
With the many choices out there, I no longer have to be a slave to the old tampon/pad combo.
Yet, taking the plunge into a new product, and the uncertainty of whether it might work… now, that’s a bit scarier.
Here are a few tidbits of information regarding the cost of Aunt Flo visiting every month. According to this article, having to purchase period products can cost women upwards of $7,000 over a lifetime. More or less if you have long periods, short periods, heavy periods, or irregular periods. What if you have a teen daughter or two? Those figures will double or triple during the years they live at home with you. What if you have to use birth control to regulate them? Shoot that number up by $11,000.
That’s $18,000!
With the average range of girls starting their periods between 8-15 years old and women entering menopause between 45-55 years of age, it means that you could very well have a period for 40 years! Let that one sink in a bit.
I’m on year 28, with a teen daughter and another little girl. This will be getting more expensive!
Let’s come back full circle to my thought process on which period products I should consider. Here’s the deal, let’s get real personal and friendly. I can’t do reusable tampons, that’s just too much blood and too much… um, grossness. I’m a busy mom, I want to be practical when choosing a new period product. For the purpose of this blog series I will be diving into products that work with my lifestyle and budget.
So, for the next few months join me on this Period Blog Series as I explore outside of my comfort zone. I will be sharing my thoughts, my fears, and my results.
If you use alternative period products please share them with us in the comments. I would love to hear your experiences.
Super keen to hear how this goes. I’m about to wean my last baby so expecting Aunt Flow to return in the coming months and I’m keen to explore more eco-friendly products. I bought a menstrual cup many years ago (long before babies) and just couldn’t bring myself to use it. I’m consideirng a combination of menstrual cup and period panties… so I’m especially keen to hear which period panty brands you try and which you like- if any! Thanks!!
My biggest concern has been the insertion of the cup. So I can totally relate to having second thoughts. I’ll been on the hunt for several products and I’m excited to put them to use.