Seven Ways to Green That Time of the Month

Hi There:

I wrote a similar article for another site and want to clarify the sea sponge issue - they are not allowed to be marketed for internal use in the US. They are still sold in health food stores with a wink and a nudge. I also found in my research that they have been used by women since ancient times but am still too squeamish to personally try them!

I have written to my local major drug store chain and asked them to start carrying Natura brand tampons, which use unbleached cotton. I encourage other women to do the same with the menstrual product that they have found that they want to buy locally.

Number 1 completely ignores the impact that oral contraceptives have on the water supply. Recent studies of municipal water supplies have shown detectable levels of hormones due to the number of women using birth control. Suppressing menstruation for convenience, rather than for population control or to alleviate debilitating pre-menstrual symptoms/cramps, is not green.

The Diva Cup is seriously the best girlie product ever. I was very hesitant at first, but now I am over it. Not only is it a green product but I save a lot of money each and every month. 10 Reasons the Diva Cup Can Change Your Life

Moon Pads, I love em.
http://www.newmoonpads.com/home.html

"Birth control certainly must be recognized as one of the greatest advances in empowering women's influence over their own lives"

I disagree. It turns women into "pleasure without consequences" objects for men. It gives them an excuse to use you and not have to commit to loving you fully.

You forgot to mention Etsy as a source for purchasing reusable pads. It's where I got mine.

I tried The Keeper - liked it in concept and use, but my skin turned out to be sensitive to the material it was made of. An unfortunate side effect. Now it's sitting unused in my drawer, and I have no idea what to do with it.

I love my reusable cloth pads. Vajpads.com is awesome along with Mimi's Dreams on www.saucytots.com. She allows customers to even include hemp in their pads. The shipping is not super fast (4-6 weeks) but it's worth the wait. She does a wonderful job and has tons of patterns to choose from and her prices are very reasonable.
I tried the menstrual cup and it just didn't work for me. I've managed to convert a few friends to menstrual cups and reusable cloth pads. =]
An eco-friendly is a truly happy period.

I kind of wish you'd listed these in reverse order--how many more people would have read about menstrual cups if you'd listed them first, rather than burying them at the bottom of the article? I switched to using a cup about a year ago, and have often wish I'd learned about them at 14 rather than at 31. Besides the obvious green (and cost!) benefits, they're also PHYSICALLY MORE COMFORTABLE--none of the icky over-dry feeling that so often comes with disposable products. Plus, many women find that their cramps go away entirely after they switch to cups.

There's a great Livejournal forum about cups--if you're thinking of making the switch, but have questions or doubts, it's a good first stop for finding out more. I promise you I'm not the only person who, after making the switch, wanted to blare the news about menstrual cups to every single woman of childbearing age I met. I still don't know if they're so little known because the companies simply aren't big enough to be able to afford mass advertising--or if it's because women's magazines/media are reluctant to alienate huge advertisers of long standing, like Playtex et al.

P.S. I admit I've never tried reusable pads, but part of why I wish this list had been printed in reverse order is that as it stands, readers are likely to expect that the last option will be the most cumbersome--when, in fact, it seems to me the care/use of a menstrual cup has got to be simpler than that of, for instance, cloth pads. Just a quick rinse with water is fine after emptying (or if you're in even more of a hurry, wiping with tissue will do), and you sanitize the cup between periods. These things are really win-win.

Link to the Livejournal forum. Go, read!!!

I agree with E.C. that you should definitely switch this list around. People are used to lists being in order of best to worst, and I'd argue that using a menstrual cup is FAR better (greener, less invasive, etc.) than period suppression. I've been using the Keeper for 6 years now, and absolutely love it.

To Anonymous, whose skin reacted badly to the Keeper, I suggest that you try one of the other options. The Keeper is made with latex, which many people are allergic to. The Diva Cup and Mooncup are made from different material (not sure what right now and too lazy to go look it up) but are less likely to cause allergic reactions. Give one of them a try.

Thank you msisb for saying how the pill " turns women into "pleasure without consequences" objects for men. It gives them an excuse to use you and not have to commit to loving you fully"

I love my cloth menstrual pads! It stemmed out of me cloth diapering my daughter and I thought that if she was using cloth, why can't I. I bought mine on etsy, which is especially good for greenies because you can choose a locally made product as well. So happy to see this on treehugger, and like another commenter, I wish the diva cup and reusables were first on the list!

I have used natural sponges for 15 years with no problems and found them to be quite effective.

I use the Diva Cup and found it to be of a much softer, more comfortable material than the keeper, though I think (I may be wrong) the keeper is latex and that is more environmentally responsible a material... the diva cup is softer silicon, which - for people who are latex-sensitive (such as the person who wrote they had an allergic reaction, above) will be able to more likely use without a reaction or sensitivity.

I too wish this article had been written in reverse order -- more people need to know about those last options! I don't know why the Diva cup is not more widely known... they should put ads on treehugger.

using birth control hormones for "menstrual suppression" is definitely not green - - they are finding the hormones in the water supply.

