Menstrual Cups VS Tampons: A Comparison

Finding the right feminine care products should be easy, right? These products are meant to help us, not harm us. Unfortunately that’s not always the case. There are many products available (conveniently located at the store on the corner) that promise to make our monthly visit more comfortable – but take a deeper look and you’ll realize there’s a lot more going on than what’s on the surface for these products.

Let’s take a look at the most popular go-to internal product for women when Aunt Flow visits: Tampons. Tampons have some perks – they’re convenient, discreet, and relatively affordable. You can find them at just about any grocery store. Plus, it’s pretty easy to find one if you accidentally forget to stick some in your purse.

Let’s break it down even further and take a look at how they’re made. These products go inside us, so they should be safe, but many brands are far from it. Traditional and big name brand tampons may contain…

Carcinogens: Including dioxins and furans. Dioxins and furans often leak on to the cotton used in tampons during the bleaching process.

Pesticides: Cotton is one of the top crops that uses the most pesticides. Unless you have opted for organic tampons, the cotton used in your tampons has probably seen a plethora of chemical pesticides.

Pause for a minute. We just mentioned Organic tampons. That has to be better for you, right? Sort of. Organic cotton is available for tampons, and while the product may overall be healthier than their counterparts, you still have to be careful. If you do decide to opt for organic tampons, there are still two key things to keep in mind:

Never flush your tampons. Tampons do not break down the way toilet paper does. In fact, tampons are one of the leading causes of septic systems backing up. There’s a misconception that cotton breaks down no problem – the truth is the cotton in your tampon does not break down in the septic system. All these tampons that have been inappropriately flushed instead of properly disposed of now head towards a treatment center where they must be sorted out, along with the other non-flushable items including the sock your 3-year old flushed and the makeup you dropped in the toilet and didn’t want to pull out. Some facilities have a machine that rakes these items out, others have to manually remove them. Pretty gross, right?

Long story short: Tampons should never be flushed, they should always be disposed of in a trash bin.

Always change your tampons based on the recommended time. While the cases have decreased and we hear less about it, TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) is still a risk when you wear your tampon for too long. Organic or not, all cotton tampons put you at risk for TSS.

Want to know how you can avoid all of the above? Switch to Sckoon! Sckoon Cup is a safer alternative to traditional disposable menstrual products. SckoonCup is a soft, bell shaped, silicone menstrual cup that collects (not absorbs) your menstrual flow. By collecting the flow, SckoonCup eliminates the risk for TSS. As it is made using medical grade silicone, there are no pesticides or carcinogens applied during it’s manufacturing and it’s safe for sensitive skin. Best of all, it’s reusable – just simply sterilize your menstrual cup between uses.

You tell us. In the battle of Menstrual Cups VS Tampons – which side are you on? We’re team Menstrual Cup!