In my opinion, being frugal doesn't mean that you have to do without certain things. It just means that you are being smart about it and by learning to either make a lot of things yourself or changing out toxic items that the media and commercials want you to buy into, you can be a lot more prepared for when things take a turn for the worse! This falls right into one of our most favorite categories - learning skills rather than packing/storing tons of gear will make your life much easier!
So today, ladies.. this post is mostly for you! Even though I don't think it would hurt for the man in your life to learn a little bit about this topic.. they will most likely be grosed out by it... so let's jump right in and get down to the nitty griddy!!
I strive to be as healthy as I possibly can, to live a long healthy life and to be as healthy of a (future) mom and example to my (future) children as I possibly can be!
Now we all know that junk food is bad, that you should exercise regularly and that you need to drink your water and ditch the soda, right?
What many of us aren't thinking about however, is all the other toxins that we are submitting our bodies to. I had no idea that I was endangering my body every single month, until I started studying the topic in medical school, so please don't think that I didn't make the same mistakes!
Every 21 -28 days, we as women have to enter our monthly battle. Even a week or so prior, we have to face mood swings, bloating and fight the urge to eat our body weight in ice cream ( just as an example from my personal experience). Whatever your "guilty pleasure" is just substitute that in. I'm sure it will be more or less along the same lines!
You'd think that this is bad enough, right? But NO! It hasn't even started yet! So then we deal with fatigue, more bloating, cramps, headaches and so on and so forth.
It's hard enough to stick to your plans and goals during those days as it is... so should you really expose your body to more harmful substances, that you might not even be aware of?
For over a decade now, it was just the most normal thing for me, to reach for tampons, whenever it was that time again.
Then, in 2012, while studying microbiology in medical school, I heard about TSS, also known as Toxic Shock Syndrome. If you head into your bathroom right now, reach for your box of tampons and get out that little paper flyer that they always include, you will find a warning about TSS on there. So why don't we know about this? Because we just throw that piece of paper in the garbage as soon as we open the box, right? Guilty as charged.
So what is TSS?
Toxic Shock Syndrome is a disease caused by the Staph. aureus toxin known as TSST-1. The symptoms of TSS include: a high fever, sunburn-like rash, nausea, diarrhea, dizziness, disorientation, headache, sore throat, achy muscles, fainting, flu-like symptoms, peeling skin, bloodshot eyes and a rapid decrease of blood pressure.
Scary? I THINK SO! But it gets worse. TSS commonly affects women in the age-group under 30, with 60% being between the ages of 19 and 24 years old, 98% of which are white women.
Women who have survived TSS, have suffered miscarriages, loss of hair and limbs, paralysis, severe organ damage, reduced lung capacity and various other terrible ailments. In short, this means that TSS is a potentially fatal disease!
How does using a tampon connect to TSS?
Tampons nowadays are manufactured to be more and more absorbent,to attract the busy, active female. And in theory this is great! Nobody wants to worry about having to have a bathroom nearby or god-forbid leaking! However, the prolonged intra-vaginal use of these hyperabsorbent tampons enhances bacterial growth. ( Bacteria just love anything dark and moist - too graphic for you? I'm sorry!)
But wait... there is MORE!
Tampons pose additional risks, that manufacturers don't warn us about. These risks arise from the synthetic fibers that make tampons and the chemicals used to bleach them. This chlorine bleaching process produces toxic by-products such as dioxin and furan.
YES... you read this right. CHLORINE. The same things you use to bleach harsh stains out of your clothes or to kill bacteria in your pool. And we are really expected to add this into our bodies month after month after month? An average woman has about 450 periods throughout her lifetime.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has done a study which shows that excess chlorine causes cancer in humans, and both the immune and reproductive systems can be damaged by minimal quantities.
450 periods... and minimal quantities introduced each time???.. that does not work!!!
Now think about the environment where you are placing your tampon. Like I said.. this post is not meant to be pretty, it's meant to be honest and we should all feel comfortable enough with our body to talk about this! So... if you aren't comfortable, close out and check out one of our other posts!
Still here? Good. So you place your tampon inside your vagina. The vaginal walls are composed of 3 layers:
- the first layer is a stratified squamous non-keratinized epithelium and an underlying lamina propria of connective tissue(a layer that is highly vascular!)
- the second layer is the muscular layer, which is composed of smooth muscle fibers and situated longitudinally and circularly.
- the third layer is the adventitia, which is a dense connective tissue that blends with the fascia surrounding the area.
Why is it important to understand this?
You can think of the first layer much like a mucosa, like the tissue in your mouth for example. Then add to that, that this tissue is highly vascularized (meaning that there is lots of blood vessels leading blood to and from this layer).
So what happens if you introduce a tampon, that consists of harmful substances and might be covered in toxins into this area? Bingo. Your body can absorb these substances, or in the case of TSS the toxins can spread throughout your entire body.
SCARY, right?
So, let's go back on step. I talked about these additional substances, besides the bleach that are found in tampons: dioxin and furan. What exactly are these?
Dioxin: has been considered highly toxic and even very small amounts are known to cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer. This is based on animal studies, and several studies have been done (including one by the FDA) that came to the conclusion that these "miniscule levels of dioxin found in tampons do not pose a risk to women".
For "some reason" ( please note the cynical tone of my voice here), it does not reassure me, when an institution like the FDA, that also thinks that it is acceptable to add propylene glycol to water-flavoring drinks like the "mio" drops for example, approves these levels in tampons. Propylene glycol is the same ingredient that is used in antifreeze. And we are expected to drink that?? Nope. Screw that.
