Category Archives: Cups

So Small Yet So Significant

A few days ago I wrote about a girl who was in an abusive relationship.  There was something about her that tugged at my heartstrings.

I hope she tugged at yours, too, as you read my account of her.

Are you able to put yourself in her place and feel a little of what she felt?  I can, and I can tell you that none of it is good, healthy, wholesome – and not one bit of it moves her forward into who or what she can become.

A few days ago, I returned to the store and searched for this girl.

I did not find her.  Her coworkers either did not know where she was or were not at liberty to tell me.  All I know is that she was not at work that day.

Of course, my mind went wild with possibilities and I’ve prayed silent prayers on her behalf….

I want you to place yourself in the shoes of an abused woman.  Perhaps you are there already.  Perhaps you have been there.  Perhaps you have no clue what it’s like.

Here are some questions to help you.

  1. What do you do when you find yourself kicked out of your house with only the clothes on your back and your purse on your shoulder?
  2. What do you do when all heck breaks loose and you must seek shelter…any shelter, anywhere in order to survive and all you have is what you have on you.
  3. What do you do when you’re in an unfamiliar location and need something or someone and don’t know where to turn to find it – or the money to purchase it?
  4. What do you do when you’re broke and have no one to borrow from until your next paycheck?
  5. What do you do when you can’t get what you need unless you allow another to act out on you what he/she wishes or desires – even if it’s abusive?

Many women find themselves in situations like those listed above and must find a way to cope…to live…to carry on…to find a way to make do and a means to provide for their needs….

Now, take these questions and let’s put a spin on them, period wise.

Look back over the questions. What would you do? How would you manage your period (or that of your equally displaced daughter)? How would you cope period wise?  Would there be a solution?  Is there a way to be period prepared at all times?

Yes!  There is.

Reusable menstrual cups are something far too few women are aware of and an answer to every question asked above.

A reusable menstrual cup is a bell shaped device – a silicone cup – that’s inserted into the vagina in anticipation of menstruation, or once it begins – or, it can be slipped into a purse or backpack until it’s needed.  It’s reusable – can last YEARS.

Many call it a Lunette – lune, meaning moon, and ette, meaning small.  And, “Lunette” is my favorite term for it – a lunette is a crescent – like a crescent moon…or a Cheshire cat smile. It symbolizes something hidden within, a secret smile, a power, a cycle wise and period wise means for being period prepared no matter where, what or when.

Lunette menstrual cup is indeed like the Cheshire cat’s smile – straightforward and long lasting.

  • its presence can have a direct influence and make a huge difference in the lives of women who need a safe and reliable method for dealing with menstruation in demanding and dangerous environments.
  • It’s a long lasting, problem solving, irritation resolving, solution providing, smile producing menstrual response for women who deal with uncertainty every day of their lunette.

“…of their lunette?” Yes! Women have lune (moon) cycles and each day of that cycle is a…lunette, of course!  {Cycle Day (CD) = Lunette}

Do you know of someone who lives in a situation that is less than desirable, period wise? Would you be willing to provide them with a gift that would last them many years and provide peace and a sense of security, period wise, for many lunes (moons) to come?

Period Wise will be purchasing several Lunettes to give to women at the shelter for abused and battered women here in the city in which Period Wise is based.  Will you join me in making a difference where you live – not just in the lune cycle as a whole, but in every lunette as well?  Begin with yourself and work outward to women who need to know there is a menstrual solution that can be available wherever they go, whatever their situation, whatever their lune needs are, no matter where they happen to be on any lunette.

There’s something about her – and you may hold the answer.

Be the answer to someone’s menstrual freedom through providing the means for period preparedness.

Be period wise and pay it forward.

Concealed Carry

A day ago I posted Concealed Carry or Confident Carry? and suggested the girls at Galesburg High School confident carry until the rule banning purses was rescinded, and ended with a call for a day of confident carry for us all on May 9.

In some instances and settings, concealed carry is not possible and confident carry could generate negative and unwanted attention.  So, in light of that, let me say this:

Menstrual cups rock concealed carry as well as confident carry.

Why?  How?

Menstrual cups can be carried within even before your period starts.  That’s concealed carry as well as confident carry!

