Oh cup of many names — for Ladies’ eyes only
Seriously, boys, this post is for the girls. You don’t want to read it. Trust me. If you go any further it’s at your own risk, and I’ll go ahead and throw in an “I told you so” now for good measure.
Okay, ladies (and the few males who just never learned to heed an honest warning), this post is about menstruation. That’s right. Your period. It’s one of those pesky things that you have to take into consideration when planning a weekend get-away, so of course it’s going to take a little more planning for a whole year around the world. Especially when you factor in all of the guide book warnings about some countries not having the products we’ve all grown to know and appreciate (or not having them at reasonable prices). Plus, who wants to carry around a year’s supply of tampons. I mean, really, they would probably need their own special backpack (can you imagine the look on the face of the poor sucker who stole that bag off the train! Hee hee).
So, let’s talk options. There’s always the various forms of birth control that will keep you from getting your period for long periods of time. If that floats your boat, I don’t think you could go an easier route. But personally I don’t like the idea of not having my period for a year. I think that maybe one day I might want to pop out a kid, and stopping the flow for that long makes me too nervous.
But a safer and more natural approach is to use a Diva cup (also called a Moon cup). A Diva cup is just that, a cup. The one I bought is latex (but you can get them in another material if you’re allergic) and cost about $30. The beauty of the Diva cup is that it’s reusable. So, all I’ll need to carry is the little cup (which came with a cute little pouch to store it in). You pop it in (it comes with detailed instructions on insertion and getting it out, so I won’t go into that too much), wear it all day and night while you’re on your period (you take it out from time to time depending on your flow to empty and wash it, then put it back) and you don’t have to worry about any of the creepy side effects of tampons. It’s really great. It took me a couple of cycles to get really used to it, but now it’s more comfortable and easier than tampons and you don’t have to worry about panty liners or the like because it’s basically suctioned in there. It doesn’t go in very far, and your muscles keep it in, so it’s a good way to tighten those up as well (which is also supposed to improve orgasms, so nice side bonus). The one downside for the squeamish is that there is no applicator, but it doesn’t go in as far as a tampon, so it’s not a big deal.
Try it out and let me know what you think. I really highly recommend it. And when I get back from the trip, I’m going to continue to use it. I’ll never use a tampon again!
(FYI, we’re back from the trip now, and I can honestly say that the Diva cup is amazing, and I am still using it. Also, the guide books lie. I never went anywhere where you couldn’t find some sort of feminine hygiene product. But I still recommend going with the cup!)
Tags: Pre-Trip Planning
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