Fed up with a bin overflowing with plastic packaging and various disposable items from myself and our youngest. An over inquisitive eldest who forever shadows me to the loo and more often than not being caught off guard, that is; unprepared for THAT one week every month… I’ve done it! I’ve permanently reduced my monthly carbon foot print for good. How? I went medical grade silicone… WHA’?! I hear you asking. Well here’s the long and the short of it. A few years ago, pre-babies I was fed up with carrying around a truck load of feminine hygiene products every month, worrying about the amount of waste I was producing, where the nearest loo was and if I was going to end up in a really embarrassing situation somewhere, somehow… Personally, if you haven’t guessed already, being on the heavier side of the menstrual scale life truly sucked for that one week out of four. No swimming or Yoga for me!

I began looking into alternatives beyond hormone therapies which although effective most of the time, would send me loco, literally (I’ve since been diagnosed with Bipolar type II) and the thought of washing out re-usable sanitary pads was a bit “ick”. (I have a horrible habit of leaving things soaking in the nappy bucket for that little bit too long wink-wink)

Anyway I eventually came across a very suitable, Eco-friendly, re-usable, safe and no-fuss alternative called the menstrual cup. A small rubber or medical grade silicone cup that is inserted into the vagina much like a tampon but which “cups” your cervix whilst being held in place by a suction created between the cup itself and the vaginal walls.

Interested, I researched numerous user forums about the pro’s and con’s, popular brands and sizing guides. The more I found out the more I was sold on the idea.

•No disposable waste

•Made from a natural material that doesn’t upset the vagina’s healthy micro-flora that can cause infection. **As long as it’s cleaned and sterilised effectively.

•Easily cleaned, stored and sterilised. (most sanitary products available aren’t sterilised and are bulky to store and dispose)

•Re-usable for up to 10 years (You do the math there)

•No leakage as it’s all caught within and not absorbed by something

•Can be worn for 8-12 hours without risk of TSS

The only real negatives I came across were that it was difficult initially to get used to insertion, removal and figuring which brand and size would best suit your individual needs. BRILLIANT…SOLD!!

Unfortunately at the time only one brand was approved by the ARTG (Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods) to be sold in Australia and was only available through online shops. It was American made and got low ratings on user forums. insert frowny face here

That was, until July 2011 when a privately owned Australian Eco-conscious company “Freedom Products” decided to manufacture an Australian owned and made menstrual cup called “JuJu”… Their mission: “Our core mission is to encourage women to embrace their monthly menstruation as a sign of fertility and health and provide them with a healthier, greener and more cost effective alternative to disposable pads and tampons.”

To be clear at this point, I have not been paid nor have I been asked by the company to endorse this product. I contacted them via email requesting a sample to review here. Wonderfully they obliged. Thank You JuJu :-)

A week after my email correspondence with “JuJu” I received my very own, enclosed in the most beautifully feminine, pretty and chic box I’ve ever seen ANY feminine hygiene product wrapped in. I loved the box so much I’ve kept it, I only wish it was re-usable too. Inside was a lush forest green satin bag containing the cup. I felt excited, I felt feminine, I felt very, very special. Until I looked at the actual cup and thought…WOW! That thing is BIG!

Determined and taking the advice of internet user forums I took my “JuJu” for a “dry” test. I won’t lie, initially I did find insertion and removal difficult and a bit uncomfortable (perhaps due to the fact that the silicone itself is on the firm side) but with a bit of experimentation—cutting off the stem, trying different folds and using various other tips and tricks I’m feeling like a bit of a pro’. Unlike tampons which caused me more pain and which I used to voluntarily eject, grrrrr… JuJu stays put, is comfortable (I can’t feel a thing) and is rather easy to forget. My first cycle using JuJu I’ve had no leakage just a little smearing (terminology?) that I’m guessing is from secretion left over from removal or insertion. Ultimately there IS less mess and I LOVE that I can more or less forget about it. Though I’m still getting used to how it works with my flow, I check more often than I probably need.

However, no more smelly bathroom bin. No more “Mummy, what are these”? No more having to hide various products when company are over or surreptitiously take your handbag with you when out at dinner. No more stress! Oh, yeah and I can go to Yoga whenever I want ;-)

So, if you’ve ever thought about switching to a menstrual cup, I say do it. You won’t regret it. I can’t thank JuJu enough, not only for graciously sending me a sample but for really changing my attitude and comfort during my monthly menstruation. Two incredibly big Thumbs up from me.

Check out: www.juju.com.au

I found this today, in a moment of peace. The kids were enjoying making a quagmire out of our backyard after the rain and husband was busy making delicious smells emanate from our kitchen. It gave me such a wonderful sense of life giving joy! Please read:

“We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I’d like better.

I’d really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it’s all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he’s scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you’ll let him/her.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don’t ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won’t be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don’t care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don’t like it.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor’s window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you – tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it’s the only way to appreciate life.”

By Paul Harvey