Lunapads Blog

Menstruation; something most women will face in their lifetime.  It’s not fun, it makes us moody and bloated, but most of us just grin and bear it. Unfortunately, menstruation comes with the price; not just the price of ruined panties. It costs us a pretty penny every month and the cost to our environment becomes greater every 28 days. With the amount of pads and tampons that go into a city’s disposable system daily, it’s no wonder that our environment is feeling the strain from something that is otherwise completely natural. So how does one reduce their carbon footprint while still getting the protection that you need in order to go out and live your life?

I believe the solution lies within the DivaCup.

I discovered the DivaCup by chance. While calculating my monthly expenses I was shocked to realize that every single month I spent nearly $20 on protection; be it pads, tampons, panty liners, wipes, new panties, you name it. So I typed into Google, “cheap period solutions” and the DivaCup came up. Now, I’ve heard of menstrual cups before and admittedly I was put off by the ick factor associated with inserting a cup, taking it out and then emptying it; but hear me out.  I figured it was worth a try, a $35 one-time fee for up to 12 hours of protection. To my surprise I fell in love with the DivaCup!

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Hi everyone, Lisa here! I am really excited to share this post from Queernetic, aka Samson, who offers their perspective as a genderqueer person who has opted for eco & body friendly menstrual products. If this post interests you, you may also want to read my related post, A LunaRevolution for All Genders, All Bodies.

In light of my last post, since this is something I’ve been pondering writing anyway, I figured I’d talk about how I deal with my period, in a physical and psychological way, as a genderqueer person. I feel a little shy talking about sex-specific things; not only is there a shame culture about some of the female body and its workings, I feel like I’m “blowing my cover” as an androgynous and genderqueer person–like people aren’t going to take me seriously if they hear me embracing something so “essentially female” about myself. But you’re going to take my identity seriously, right? (This is Samson fixing you with a narrow-eyed glare.)

If you’re squeamish about periods, the female body, or the body in general, you should probably skip the rest of this post. (Even if you’re uncomfortable about the idea of you having a period, there are plenty of us who get ‘em and are all right with it. So, if you’re uncomfortable about the ideas of others having periods, regardless of their sex or gender, I politely suggest you work on getting over that.)

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Struggling to learn how to use the DivaCup? Hang in there and keep trying. Its all perfectly normal! In the mean time, read how our guest blogger Avigayil finally got past this eco-positive learning curve.

So I wasn’t exactly stranded, but New Zealand is certainly an island (two islands, to be exact) and it is very tropical. I was there for my belated honeymoon, nearly a year in the waiting. I am a new wife, a full time student, part time writer for The Bargain Moose, and a part time caregiver for an adult lady in a wheelchair. This trip was well deserved!

While in the packing stages of the trip I knew that from counting my birth control pills, my period would come smack dab in the middle of my honeymoon. We were going to be staying in little vacation houses and I had no idea as to access to laundry facilities so I decided to forgo the usual Lunapanties and Pads: instead opting to throw the Divacup into my bag.

The Divacup and I have had an unkind history: I wanted to love it and it hated me. It popped open before I insert, it hurt going in, and it hurt coming out. Lets just say I ignored my past history when I made my ‘crash course in using a Divacup’ decision. I was determined to learn how to use it. VERY determined. At home I could cheat and if it hurt, switch over to the pads: but not this time… I was stranded!

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It is fabulous to see the response to the previous post about holistic options for yeast infections. Author and Medical Herbalist Katolen Yardley has taken the time to respond to readers’ comments and provide more detail, in particular to questions about the safety and effectiveness of douching, yoghurt, Tea Tree essential oil and common OTC (over the counter) mainstream remedies.

Katolen writes:

Reviewing some of the comments from readers it is apparent that clarification is needed regarding certain terminology and to ascertain whether we are at the same starting place. Of course an accurate diagnosis should always be sought before ANY steps are taken with remedying one’s ailment, always. The purpose of the post is to provide numerous tools and resources for women – not only just pharmaceutical options – once she knows that a yeast infection exists.

Effectiveness is easy to assess. Yeast infections are disruptive, uncomfortable and annoying. If one has a yeast infection, ANY relief is welcome and one will quickly be able to assess what is helping and making a difference and what is not. Perhaps one of the best ways to assess how home remedies work, is to try them out and have a personal experience. Feedback from clients, students and customers all indicate that herbal remedies DO WORK.

Many women have encountered the endless cycle of using OTC medications and find that they are NOT addressing the problem, and the yeast infection comes back – this is when many women become frustrated with mainstream medical treatments and often start investigating other holistic options. Herbal remedies are tried and true (they do not work for everyone all the time, yet they are an option) – their effectiveness is known through trying them. They are gentle and one will quickly know if they are providing relief.

