BY: STEFANIE PHILLIPS

I’m sick and tired of being told to have a “happy period” by a company whose marketing director has obviously never had a period before.

I’m fed up with forgetting to pack tampons on the first day of every cycle and asking people if they happen to have an extra.

I’m annoyed with having to walk out of class with a clenched fist that’s full of tampons and checking under my seat for accidental leaks on my way out.

But mostly, I’m disgusted with myself for filling up landfills with unnecessarily wasteful products.

But that all changed when a friend told me about Menstrual Cups. You’ve probably heard rumours too, about the Diva Cup, Mooncup or the Softcup. The list of brands goes on but what you haven’t heard is that these cups can eliminate all the annoying things about periods while saving the environment and your wallet at the same time.

These cups can eliminate all the annoying things about periods while saving the environment and your wallet at the same time.

One cup can last up to 10 years, although the Diva Cup website suggests that the cups be replaced annually to optimize cleanliness. That’s one cup for 12 months, instead of monthly trips to the drug store, meaning more moola in your pocket.

After some rough math, the average box of tampons costs about $5 — not including liners or pads and I’m the kind of user who taps out all three of those resources — but you can buy a Diva Cup on Amazon for $31. Spread out over 12 months of the year the cup will only cost you $2.58 each month.

Spread out over 12 months of the year the cup will only cost you $2.58 each month.

With my student budget, saving $2.58 a month will allow me to take an extra coffee trip, or a shot at the bar on cheap night.

It also means not having to carry (or remember to carry) three different sizes of tampons in your bag and play the guessing game of what absorbency your flow is going to need that day. Why not? Because cups can hold more liquid than tampons or pads.

Where most tampons can absorb from six to eight grams of liquid, cups are capable of holding up to 28 grams — one ounce — providing up to 12 hours of protection. Yup, an extra four hours of care free livin’ before changes.

So you can sleep longer and stop worrying about the potentially fatal TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) thanks to the material being made of 100% healthcare grade silicone. No BPA and no latex.

There isn’t even a string hanging around getting soaked in pee, or worse. Not even rashes from the uncomfortable chaffing of pads. Nope, none of that.

The list goes on, the cup’s use of suction to stay in place means no leaking for you. One brand, the Softcup, even advertises on their website that you can leave it in during intercourse for some mess-free period sex.

But after using 300 words to tell you all about the benefits of the cup you’re probably still stuck on how you’re going to clean it. Or how it sounds kinda “gross” because you “don’t know where to put it.”

I’m telling you to grow a pair.

I’m telling you to get comfortable with your own body and figure out how to decrease the amount of waste we’re sending to the landfill.

I’m telling you to stop taking bullshit from your period.

Sources: drrenatonisenbaum.com.br,  macleans.ca,  softcup.com