My discovery of the Mooncup was somewhat of a Eureka moment. Having been used to churning through boxes and boxes of tampons, and just regarding that as "what one did", it was with some skepticism that I tried the Mooncup. I can honestly say it has been life-changing. I could not believe how easy it was to use and I am determined to spread the word about this amazing invention.

The Mooncup is a menstrual cup worn inside the vagina during your period to collect the menstrual fluid. Unlike tampons and pads, the cup collects menstrual fluid rather than absorbing it. They are a fantastic alternative to tampons being very safe and hygienic. They do not encourage bacterial growth or prevent vaginal cleaning and they don't leak and can be worn for up to twelve hours including overnight and for sports. Recent research has shown that the action of the tampon absorbing blood may not be beneficial. The Mooncup addresses this by being passive - it just collects what your body releases.

Sometimes 'ethical' products can mean having to spend more, or making a compromise in comfort or convenience. The Mooncup is unique not only because of its obvious environmentally friendly credentials but also its significant safety benefits compared to tampons (not to mention being a thousand times cheaper !)

The Mooncup is basically a small squishy cup made from medical grade silicone which sits inside the vagina and collects blood/fluid during your period rather than absorbing it. The Mooncup is safe, ethical, environmentally friendly and cheap. It really does mean you can kiss goodbye to tampons and pads forever.

Interestingly, menstrual cups are not a new invention, they have been around for as long as tampons. Tampons probably ended up being the preferred product because large corporations spent billions on marketing an "essential" product that women buy every month for most of their lives. This has caused the menstrual cup to fall out of favour. Naturally this means we have been conned into believing that disposable sanitary products are the only option. In addition to this is the bizarre Victorian idea that ladies should not be familiar with their anatomies, let alone touch our vaginas. The good news is that products like the Mooncup (and the Keeper in the US) are starting to become more mainstream - they are for busy, modern, normal, ethically minded women like you and me !

Finally, there is the environmental argument. In the West, the average woman uses over 10,000 tampons during her life.

We all know of the huge environmental impact that the millions of tampons used every day around the world causes. The manufacture, transportation and packaging of sanitary products like tampons and pads all takes a needless toll on the environment. Using a Mooncup is an easy way to feel a little bit better about your impact on the environment. Another

brilliant reason to use one.

I want women to find out more about the wonderful moon cup and how to use one. Hopefully this article has given you a good introduction to the Mooncup.