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Suzanne and I happened to meet Katolen Yardley MNIMH, a Medical Herbalist, a few weeks ago at a dinner party. She caught our attention immediately with her vibrant personality and passion for women’s health. She is also the owner of the Alchemy & Elixir Wellness Centre in downtown Vancouver. We were thrilled when she agreed to provide her expertise as a holistic medical professional on helping women deal with a common issue, yeast infections. Check out her easy and effective natural tips below!

A typical yeast infection, also known as candida albicans, is a fungus normally present in the body in small amounts. The presence of other healthy flora keeps the bodies levels of candida albicans in check, however the vaginal flora is very sensitive, responding immediately to any changes in our environment.  If any triggers disrupt the sensitive balance of good and bad bacteria, candida albicans can flourish.

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I was 11 years old when I took my first ride on the crimson wave – and along with being nervous and not totally sure about what changes my body was going through I had to wear an uncomfortable, bulky, scratchy disposable pad. I just accepted this as my fate for the rest of my child bearing years, because I wasn’t aware of any alternatives besides tampons and I wasn’t ready to go there yet.

It wasn’t until high school that I felt comfortable trying tampons. I was beginning to really hate missing out on swimming at the beach at least 3 weeks out of the 3 months of summer. So I started using tampons and it wasn’t half as bad as I expected. However, I hated that dry pulling feeling when removing a tampon on the last days of my cycle. Ugh! But again, I accepted what I thought was my fate. It wasn’t until recently that I learned tampons not only absorb menstrual fluids, but natural vaginal fluids as well. Thus, the dry feeling. And tampons can even leave bleached cotton fibers behind. Yuck!

Enter The DivaCup.

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Hi, everyone! Just wanted to share this great testimonial sent in to us from Barb B. in Wisconsin. I hope Barb’s story inspires those who feel discouraged by not having immediate success with The DivaCup.

Figuring out how to successfully use a menstrual cup takes time, patience and gentle perseverance – not getting it right away is not unusual, and certainly nothing to beat yourself up over. Sometimes what stands in the way is simply a matter of technique; other times it’s deeper or more complex. Let’s talk about it!

* What advice or words of encouragement do you have for those new to using a menstrual cup? Read Barb’s testimonial after the jump, and share your tips in a comment below! *

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We are thrilled to introduce you to our newest Lunarevolution sister, Kim Anami. Kim is a life coach who specializes in sex and intimacy, and has some powerful things to say about the connection between our intimate lives, wellbeing and sense of personal power. Stay tuned for some video interviews looking at the intersection of sex and periods, and in the meantime please enjoy this insightful guest blog post about natural birth control and fertility awareness. Those of you in the Vancouver area can attend her upcoming workshop on this topic February 15th.

Question: What is the sexiest, easiest and safest form of birth control?

Answer: Your finger.

I’m often shocked at how many people haven’t heard of this method. It’s is also called the Billings or cervical mucous method, having been discovered by Australian husband and wife team, Dr. John and Evelyn Billings. It’s a simple, fast, body-safe and even sexy way to diagnose fertility.

It makes sense that since every other female on the planet of other species gives clear signs of fertility, that humans ought to as well.

We do.

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Roughly 1 year ago a friend recommended to me that i read the book Cunt: A Declaration of Independence. I took her advice and proceeded to receive the feminine education of a lifetime. This lovely, lovely book brought to my attention the concept of environmentally conscious replacements for the standard pad and tampon; an idea that had not once crossed my mind in my experience as a menstruating girl/young woman.

Upon first hearing about menstrual cups and washable menstrual pads, I found the idea interesting – but maybe not for me. A year later I picked up an issue of Bitch Magazine and – flipping through the glossy pages – found an ad for Lunapads. Here again was this idea of washable menstrual pads. I opened my laptop, typed in the URL, and was greeted by a fantastic and informational website made for women, by women. Never before had I been so excited about my own period! I decided I would give it a try. If I didn’t like the products then at least i would be supporting a really awesome company, and if I did – well, then I would be able to save hundreds of dollars over the years AND help the environment, too.

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We have had such a great response to our recent “What’s up with ewww?” post about the whats and whys of what I call icked-outedness.

I was just browsing some recent testimonial submissions and wanted to share a couple of them as they both cite an initial “ewww” reaction to Lunapads.

What’s so cool is that they got past it, gave Lunapads a chance and are now happy Lunagals. Read on!

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