The menstrual cup and tampon are menstrual management products that work when placed inside the vaginal canal. However, that's as far as the resemblance goes. There are big differences between the two: for your economy, the environment and even your health. In this article we tell you why it is better to use a menstrual cup instead of a tampon by comparing different aspects: price, materials, safety, ease of use, among others.
How menstrual cup and tampon work
Both are placed inside the vaginal canal. The major difference between the two is that the menstrual cup collects blood, like a glass of water. What the tampon does is absorb, like a sponge. The problem is that the tampon also absorbs other fluids that are in your vagina. This dries out the vaginal walls, interferes with the pH and generally puts your vaginal health at risk.
The menstrual cup is made of materials that are harmless to the vagina. They do not interfere with your natural moisture and allow everything to flow to avoid infection.
Measuring the amount of blood
The menstrual cup is transparent and usually has several markings to measure the milliliters of blood it collects. This is very useful, because it is normal to expel between 30 and 60 ml of blood per cycle. If you measure more than 80 ml, you are considered to have a heavy flow. Being able to keep track of the amount of blood you are passing can help you identify any problems.
With the tampon you can only make an estimate. If you use more than 6 a day, or have to change in less than an hour, your bleeding is heavy. But that's it, you have no other way of knowing exactly how much blood is coming out.
Menstrual cup and tampon materials
The menstrual cup is usually made of medical grade silicone. This means that it has been checked for any additives. This material is also used for breast implants, subdermal devices or catheters, which ensures that you can use the cup safely. It is a material that can come into contact with living tissue without leaving residues.
The opposite happens with the tampon. Try putting it in a glass of water: it breaks apart and begins to release fibers or white specks. These residues may contain chlorine, which is used to bleach the material. You may also find rayon or viscose, synthetic fibers of low strength, especially in humid environments. In general, tampon materials upset the balance of the vaginal area.
The cost
The menstrual cup has a price that starts between 700 and 800 pesos. What you have to take into account is that the expense is made only once. You will not have to spend a single peso again in the lifetime of your cup. And this time can be up to 10 years, so in the long run you spend much less than with other menstrual management products.
A box of tampons costs around 40 to 50 pesos for 10 to 14 units. Given that you menstruate for about 40 years and imagining that you use one box per period, we would be talking about 480 boxes in your lifetime. The minimum expenditure would be 19,200 pesos for using tampons.
Compared to the 2,800 you would spend using a menstrual cup your whole life... it doesn't sound so expensive anymore, does it?
Environmental impact
Between tampons and sanitary napkins, a woman can generate 9600 plastic waste in her lifetime. All this material is ultimately non-biodegradable. Take into account also tampon applicators, sanitary napkin wrapping, etc. The menstrual cup can last you up to ten years and it is not necessary to use applicators or plastic wrapping.
In addition to the waste generated, tampons and sanitary napkins have a significant impact on the environment because they cannot be recycled. Even disposing of them causes damage, because when they are burned the waste can emit toxic gases.
The menstrual cup, on the other hand, is biodegradable. The medical silicone used in its manufacture can be incinerated and the sand that remains does not have a negative impact on the environment, as it degrades over time without emitting harmful substances or becoming microplastics.
Toxic Shock Syndrome
The most important difference is that the menstrual cup is not associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome. But tampons are. The chances of suffering from Toxic Shock Syndrome are higher when using highly absorbent tampons or when they are left in for more than 4 to 6 hours.
The tampon instructions tell you to choose the lowest absorbency, change it every 8 hours at the most, do not use it between periods and know the warning signs of Toxic Shock Syndrome so that you can go to the doctor if necessary.
On the other hand, the menstrual cup can stay in your body for up to 12 hours without any problem other than blood starting to leak out. With proper hygiene, you can empty your cup as many times as you want and use it again without risk of infection.
After this comparison between tampons and menstrual cups we know that there is no doubt that the cup is the better choice of menstrual management product. The tampon had its time, but the disadvantages are much greater than the advantages of using the menstrual cup. At IPM we have three sizes of the best quality, made in Mexico and fully certified.
