Hey ladies, I'm Jessica, 23 years young and currently in PA school at the Medical University of South Carolina and as a student two imperative lifestyle factors for me are convenience and cost. The menstrual cup fits both. I always used tampons growing up, but was horrible at remembering to change it throughout the day, bring extras, and was unreasonably terrified of toxic shock syndrome (TSS). However, when I first saw a few friends switch, then my mom, then my sister, I was intrigued; and now I am obsessed. I bought one cup for around $35 and have never paid for another period product since. I only change it when I wake up and again before bed and I have never been concerned about TSS. Particularly now when I am a student managing class, studying, and extracurriculars, the last thing I want to think about dealing with my period. My experience with it has made my roommate and other classmates open up to trying it and they couldn’t agree more; especially when money is tight, we are all minimizing recurrent monthly purchases. Furthermore, living in Charleston where I see the impacts of climate change through flooding consistently, creating waste during my period is no longer a factor of concern when worrying about my climate impact. Plus, living near the beach I have come to realize that the menstrual cup is the most practical option for activities, particularly when wearing a bathing suit. I have always felt comfortable going running or cycling in it; however, this summer, I also learned that wearing this a bathing suit to the beach ended any worry during the day in the water. I have never had to worry about a string coming out, or tampon shifting when in the waves. I have found that in every circumstance so far, using my menstrual cup is the most convenient and costly option and I currently cannot picture a scenario when it is not. Normalize the menstrual cup; let us do it together.
Jessica Boyce <3