*Photography by Lunette  - used with permission. I am usually very adamant about taking my own photos; however, I didn't know if I wanted to even post about this until after I used it...and then I didn't want to photograph it after I had used it anddd here we are! What can I say? They are good photos!

Lunette Cup 1 (c/o) | Lunette Cup 2 | Disinfecting Wipes

Clearly I'm not afraid to talk to you about weird things. And by "weird" I don't actually mean weird...just things that aren't typically discussed in our society. I find it baffling that periods are such a taboo topic. (I spoke about THINX underwear here and Playtex Sport Tampons here) Why?? It's natural. I guess we have made some strides as most places don't have huts where you have to stay when you are on your period because you are "unclean", but that isn't saying much.

I mentioned the possibility of reviewing the Lunette Menstrual Cup on Snapchat and actually got a lot of requests to post about it, so here goes! Before I get into the menstrual cup, I want to give you a little extra knowledge. I live in the United States and most of the states (see a map here) have a luxury tax on tampons and pads. It's considered a luxury and is therefore required to have sales tax. They are not taxed any more than other items that require sales tax; however, they are obviously not exempt from sales tax like food and medicine are. How does that make any sense? It's not like we can tell our bodies not to have a menstrual cycle? It's natural and normal...and I wouldn't really call them a luxury? 

Anyway, let's do the math. My favorite tampons are Kotex Security or Playtex Sport Tampons. Depending on where you purchase your tampons, how big of a box you are getting, and if you have coupons, it will probably cost around $7 pre-tax and around $7.50 with tax. Let's say you buy one box per period, so $7.45*12 months = $90 a year. I started my period at 11 and let's say I hit menopause at 51 - that's 40 years of period *90 a year = $3600 in tampons alone, if not more!! (let's factor in the underwear you ruin to that as well!) Quite frankly, I'd rather buy a really nice Celine bag with $3k. I got to thinkin' (can you tell I'm Texan?) about all the money I spend on things like tampons and new there had to be a better option. I recently was contacted by Lunette Menstrual Cup and thought it was fate! Here's my review:

Packaging: The packaging was simple, yet pretty. The instructions were easy and to the point! One of the benefits that they promote is that it is reusable and decreases waste - I love that their box is made of recyclable and compostable materials, which really drives their point home and just fuels their purpose and passion.

Product: It is durable and well made! I like the colors, I don't think I would want a clear one (haha)

Usability: It performed exactly how the instructions said! The boiling to clean is just a little odd for me to wrap my head around, but worked fine - just weirded my husband out FOR SURE. The weirdest part for me is when you take it out and can literally feel the suction un-pop! They say you can cut the "stem" off, but I didn't and don't plan to. I had the model 1 which is for light flow. I actually used that on my heaviest day and was able to keep it in for 4 hours no problem! I could have actually left it in a little longer.  I have read horror stories about MCs tipping over inside the wearer and spilling its contents everywhere. I wore mine laying down, sitting up, moving around, and was fine. Here's my issue...I hated removing it and don't think I could realistically use it anywhere outside of the home. Maybe I'm doing it wrong? Not sure. I don't want to get into the graphic details - it held everything great, it was just getting rid of it and washing it off. It was just kind of messy. 

Risks: Unfortunately, it presents the same issue as tampons - you can still get TSS; however, working in your favor is the medical-grade silicone used in Lunette! It is FDA approved, and is hypoallergenic, toxin-free, durable, and isn't harmful to human tissue. Also, don't use this if you have an IUD - it will definitely mess with that!

Price: A Lunette costs around $40. The FDA recommends replacing your cup every 2 or 3 years, so you're looking at 40 total years / 3 years per cup= 13ish per your lifetime, so 13 cups x $40 =$520, which is over 6x cheaper!! (not to mention, better for the earth!)

Overall thought: I really liked Lunette and would recommend it if you are looking for a different product to use for your periods. I will probably still use it, but only at home or if I would be home in time to take it out. It is too messy for me to want to take it out other places. I don't know that this will ever replace my use of Tampons or Thinx. I don't like running with "anything up there" if you will ;), so I will continue using Thinx for exercising on my period. It is great to have when I'm at home, or need a back up for tampons, or am out! 

Have you ever used a menstrual cup? Do you use it regularly? Any tips? Send them my way!! One aspect of this post that I didn't really go into is chemical related. I don't know much about it and there isn't much published about it, but here is an article on chemicals in feminine hygiene products. Read it - you might be surprised. Side note, I've never tried them, but Lola Tampons are the only all natural and organic tampon I've heard of. The more you know, the more you know!!

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