Furan:
Furan is found in heat-treated commercial foods , for example it can be found in roasted coffee, instant coffee, and processed baby foods. Exposure to furan at doses about 2000 times the projected level of human exposure from foods increases the risk of hepatocellular tumors in rats and mice and bile duct tumors in rats. Furan is therefore listed as a possible human carcinogen.
Again, this is not proven to be harmful to humans at the levels that we consume or are exposed to, but I think it is important to be aware of this, as these studies often don't take into consideration that we might have exposure from different levels (food, drinks and tampons) at the same time, so levels might add up to a higher total.
So, after I learned all this, I started doing my research on alternatives. At first I stumbled upon unbleached tampons, that claim to be toxin free and cloth pads. Sure these would be valuable options and certainly better than your average tampon, but unbleached tampons are very expensive, so it was not feasible for me on a student budget and nowadays with the goals of starting a homestead in mind this does not fly with our budget either!. This left cloth pads. These looks great, the price point is alright at about 15$ per pad, since they can be washed and reused. However, living an active and busy lifestyle, pads just did not seem like the way to go! In my opinion they will be a great option for post-partum bleeding, so I will keep those in mind when that chapter in my life comes around the corner.
I continued my research over the course of several weeks until I heard about menstrual cups on YouTube. This is what I want to introduce you to today!
A menstrual cup is a device made from medical grade silicone (so completely safe for use in the human body) that is inserted in the vagina to collect menstrual fluid.
These are the 2 different styles of menstrual cups, that I own:
On the left you can see the "MeLuna" menstrual cup inside the little travel bag that it comes with. ( Recently featured in my EDC vehicle edition post). The orange container is a foldable silicone container that can be used to sterilize your menstrual cup in-between uses or in-between periods (because we still want to be sanitary!!) - this came as a free accessory with my purchase and if you own a microwave, then this is a neat little way of sanitizing your cup. We have not used a microwave in well over a year and don't even own one anymore, so what I would recommend to you as an alternative is to go to one of your local goodwill stores and find a small stainless steel pot that you will EXCLUSIVELY use for your menstrual cup!
The menstrual cup by "Diva" is pictured on the right.
The differences that you will notice immediately are color, size and shape of "stem".
"MeLuna" offers 6 different sizes of menstrual cups and 3 different types of firmness. This offers a great selection and allows each woman to find her perfect fit! However, I found that if you are new to using a menstrual cup, it can be difficult to gauge which size you might need.
This is where the "Diva" version of the menstrual cup comes in handy. It is only available in 2 sizes, which are distinguished by "Pre-birth" or "Post-birth". So if you have never had a child, you go with size 1 (as seen in my pictures above) or if you have given birth before, you select size 2. It doesn't get much simpler, right?
No matter which company you go with, they each come with cute carrier bags for your cup that it can be stored in!
This collage down below is to give you an idea about it's size and some basic insertion techniques.
What is my personal experience with menstrual cups?
I think they are awesome. I would suggest going with the "Diva" cup first, until you are used to handling and get an idea if you would like it softer/firmer or smaller/bigger.
You can order the "Diva" cup straight from amazon.com if you click here (size 1) or here (size 2).
For the "MeLuna" cups click here. They have a great website explaining everything and answering all the questions that you might have!.
The only piece of advice that I would give is, if you want to start using a menstrual cup, pick a time when you know you won't have a super busy weekend! It is a little bit of a different feeling (even though you can't actually feel the menstrual cup once it is inserted, but you "know" that something is different) so I made sure I was home for the first day or two until I was comfortable.
It is a little bit of a learning curve until you can easily insert and remove the cup and until you know how long you can go before you have to empty the cup! So for the first few days just make it a habit to check regularly until you are comfortable! After a while you will find that you can go much longer with a menstrual cup than you could with a tampon!
Then just rinse it out with plain water and re-insert. If you are at home I recommend cleaning it with a mild soap like Dr. Bronner's in between uses, but if you are in a pinch just warm water or some toilet paper in a public restroom will do the trick also! With a little practice it does not take longer than using a tampon! Just be warned... you have to be comfortable with your own body! It is completely natural for you to menstruate and with this technique you will be confronted with your body's excretions !
What do I like about menstrual cups?
- they are safe for your health
- one cup costs about 25$ and can be reused for 10 years or longer !!! versus a pack of tampons costing 5$ (? I'm not even sure anymore, I haven't purchased them in a while, but I know it is more expensive!)
- you spend less time in the bathroom
What do I dislike about menstrual cups?
- I wish there was a better way to figure out which size is appropriate, but "MeLuna" lets you chose 2 different sizes (for example Small and Medium) if you are unsure which category you fall in to!
- you might have to try out different styles. Menstrual cups are designed to create a slight suction around your cervix, as this is how they stay in place and collect the blood. If you didn't pick the right size or style for your body, then this suction can be hard to break at times, especially without making a mess.
What should you be aware of?
- Always wash your hands before and after you insert the cup ( this should be a no brainer!)
- sterilize the cup at least after each period (this is where that stainless steel pot will come in handy)
- be familiar and ok with your fluids! If you use a cup, you will have to take the cup out by slightly pinching it in, which will loosen the "seal" that it has formed around your cervix and then you will have to dump the contents out, wash and re-insert. It is your body and your fluids so I personally don't see a problem with this, as long as you are washing your hands! But I know not everybody might be this comfortable with their body, so be aware of this fact!
- love the new freedom! In my personal case I can go MUCH longer before having to empty the cup than I did with tampons. Especially in a SHTF scenario, particularly one where you might have to bug out or be on the move, you don't want to be slowed down by leakage, so I recommend getting accustomed with your menstrual cup now!
Bottom line - do what works for you but if you can make the switch - your health, the environment and your budget will thank you! What will you be spending your savings on?
- Do whatever is necessary to survive and thrive!
Doc
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