Image: Intimina
The average woman menstruates for approximately 2,470 days during her lifetime.
That’s roughly seven (yes – seven) straight years. And when you start doing the mental calculations of how much this requires us to spend on pads, tampons and other sanitary products, it’s enough to make your tear ducts prickle.
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However, there’s a new Kickstarter campaign going around that aims to revolutionise how we manage our periods. The founders of Swedish ‘feminine care’ company Intimina want you to say goodbye to pads and tampons for good with their latest invention, the Lily Cup – the world’s first collapsible menstrual cup.
The Lily Cup
Like other cups (for the uninitiated, you can find our explainer here) that have come before it, the aim of The Lily Cup is to provide menstrual protection without the excessive environmental waste, user discomfort, chemicals and expenses associated with other products.
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What sets it apart is its compact form, which allows the soft, flexible silicon cup to fold into a tiny protective case that can easily be slipped into your pocket, or purse. We’re talking James Bond-level discretion.
Currently, menstrual cups are the least popular option for menstrual protection, with most women opting for pads or tampons. Intimina wants to change that.
Watch how the Lily Cup works:
“Only a small percent of women are aware that there are alternatives to pads and tampons. Pad and tampon manufacturers make huge profits from the guaranteed monthly repurchase of their disposable products, which fund massive advertising campaigns that we can’t compete against,” the founders write on their Kickstarter page.
Intimina claims the Lily Cup can do the job of over 1,625 tampons and offers up to 10 hours of period protection at one time. It comes in two sizes – one designed for women who have given birth, and one for those who haven’t.
“How I got my period back after 7 years without it.”
In fact, one cup can last up to five years, retailing at the nifty price of $50. A box of tampons or pads retails for approximately $7 per box, so you can imagine the amount of money you could be saving (hello, house deposit) – not to mention producing far less environmental waste.
Would you use a menstrual cup?
If you want to help make the Lily Cup available to women everywhere, you can make a pledge here.