What a difference it could have made for the Galesburg High School student, suspended for concealed carry of menstrual supplies, if someone had shared with her the wonders of menstrual cups.

Lunette, SoftCup, Keeper, DivaCup, and others offer a safe, discrete concealed carry option (internal) that other menstrual products can’t.  Cups are a great option whether you are new to menstruation or have years, or even decades of experience.

For more information on menstrual cups, click on the links above / contact the companies via email or through social media, visit the Menstrual Cup Support forum, and read Why it’s time to give ’em a try.

Concealed carry shouldn’t put you in suspension at school or prevent you from doing what you love.

#ConfidentCarry  #May9

The Hippy Gardener Trashes Sposies, Goes Cup Wild

I received an email from Heather O’Cain, The Hippy Gardener, in which she stated:

I am getting ready to review a number of menstrual cups and would love to get more followers and hope others will spread the word about my project.  My blog has many other topics on it, but this project is my main focus at the moment and will continue over the next few months to a year.

Curious as to what brought about this interest in menstrual cups, I asked Heather.
Upon receipt of her reply, I asked for her permission to post it here for you to read.  Heather has graciously permitted me to post it in entirety.

Hello Suzan,

What prompted me to start this project is three-fold.
1. I’m honestly disgusted by our modern disposable society.  And I guess the natural progression towards kicking trash from coming into our lives to begin with led me to all the trash created just because of my cycle.
2. I don’t believe that life has to be so expensive!  It’s gotten out of hand how many things “they” want us to spend our money on.
3. I’m concerned about what we are doing to our bodies.  There are too many fake products (food included), that we are putting in and on ourselves, that is slowly killing us.
I purchased a DivaCup years ago and have struggled with it ever since not knowing there were other options out there.  This past month we could barely afford to buy my “girlie things” so I pulled the cup out again.  This time I really thought about what was going wrong and also started searching online.  I found that there are so many brands of cups out there it’s mind-boggling.  So I’ve made it a goal to help spread the word.  Since I already have a blog I’ve been working on for years ~ I figured why not do some reviews and share what I learn with others.  So, yeah I just started sending out emails almost before I thought too much about it.
Thanks for checking out my blog and all the mentions on Twitter.  I greatly appreciate your interest in this project and your help talking about it.  I think it’s going to be fun and hopefully I win some people over from disposables.
I checked out your Periodwise blog and I love what you have going on there!  Part of me can barely believe I’m even bringing up such a subject on my blog.  I grew up learning that we just don’t talk about our periods and it was very subtly hinted at that it was something to be ashamed of.  I’m 41 years old and I am just now getting to the point where it doesn’t embarrass me for someone to know I’m bleeding.  That’s ridiculous in my mind.  Girls should not be taught to be ashamed of what their body does.  It’s wonderful to find people like you who are reaching out.  I’ve been following The Red Tent documentary happenings on Facebook for some time and I’ve seen Be Prepared Period’s website before.  I think it’s definitely time for me to be a voice in this movement as well.
Thanks again!!!  I’m so glad I met you Suzan!  :)
Heather
If you would like to support Heather in this exciting venture, you can find her on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest and at Google+.

 

7 Ways Lindsey’s Menstrual Cup Changed Her Life

I came across a blog on So Easy Being Green that I simply cannot resist sharing.

Perhaps it’s the colors. Or, maybe it’s the beautiful pictures. Or…it could be that the topic is reusable menstrual cups.

It could be that it’s all that and more – the “more” being Lindsey and her delightful way with words.

Lindsey describes herself as a “green Mommy blogger” whose first and foremost roles are “Mommy” and “Wife.”

7 Ways My Menstrual Cup Changed My Life describes Lindsey’s experience with a Lunette cup – (size 2 according to the pictures) and her thoughts concerning it.

“It has literally changed my life and I finally found freedom from my period.” — Lindsey

If you’ve never given reusable menstrual cups much thought, do the period wise thing – be open to change.

Currently, three companies of reusable menstrual cups have received US FDA approval: Lunette, Moon Cup/Keeper Cup, and DivaCup.  Instead SoftCup has also received FDA approval for both the disposable and the reusable cups.

