SHECUP is a Social Enterprise working in the healthcare space.
February 18 2021
Most girls get introduced to menstrual hygiene products in the form of sanitary pads or tampons. Going back even a few years, girls and women of menstruating age were content with just these two options, oblivious that there was a third, seemingly convenient and safer menstrual product that they could use. Yes! You guessed it right we are talking about the reusable menstrual cup.
Heavily promoted and publicized at the moment, people are still doubtful of this product. Although the user percentage has significantly increased in recent years, it hardly touches that of tampons and sanitary pads. So, here we are to make you more acquainted with this brilliant invention with 5 interesting facts that we are sure will change your perception and urge you to order menstrual cup or shecup.
#1 Decades-old invention by an actor
Menstrual cups may be the hot and trending product, but it is hardly new. The first-ever menstrual cup was invented by the American actor, Leona Chalmers. She went to patent her ‘runner cup’ in 1937. Yes, a shecup is that old! However, the idea of a cup to hold your menstrual discharge predates that. The initial prototypes named catamenial sacks were designed to be inserted inside the vagina while it is attached to a belt. However, the first to get patented and see the light of the day was Leona Chalmers’.
#2 Menstrual cups and Tampons came along at the same time
Tampons and menstrual cups came along during the same decade, with the former beating the later by 6 years. Earl Haas invented tampons in the year 1931, which gained popularity since the beginning of the 21st Century. However, even though both have the same fundamental concept of insertion, it took many more decades for it to become mainstream.
#3 10-12 years with a Shecup
One health-grade silicone menstrual cup can be reused several times, for up to 10 – 12 years. You need to sterilise it for 20 minutes in boiling water, making it perfectly hygienic for use. After the period ends, you sterilise it again and store it for the next use in a cloth pouch.
#4 Use menstrual cups and be a friend to the Environment
Both sanitary pads and tampons, which as much they claim to be biodegradable and environmentally safe, get dumped into the landfills eventually. Studies show that it leads to a significant amount of toxic waste, which seeps into the water and the soil, thus degrading the environment. Reusable menstrual cup or shecups do not require disposal, creating zero waste. It is thus the greener alternative to both sanitary pads and tampons.
#5 Save your money with shecups
Bring out a calculator and a notepad, and estimate how much you spend on menstrual hygiene products each month. Now, multiply it with the number of months that you can use a single shecup. If you subtract the end amount with the total cost of a shecup, the result is how much money you will save in the years to come.
Were you intrigued by these interesting menstrual cup facts? If yes, then go on ahead and buy your first shecup for your local departmental store or order menstrual cup online, and revel in this decade's old marvel of an invention.
