Softcup recently featured in Consumer Reports ShopSmart Edition
Thursday, October 4th, 2007
Consumer Reports ShopSmart October/November 2007
Tampon Alternatives
“Why you may want to consider trying something new”
When it comes to tampons, you probably have your favorite brand and stick with it. The last thing you’d want to do is experiment in that department. But perhaps you’re curious about what else is out there. Maybe you have concerns about safety or the environment. It’s true that tampons generate a whole lot of waste. The typical woman uses thousands during her lifetime. So it’s no wonder that during an international coastal cleanup in 2006, volunteers collected nearly 20,000 tampons in one day. On the health front, there was a dioxin scare back in the 1990s. Since then, manufacturers have changed the way they process materals in tampons to avoid creating dioxin, which in large doses is linked to cancer and other health problems. In theory, some tampons may still contain dioxin, but manufacturers and the Food and Drug Administration say levels are undetectable. Even if small amounts were present, experts say that your diet (especially meat and dairy products) exposes you to thousands of times more dioxin than tampons. A bigger concern is Toxic Shock Syndrome, which is strongly linked to overly absorbent tampons. (To cut your risk, use the least-absorbent tampons possible and change regularly, especially before bedtime.) Some health activists argue that more studies on tampon risks are needed. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y., is working to reintroduce a bill to establish federal research programs on, among other things, the health risks of dioxin and additives in tampons.
If you’re thinking about trying alternatives to traditional tampons, the good news is you’ve got a few choices worth checking out, such as menstrual cups, which seem to be as environmentally friendly as it gets in feminine protection. The cup also saves you money and can be superconvenient. No more tampons rolling around in your purse!
Disposable menstrual cups
They’re similar to reusable cups, but they have no stem. (If you get the reusable kind, you can trim the stem to make it more comfortable.) Yes, they’re disposable so they create waste, but you need to change a cup only about half as often as tampons so you’ll create less garbage. Two bonuses: No reported cases of TSS or other problems, and you can have sex without the mess during your period. But they come in only one size and don’t fit everyone.
Price comparison
Comparable in price to tampons per cycle.
Where to get them
www.drugstore.com, Target, CVS, Wal-Mart, and Walgreens. Go to www.softcup.com for more info.
