Why I use RUMPs

Now there are many reasons why I have decided to use reusable menstrual products. I am only fourteen, and I probably am the only girl in my school who has decided to sway from disposable products. I first learned about rumps from preciousstarspads, a very informative YouTube channel run by Bree. From the very start, I knew that disposables weren't for me. The pads often gave me a rash and tampons left me feeling gross. Why would I want to use products that irritated me? Once I started using my menstrual cup everything changed. I didn't have to worry about leaking or being uncomfortable anymore. My period isn't an inconvenience, I still get cramps, but apart from that it isn't unbearable. I would choose rumps over disposable products anyday and definitely recommend them to anyone with problems with traditional sanitary products.

What I Wore This Month

This has been going around the reusable menstrual products community for a while now so I decided to make one for myself. Here is what I wore this month.

5 Heavy Pads - One from Yurtcraft and the others were made by me

8 Regular Pads - One from Yurtcraft and the rest are made by me

3 Light Pads - Made by me

2 liners - Made by me

2 Menstrual Cups - One small classic clear Meluna with regular stem, One medium classic purple Meluna with ball stem (will review after next cycle)

I did use pads most of this cycle because it is my first cycle using better pads. I have used hand stitched pads in previous cycles but I really wanted to try out many of my newer pads that I have made and bought. The Yurtcraft pads can be found on Etsy. Thank you.

Lunette Cup Review

      

I purchased my Model 1 Lunette cup in August of 2015. This was my first cup that I ever bought and it met all of my expectations. The Lunette company has AMAZING customer service. My original cup became lost in the mail, and within a few days after I contacted them, my new Lunette came. Along with the cup I bought cup wipes for on the go.  I have not had to change my menstual cup while I was out so I have mainly used the wipes for sterilizing my cup. I did have to trim the stem on my cup because I have a shorter cervix, but because of the grip rings the cup is still super easy to remove. 



Sorry for the dog hair!


This cup has what I would describe as a medium resistance, which helps it pop open very easily. It has four medium-sided suction release holes equally apart from each other all around the cup. It is also made from a very soft silicon. The only negative appearance-wise is that the cup is not finished as neat as it could be. This doesn't effect how the cup works or feels; it's just a small flaw.

 

                                      

                                     

Overall, I love the Lunette cup. I have used it for about five cycles now and it has worked perfectly for me. This cup can hold 25 ml up to the rim, so I use it for my heavier days. I haven't experienced any leaking for me with this cup, only it overflowing if I leave it in for too long. On my heaviest days I can wear this cup for a solid nine hours without it overflowing and on the rest of my days I can wear  it for the full twelve hours. When I wear this cup I cannot feel it at all and I forget that I am even on my period. This is great for school when I don't want to deal with my period. I leave it in for the whole school day and don't have to worry about a wet feeling or gushing. The Lunette Menstrual Cup is an amazing cup that I definitely recommend giving a try! 

Menstrual Cups

Today I just wanted to go over the basics on menstrual cups. I will hopefully have a post about cloth pads coming shortly, so stay tuned!

What is a Menstrual Cup?
For those of you who don't know, a menstrual cup is a small reusable, bell- shaped cup worn inside the vagina to collect menstrual flow. It's is similar to a tampon, although it is much healthier for you and the environment.

How do I use a Menstrual Cup?
To use a menstrual cup you simply fold the cup using one of the many folds, such as the c fold or punch down fold, and you insert it into your vagina. You may want to use lubricant to help it slide in more easily. Once the cup is in, feel around to make sure that the cup is open. You can rotate it or pull it down slightly if you are having trouble getting it open. When you are ready to remove the cup, gently pull on the stem or base of the cup, and then pull the rest out of your body. You can rinse you cup out under tap water and reinsert. At the end of your cycle, the cup will need to be sterilized. You can boil you cup for the recommended time (usually around 5 minutes) and it is ready for your next cycle. Keep in mind that for the first couple of cycles using a menstrual cup it can be challenging to get the hang of it. But don't give up! 

Why should I use a Menstrual Cup?

There are many reasons why you should use a menstrual cup, so I will just cover the basics. Unless you buy natural disposable menstrual products, your tampons and pads contain pesticides and dioxins  along with being bleached white. Menstrual cups are either made of 100% medical-grade silicon, or a TPE plastic that is used in the same way. Some of these cups may be dyed, but none of the dyes can harm you. Using tampons you also risk getting TSS, and with menstrual cups there have been no reported cases. Menstrual cups are able to be worn up to 12 hours, which is about twice the amount that you would be able to leave a tampon in. This also means that they can be worn overnight. The average woman will use 9600 disposable menstrual products each year, all of which end up in landfills or sewers. Most menstrual cups will last up to ten years, so you will probably only need to invest in 4 menstrual cups for your entire menstruating time period. Not only do disposable products effect the landfills, but they effect your wallet as well. On average, a single menstrual cup will cost $25-40. Let's say you spend 6 dollars on pads and/or tampons each month. It may not seem like much, but it adds up quickly. For one year you would be paying $72, and for ten- $8640 spent on tampons and pads. Lastly, most women find menstrual cups more comfortable than pads or tampons. You don't constantly feel a scratchy pad against your skin, which can leave a rash, and you don't have that horrid dry tampon feeling either. 

 

 

How do I choose a Cup?

Usually when you are going to buy a menstrual cup, companies offer two different sizes; a smaller size for woman who haven't given birth and a larger size for woman who have. I would also judge it by your flow, if you have a heavy flow, get a larger cup, a light to medium flow, get a smaller cup. It also depends on where your cervix is located. If you have a lower cervix, get a shorter cup and so on. 

Where do I buy a Menstrual Cup? 

Most cups, you will need to buy online, but some can be bought at a local health store. In the US, I believe Whole Foods sells the Diva Cup. Some common cup brands include Diva Cup, Lunette, Meluna, Ruby, Lily cup, Lily cup compact, Lady cup, Skoon cup, and many more. Before buying a cup, I would recommend doing lots of research about the cup to make sure that it is the right fit for you. 

 

Welcome

Hello! I would first like to start off saying thank you for checking out my blog. I am a fourteen year old girl who loves using reusable menstrual products and I hope to share my experiences with RUMPs. I hope to be posting often (at least once a week) on different reviews of products along with general information on RUMPs. I have had my menstrual cycle for about a year and a half now and have been using reusables pretty much since I started. I first started off using the Lunette cup, which I love, and have now begun my journey into cloth pads. My hope for creating this blog is to inform more women, especially teenagers, about the healthier, environmentally friendly, and most comfortable menstrual product alternatives.