The winner is Tracy (#15), who said, ” I just recently learned about this great alternative. I would like to try the ‘Keeper Moon” cup size A.”
Email me at kelsey[at]vanillajoy[dot]com – THANKS!
PRIZE
One reader will win the original Keeper (latex) or Moon Cup (silicone) menstrual cup!
MY REVIEW
Ladies, say goodbye to tampons and say HELLO to something so much better!
I got to try out both the Keeper and Moon Cup and I love having a more environmentally friendly and medically safer option to get me through Aunt Flow’s regular visits.
Six months ago I didn’t even know you could purchase resuable menstrual cups, and since then I have learned a lot about tampons that I wish I had known sooner.
Environmental/Financial Concerns
For example:
According to waste consultant Franklin Associates, 6.5 billion tampons and 13.5 billion sanitary pads, plus their packaging, ended up in landfills or sewer systems in 1998. And according to the Center for Marine Conservation, over 170,000 tampon applicators were collected along U.S. coastal areas between 1998 and 1999.
You don’t have to be an “environmentalist” to be careful and thoughtful when it comes to use and waste, and these numbers are shocking. A more widespread use of menstrual cups could drastically reduce the amount of waste we produce and pollution from production.
And all that trash costs you good money! If you need some visual persuasion, here it is:
In 10 years, you could spend $480 on 65 pound of garbage or $35 for one Keeper. That’s $.29 per month as opposed to $4.00.
Health/Safety Concerns
Aside from environmental concerns, did you know that the chemicals used to make tampons could be linked to a frightening list of side effects like cancer, developmental delays, birth defects, hormone disruption and immune cell suppression? Yikes.
From Mercola.com:
There are two basic problems with synthetic menstrual products:
- The synthetic materials are often so absorbent that they create a perfect breeding ground for Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), especially in young females who haven’t had time to develop the necessary antibodies; and
- The chlorine used in the bleaching process [of tampon production] can release dioxin, a known carcinogen, into a woman’s vagina and uterus.
Those are two pretty good reasons to avoid disposable feminine hygiene products altogether in my book.
Reusable menstrual cups aren’t well known because they’re produced by smaller companies. Today’s giveaway is sponsored by the first company to offer a menstrual cup and they have two kinds – The Keeper, which is latex, and The Moon Cup, which is silicone/non-latex. They have two sizes, A for after childbirth and B for before, so the fit is comfortable and the product is safer and more environmentally friendly.
Aunt Flow is an unpleasant visitor, and a reusable menstrual cup may not always be the most convenient method, but it’s the safest and the cheapest so GO REUSABLE!
GIVEAWAY RULES
- Visit Keeper.com
- Make a comment on this post telling me which menstrual cup you’d like to try before midnight Sunday, July 18.
- A winner will be selected and announced at the top of this post on Monday.
- Only one comment per person unless you earn extra entries.
- Giveaway open only to residents of the continental United States…sorry.
- Winners must email me to claim their prize within 5 days.
EARN EXTRA ENTRIES
You may earn 1 extra entry each for doing the following (make a separate comment for each thing you do):
- Become a Facebook fan of The Keeper Menstrual Cup
- Follow KeeperCup on Twitter
- Follow Vanilla Joy on Twitter
- Tweet about this contest with a link back here
- Become a Facebook Fan of Vanilla Joy
- Facebook about the contest
- Subscribe to Vanilla Joy on YouTube
- Subscribe to my feed
- Sign up for my newsletter
- Add my button to your sidebar
- Comment on any non-contest post (must contribute to the conversation)
GOOD LUCK and THANKS!
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