Bought a menstrual cup, but not a fan?

Many Puget Sound upperclassmen may remember the green campaign that brought menstrual cups to students for just $7 compared to their usual $30 price two years ago. When I found out this was happening as a sophomore, I was beyond excited. I asked my friend on the planning team when they were coming at least once a week for months. Who could blame me? Menstrual cups are the absolute dream! No carrying around different menstrual products, no throwing away pounds of plastic from my products into the waste each year and no paying for tampons and pads for the rest of my life? Sign me UP!

Fast forward to the week that I finally got my hands on the glorious and cheap menstrual cup that I had dreamt of. It was even the week of my period, I could try it out right away!

I raced home with the small pink pouch in hand, ready for my life to change forever. What happened next was … disappointing.  Try as I might, I simply felt unable to make that menstrual cup fit inside of me. I tried for probably a half hour and the entire experience left me in tears; I really wanted it to work and it was hurting!

I tried again the next day, and the next. I tried my next period and the following period as well without luck. Even two years later, it is hard for me to accept that the menstrual cup may not work for me. This has left me with some shame to say the least. A large number of my friends talk about their menstrual cup use all of the time, like how they brought it on their backpacking trip and it worked great, how they went lap swimming at the gym in it, and the worst: “Sorry, I just don’t carry tampons anymore, … maybe you could try to get a free one out of the SUB bathroom?”

I still strongly advocate for the menstrual cup. I know it works well for so many people with periods and I would absolutely recommend that anyone who doesn’t have one give it a try. The amount of money you could save, as well as all of the waste you could keep out of landfills is astounding. No really, people use approximately 10,400 tampons in their lifetime!

Maybe someday I will try again and my menstrual cup will magically work for me. Until then, here are 10 alternative uses for the menstrual cup:

1) Wear it as a tiny party hat! You never know when you’ll need to whip out some festive attire.

2) Feed a campus squirrel almonds out of it.

3) Get a 2 oz coffee for here at Diversions Cafe. Get that bring your own vessel discount? I’m on it!

4) Use it as a Chinese medicine cupping therapy tool.

5) Plunge a tiny toilet.

6) Grow my seedlings for the spring in it.

7) Dip it in paint and use it as a circle-shaped stamp for your art class.

8) Draw a face on it!

9) Plug your sink with it when you’re soaking dishes

10) Put some gravy in it. Instant gravy boat.