THE NOT SO VICIOUS CYCLE
No disrespect to all the gentlemen out there, but we think that women have a bit more on their plates. Once a month, our moon cycles come, and we’re struck with cramping, bloating, hormonal acne and a bill for all the accouterments you need to survive it. Not to mention the responsibility and expense of managing our birth control.
And though it is something rarely spoken about and even seen as unclean by some, we are all for embracing our feminine cycles and celebrating them. Why should they be dreaded? Why shouldn’t we take back our periods and our fertility and make them something that makes us feel more like the strong, beautiful women that we are?
CONTRACEPTION.
Though many women opt for traditional methods of birth control like the pill, an IUD or an under-skin implant, there are other, more natural ways. FAM, or fertility awareness method, is a practice that has been used for centuries. Once seen as an impractical and ineffective method – back when it was the rhythm method – FAM is now medically accepted and certified when practiced with the help of fertility trackers like Daysy. While it can be used to help women get pregnant, 80% of its users choose Daysy as a method of birth control, and rightly so! Fertility trackers are proven 99.4% effective. Not bad, right?
It’s a simple process and device. All you need to do is take your temperature with it as soon as you wake up for 30-60 seconds. If the light is green, you’re good to go! If it’s yellow or red, it’s best to opt for physical barrier contraceptive. And the more you use it, the more green days you’ll have in your cycle, and the better it and you will get to know your body.
PERIOD.
Now that you know a bit about the best, natural method of contraceptive, it’s time to talk a bit about that period you’re tracking. Though there’s nothing inherently wrong with traditional period control methods like tampons and pads, they do contribute to a lot of waste every year – a year’s worth of typical feminine hygiene product leaves a carbon footprint of 5.3 kg CO2 equivalents – as well as costing you about €1500 over your lifetime. Those are some pretty staggering statistics.
It may seem like they are your only options, but in fact, there is a few methods that many women are choosing that work just as well, with minimal environmental impact and a much smaller expense for you. We’re talking about period cups and period panties. Both may take a bit of getting used to, but once you’re in the swing of things, we promise you won’t miss your old ways one bit. Both are eco-friendly, relatively inexpensive and easy to use. Simply pop in your period cup or slip into your underthings (or pop on a reusable, washable liner) when your cycle starts, and you’re good to go.
So, however you choose to handle your fertility and your periods, there are many ways to turn things on their head and ensure that the once vicious cycle becomes something beautiful that we should celebrate.