To Anonymous above who is sensitive to the latex in the Keeper: The same company makes a silicon cup called the Mooncup US, which is almost a direct copy of one called the Mooncup UK. These cups are made of medical-grade silicon, so you shouldn't have the sensitivity/allergy that you do with the latex Keeper. I've been using mine for a year and a half with no trouble whatsoever.

I was suprised to see no mention of an IUD. While I realize these both can have some environmental impact in manufacturing (doesn't everything?) this is somewhat balanced by the fact that many women stop having their period altogether - and they last for 5-10 years. Something to consider.

And to S who said "I disagree. It turns women into "pleasure without consequences" objects for men. It gives them an excuse to use you and not have to commit to loving you fully." I think this takes all the responsibility towards procreation away from women. As if we were subject to the whims of all men with no concern for our own thoughts or desires. Birth Control does not turn women into "pleasure objects for men" (paraphrasing) instead it allows us to decide when and how and with whom we get pregnant. Would you prefer that the woman who would have a man sleep with her just for pleasure also be forever tied to him by carrying his child?

I've used both The Keeper and the Diva Cup for over 8 years, and will never use anything else. I have better luck with the Diva Cup because I have some sensitivity to the rubber latex used in The Keeper. I also find the Diva Cup easier to insert due to the material being a little more flexible.

On a side note. I put all the money I'd saved from not buying pads into some really nice bra's and panties. I have a very very heavy flow, and I never leak with the Diva Cup in, so I can buy cute undies now and wear them whenever I want!

I also agree that the list should be reversed. I stopped using Nuvaring because it was messing with my body chemistry, and because I was concerned with the water pollution issue surrounding birth control. I know that isn't an option for everyone, but it is something to think about.

Three cheers for the divacup. There is not a better, more economical, less wasteful option.

I LOVE my Diva cup. I swear... if you are thinking about getting one but are too squimish, I promise, after the first month or two it will be second nature. Most will only have to empty it twice a day or so, it is biodegradable when it wears out but it will last years. Same with the reusable pads.

I would also recomend, for those of you oppose to birth control for various reasons, trying the Fertility Awarness Method. It is based on the consept of reading your body cycle to predict ovulation (unlike the Rythem Method that assumes that all women have the same 28 day cycle). It is great if you are manogomus and it is as accurate as the pill if you do it right!
Here are the basics:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fertility_awareness

I made my own "mamma pads" for ZERO BUCKS just using materials I had around the house- old towels and table cloths and whatnot.

Also, can we get over the overpopulation myth???

I agree that a lot of space was wasted in this article and that the last option should have been listed first. It's the most obvious and the most effective. And birth control is just a bad idea for sooo many reasons- it should just be left out.

Kate, are you secretly my sister Bonnie? :) You sound like her!

I don't use the diva cup... to be honest, maybe I am a little squeemish about the first couple uses, but I also seriously question anything silicon in my body. Maybe one day I'll walk that route.

Until then, I personally don't like Natura disposable products that much (the pads in particular fall apart too easily and don't fit naturally to me).

But I DO use and adore Seventh Generation products (liners and tampons). Organic, unbleached cotton, applicator-free.

Shrug. It works for me and feels really really natural and clean. :)

I also have a Diva cup and it's fantastic in most ways, but a word of advice: don't get it if you have vestibulitis! I happened to develop vestibulitis after buying my Diva cup, and although I don't think the Diva cup caused the vestibulitis, and the cup really exacerbates the problem and now I can't really use the cup anymore. Something to think about before dropping $30 on it!

this eco-pad idea sounds great, but how do you clean the pad when your at work in the public restroom? I'm quite sure I will get a lot of comments if I go clean my reuseable pad in the sink. I love the idea but how is this possible to do at a workplace? Please someone tell me how they dealt with this situation.

@Bianca,

One reason the cup is nice is that is can be emptied and reused without cleaning in a pinch (clean it later in the day when you are in your own restroom).

But if you want to try re-usable pads or sea sponge tampons, try using a sealable carrying container in your bag for the soiled pad or sponge. Avoiding this inconvenience is the driver for the disposables industry, in both diapers and feminine hygiene, but the price is paid by the environment.

First of all, thank you so much for writing the article. Few people seem to be familiar with alternative menstrual products, as tampons and pad companies don't want us to know about them!

Now I'm going to be picky. :)

I agree with the other posters that said that menstrual cups should be at the TOP of this list, along with reusable pads. They are simply the best "green" options (not to mention probably the healthiest, most convenient, and cheapest), period. Pun intended.

Also, there are currently 7 different brands of menstrual cups, and they come in different colors and sizes. In no particular order:
1. Miacup
2. Lunette
3. Mooncup U.K.
4. Divacup
5. Lady Cup
6. the Keeper/ Moon cup U.S.A.
7. Femmecup

Etsy.com is one of the best places to buy cloth pads!

I've used Mimi's Dreams as well and love them!

www.saucytots.com