Life-Changing Cups

Kim Rosas, the menstrualcupsfbbrains behind Dirty Diaper Laundry and Cloth Diaper Finder, wrote a delightful and informative piece – “Menstrual Cups: What Every Woman Should Know.”

“In all honesty using a cup can change your life for the better.  All women should know this is an option, especially teenagers who have decades of periods to look forward to.  This video will answer all of your questions about how and why menstrual cups are the greatest things since sliced bread.  If not I have some more information for you to read in this post and links to even more helpful resources.”  

In her post you will find

  • The video
  • Choosing a Cup
  • Using the Cup
  • Benefits of Using the Cup
  • Troubleshooting the Cup
  • Getting over the ICK factor and “Owing it”
  • Where to buy?
  • Win one!

Take a few minutes and view the video.  It’s well done and well worth the 8 minutes you will invest in it.

Left Out

No one likes to be left out…for any reason.

 

Especially not when that reason is as easily resolved as…

http://d12xzpun4kqsb2.cloudfront.net/gen/constrain/500/500/80/2012/08/24/19/60/ku/poms9hr4001t0eb.jpg?imageId=24120997

Don’t be sidelined – check out menstrual cups.

If you use them, don’t be shy – be period wise – tell your friends.

No one likes to be left out…for any reason!

Periodic Resolutions

New year.

New resolutions.

New opportunities.

New vision.

New growth.

New you.

                                    As you look toward embracing the new year, consider resolving one (or more) of the following:

  • try a new Eco-friendly product
  • learn more about menstruation
  • explore your own menstrual experience
  • take the leap to a new/different product
  • begin a cycle day (CD) journal
  • live fully into the strengths each CD brings
  • examine your menstrual taboos and ask “why”
  • become more period wise
  • greet and celebrate each period

All I Want For Christmas

With Christmas a week away, I’m making my list and checking it twice.

If your list is anything like mine, there’s one person missing – YOU!

Take a moment and look at the gift ideas below and see if any are on your wish list. Maybe it’s time for your wish to come true.

 

Gift yourself this holiday season!  You and your period deserve it!

What’s a girl to do?

What do you do when you wake to find your period’s started?  You do what many do and reach for your supplies.

And, if you forgot to purchase more, you look around and find a pad or tampon in your purse or backpack, knowing it will hold you long enough to get to the store where you can buy more.

But what if you don’t have easy access to a store?  What if you don’t have transportation?  What if you don’t have $$ to purchase what you need? What if you’re homeless? What if you’re dependent on others to provide for your menstrual needs and you’re too embarrassed to ask? What if there are no menstrual supplies available – at all?  What if your clothing is limited and you are unable to wash out your clothes each day?

What would your first day of menstruation be like?  How would you cope with the next 7 or so days of menstruation? Would you be able to attend school? Would you be able to work?  What would you do?

Millions of girls and women find themselves in this situation period after period, month after month, year after year, using leaves, moss, paper and old rags to absorb their flow.

Girls can’t can’t attend school on the days they are menstrual if they don’t have adequate menstrual supplies.  It’s true here in the U.S. and it’s true in developing countries as well.  Imagine yourself as girl who wakes up excited about the school day only to realize that she won’t be able to attend ALL WEEK because the newspaper or toilet paper she lines her panties with isn’t sufficient to prevent her from leaking through to her clothes.  And, then imagine how far behind the others you would become if you missed a week of school EVERY month.  What’s a girl to do?

I recently heard from an advocate for homeless women who said homeless shelters for women must ration what meager supplies they have.

Imagine being given two pads or two tampons each day, knowing they won’t last more than a couple of hours…knowing that you have a job interview…knowing that when you bleed on your clothes you will be unable to wash them for a week…knowing that you will bleed all over your cot that night, and yourself…knowing that there’s no $$ to purchase what you need…knowing that everyone will be aware that you are on your period because it will be visually obvious to everyone…knowing that whatever you find to line your panty with will most likely be less than sanitary and certainly will not be sufficient for your needs…and, knowing homeless shelters usually require that you are outside during the daytime and inside only for sleep.  What’s a woman to do?

For those interested in making a difference in the menstrual lives of others:

  • Four sites come to mind as examples of what can be done and opportunities that exist for assisting girls and women in meeting their menstrual needs: Lunette   Pads4Girls   Days for Girls   GladRags