Diva cup all the way! Ive become a pro its not even 'messy' anymore - knitting tampons?? Yea I dont know about that..... lol - It seems that it could harbor bacteria and all that fun stuff even after you wash it.

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i have been using a cup for around 4 or 5 years now, and it is *so*easy*. i wish i had started using one ten or twenty years ago. you mention the "con" of needing to wash up. well, i can't remember ever changing a tampon outside a bathroom, and those generally do come with sinks. ;)

there are pros to them you didn't mention. for example, i find my cup to be a great deal more comfortable than a tampon or pad. i also can leave it in for a good bit longer than a tampon. and i never have to worry about "oh i'll be fine next month. i'm sure i have a whole new unopened box in the cabinet." and then oops! sorry, your sister borrowed it or you were wrong or whatever and now what are you going to do?

also, talk about saving money! i got one, it's lasted years, it doesn't require continual spending for any reason. i just own it. i wash it with water and the soap i already have for my hands and/or body.

i love my cup.

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I think although this subject was at least better covered than it could have been, I feel as though you are under-representing the reusable menstrual product market. There are over 10 brands of cups alone, many of which come in diverse colors, sizes, and materials. Also, the Keeper is the only "rubber" brand, all the rest use medical grade silicon.
Cloth pads are also, to say the least, freaking awesome, and don't cause discomfort associated with their disposable counterparts. Also, they smell MUCH nicer, even used.
And lastly, as a future midwife, the non-cotton (commercially available) tampon is generally just plain bad for you, as rayon fibers should never be anywhere near your vagina.

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Please don't bash Tampax! They have always offered a cardboard applicator and just in the last decade or so started with the platic for some choices. Unlike Playtex that only has those pink applicators that have migrated to and washed up on to beaches near and far. My daughter juist started her period. We went to the beach for a daytrip a couple weeks ago. As we walked on the beach I pointed out the pink trach and said This is why we use cardboard applicators! She got it.

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I started using my own homemade sanitary napkins about 10 years ago. It was a way to save money and use up yards of flannel that was just sitting around in a closet. I found ideas for making them on the internet and got to work. I have been very pleased with the results because I was finally able to stop getting rashes from the plastic that is used in name brand maxi pads. (I have never been a tampon user.) I hand wash them right away and then toss them into the washer. I fill the washer with hot water and a scoop of baking soda and let them soak until I am ready to wash a load of under garments or towels. It only takes about 5 minutes to do this and you don't have the "stink" of maxi pads or tampons setting in a trash can all day. I'm a housewife and so I don't know how working women handle the reusable sanitary items.

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