Why menstrual cups are better than tampons
Nov. 05, 2020 kaylee germann
A menstrual cup is the new menstrual must-have! A switch that you, nor your bank account, will regret making!
With the help of 1000s of menstrual cup users, BeYou has developed the perfect-fitting menstrual cup for you to feel comfortable at all times – not just every 21 days within a cycle.A menstrual cup is a much better, safer and more cost-effective option for both you and the world.
It’s not only about switching to something that is a lot more vag-friendly! It’s about giving yourself the time and respect to find a menstrual product that is best for you!
What is a menstrual cup?
A menstrual cup is a bell-shaped cup which is used to collect the blood from your period. Made from medical-grade silicone, the cup is highly flexible and adaptive to your personal shape.
Menstrual Cup vs Tampons
While inserting a menstrual cup might seem similar to a tampon, it will take one glance for you to notice that these two menstrual products are completely different from one another!
Let’s talk size
At first glance, yes, a menstrual cup is bigger than a tampon, but it’s a lot more flexible too! (BeYou Team tip: they make for great stress-balls too!)
Tampons are made to absorb the moisture, which is why most of them are made from cotton or rayon, which can lead to painful friction and dryness, whereas, a menstrual cup will feel a lot smoother and adaptable.
You may not know this until you feel a menstrual cup for yourself, but they’re extremely squishy! This is so that you can fold the menstrual cup down into a similar size of a tampon, which will then open up, unfold and take your personal shape once it's been inserted!
Flexible vs hard and rigid?
Everyone warns you that the first few times of using a tampon, can hurt. That’s because you need to learn the natural curvature of your vagina and that you need to insert a tampon or cup at an angle going towards your spine.
A tampon is firm and rigid, which can be very painful and cause discomfort in comparison to the super soft, BeYou Menstrual Cup.
Contrary to popular belief, a menstrual cup doesn’t just get pushed up into your vagina, just like that (can you imagine)! It simply twists and folds into the size of a tampon and then pops open, gently sitting against the natural shape of your vaginal canal, without that invasive pressure felt from using tampons.
Cotton vs Silicone Material: which is better for your skin?
A tampon was made to absorb the blood from your period, which is why most tampons are made from cotton.
This cotton material is bleached, dyed, containing harsh toxins and chemicals that affect the natural balance of the pH levels in your vagina and can lead to infection.
Ever noticed how your vagina always seems more dry and throughout your period? That’s the cotton talking.
Menstrual cups are made from medical-grade silicone (that means it has been tested to make sure it is compatible with living tissue). Which is why, a menstrual cup is free from any chemicals or nasties and is extremely kinder to your skin!
Any-day comfort vs instant use
As a tampon retains moisture, your blood is kept exposed within your vagina, which is why you need to change your tampon every 4 hours, to avoid infection or irritation.
With the suction seal formed with your cup, the BeYou Cup is designed to hold your blood for up to 12 hours at a time. Whether you’re on your flow or not, it won’t irritate your sensitive skin. That’s why so many are encouraged to try out the cup before the big day, because you actually can!
You’ll find that the BeYou Cup is the softest menstrual cup available on the market, providing even more comfort for first-timers!
Save money, save the world
The biggest factor that drives the choice behind using a menstrual cup is the fact that a menstrual cup is reusable and supports an eco-conscious period.
When you cleaning your cup regularly and take care of it, you ensure that it can last up to 10 years at a time. That means that for 10 years, you don’t need to spend another penny on menstrual products – saving you around £578 up until menopause!
On top of that, a menstrual cup can be easily recycled, without releasing any toxic fumes into the atmosphere.
However, tampons aren't recyclable. Due to sanitary reasons, tampons can never be recycled or reused. Using tampons (whether organic tampons, applicator tampons or normal tampon) massively contributed to single-use waste!
Considering that over 800 million women are on their period each day, non-recyclable menstrual hygiene products have a huge effect on waste! We did the maths for you - take a look for yourself on our cup calculator at the bottom of the page and you'll notice that 1 menstrual cup can save around 9.5kg of waste, each decade!
Why don’t more people use menstrual cups then?
A menstrual cup can seem different at first, but that’s only because there are so many beneficial features about a cup that haven’t even been addressed by menstrual products before. We didn’t even realise we had a choice on some of these!
By making a switch to the BeYou Menstrual Cup though, will probably have you asking yourself why you hand't done this sooner!
If you’re perfectly comfortable using a tampon or pad for your period, that truly is great! But for your own good, make sure that you’re buying any menstrual products from a brand that you truly trust. As long as you’ve given yourself the chance to look at the other available options out there and put yourself first, then BeYou is all for it!