Aside from the interesting look and cute colors the Grace cup comes in , the menstrual cup packs a lot of goodness . Here’s a few FAQ’s most people usually have when they see or hear of menstrual cups. I know I had some of these, if not all before I adopted the ‘cup life’ :
That thing looks huge! How will that fit?
My friend , do not underestimate the power of your vagina. The vagina is pretty elastic. I know they didn’t emphasize this enough in our primary school science classes on reproduction – which heavily needs reviewing , but once folded and inserted properly , even you will be amazed at how little credit you have been giving your good ol’ friend down there. And before you ask me whether it will get you stretched out down there and make you BIG and all flappy , NO!
On the contrary , it keeps stuff tight . Picture Kegel exercises . With your muscles holding onto the cup , it becomes free mindless exercise for your vaginal muscles. The cup comes in different sizes as well , from tiny beginner friendly sizes to ones that can hold , really hold a lot of menstrual blood. It is pliable , so yeah – it’ll slide in way better and easier than even tampons.
Can it get lost inside?
And go where? Where my friend? There’s literally nowhere for the cup to go but out. Your cervix opening is so small. That thing cannot go through. Therefore , worry not! Once you master the insertion and removal techniques , it’s all a breeze!
How does a menstrual cup work , again ?
Unlike sanitary pads and tampons which work by absorbing menstrual blood ( which by the way is normally a mix of many stuff – not just blood ) , the menstrual cup works by simply collecting your flow. Just that! So it totally doesn’t interfere with the process because it converts nothing to anything else. It just let’s your body do its thing , it collects whatever your body has done and bam! You take your cup out empty the content, rinse out and bam! put it back in and go about your life like nothing just happened. I liken it to taking your regular dump or peeing. Easy peasy!
Eeew , But Is that even hygienic ?
What? You or the cup? The Grace cup is made from medical grade silicone that will last you up to 10 years . You know that ‘teat’ on baby feeding bottles , what most Kenyans refer to as ‘mnyonyi’ ? That is medical grade silicone. So let’s not put the hygiene burden on the cup but on you , my friend. The Grace cup Kenya have two cup options :
- The antibacterial ( ABC ) cup that doesn’t require boiling before use and the regular Grace cup that needs boiling to sterilize before use.
- All in all , they both work perfectly. I am a lowkey clean freak so I prefer the boiling option . I would still boil the hell out of the ABC cup which would beat the whole point of it being antibacterial . So please get on their Instagram page and have a look at the different options they have available ,decide what would work best for your lifestyle and go ahead and enjoy your periods!
Otherwise , the rest of the hygiene burden lies on you. You just have to make sure you clean your hands with soap and water before you wear or remove your cup at any point during your period.
Ten years you say? So how much does the menstrual cup cost then? It must be expensive?
Quick math class , if you may . ‘A good pack’ of sanitary pads currently goes for around 90 Kenya shillings in Kenya( roughly 0.8 USD). A woman with a regular flow would use approximately 1.5 to 2 packs in a month. That would translate to about 18 packs in a year or thereabout . That will cost averagely 1,620 Kenya shillings in a year , which is averagely 16,200 kshs + discomfort + the rushes some women complain of + can’t go swimming or gyming + plastic waste + that ‘not nice smell’ plastic made pads get + …. for 10 years.
I’ll leave it there. The decision is for you to make dearie.
Tea break?
Great!
Let’s do part 2 here once you are back!
This is all new. let me share with my SO
Yes please, Edwin. I hope she will find much-needed tips and help 🙂
Salut!