When buying your menstrual cup, it is very important that you pay attention to the material it is made of and make sure it is made of hypoallergenic medical silicone.
What is medical silicone and is it safe for your health?
When we talk about health and things for our intimate hygiene, the products that are going to be in contact with the most sensitive areas of our body, we have to be very careful and look very carefully.
Some of you may think so, but what does it matter what material it is made of? As long as it picks up the blood…. that’s it! The material is one of the most important things in relation to the cup.
What is silicone?
Silicone is an odourless, colourless material that belongs to the polymer group. Its main component is silicon, one of the most abundant elements on earth.
When silicon undergoes a chemical process with other elements such as oxygen, carbon and hydrogen, silicon is formed. So what is the difference between silicon and medical grade silicon?
What is medical grade silicon?
There is a very important difference between silicon and medical grade silicon. The fact that a silicone is called medical grade means that it has been approved and tested to be free of other additives and compounding ingredients that are used in the manufacture of normal organic rubbers and silicones.
This material is used for many things within medicine, such as breast prostheses, subdermal devices, catheters… This is thanks to its non-toxic and inert properties.
For silicone to be called medical silicone it has to meet 3 requirements:
To be manufactured in good conditions and with pharmaceutical manufacturing.
It must have passed the quality controls for medical applications.
Why is it safer for our body?
It is considered safe because, as we have already said, it is approved as it has properties that allow it to be used safely in contact with body tissue.
This material has been designed to be used safely inside the human body for long periods of time. Silicone does not contain toxins like other cups made of plastic or latex.
In addition, silicone is non-porous and therefore unsuitable for bacterial growth, a major difference from tampons (which are cotton and porous).
Advantages of using a medical silicone menstrual cup
Now that you know why I always mention the material our PERIODINO menstrual cups are made of, hypoallergenic medical silicone.
Let’s now look at the advantages of the material.
1. It is harmless:
As we have already said, as the PERIODINO cup is made of 100% hypoallergenic medical silicone, it is free of toxins that could react with our tissues causing gynaecological health problems.
2. It is economical:
Silicone is a very resistant material. It withstands extreme temperatures from -60° to even 250°C and has a high resistance to compression deformation (that’s why even if you use it for 12 hours and reinsert it for another 12 hours, the cup keeps its shape). It can be boiled for sterilisation a large number of times and the material will not wear out. If you take good care of it and follow all our recommendations for use, it can last up to 7 years!
3. It does not alter the vaginal pH or cause allergies or irritation.
The cup, thanks to its material, is not absorbed like tampons, but it collects your menstruation. Because silicone is a very soft material, you won’t feel that dry and irritated sensation, because your cup will have enough mobility to slide and therefore also to be placed in a very comfortable position for you.
4. Can be used for sleeping
This is another great advantage of the cup. By not absorbing and collecting your menstrual blood for up to 12 hours, you can sleep perfectly well with it, unless you are going to sleep more than 12 hours, which is a bit uncommon. I advise you to also wear a cloth slip on the second day (usually the heaviest days) so that if the cup fills up, it doesn’t stain the sheets.
5. It is suitable for light, moderate and heavy periods.
Don’t worry if your period is heavy, because the menstrual cup has much more capacity than a tampon. You’ll just have to pay attention during the first few cycles when you start using it to see how long it lasts without filling up completely.
Also, many girls find that when they start using their cups, they don’t bleed as much as they thought they would. This may also be because the normal disposable tampons and pads you find in any supermarket can make bleeding worse because they are toxic.
6. Recommended by gynaecologists
Although there is still a lot of ignorance surrounding menstruation, more and more health experts are recommending the use of hypoallergenic silicone menstrual cups.
7. Socially responsible and non-polluting
One cup in front of thousands of tampons and pads you use during your menstrual life. Often these disposable and non-biodegradable products end up in the sea or in landfills where they will take years and years to decompose.
How do I know if the products I use are made of medical silicone?
One of the most frequent questions among menstrual cup users is “how do I know my cup is made of silicone?
Apart from the fact that whenever you buy a menstrual cup, the materials should be listed on the box. If for some reason they are not mentioned (make yourself suspicious) it is better to look for another brand…
Smell
The silicone cup should not have any odour, as it is odourless. If there is a strong plastic smell when you buy the product, it is probably not silicone, unless the smell is coming from the box.
Colour
The colour of silicone is very characteristic as it is transparent and off-white. There are many silicone cups on the market that contain dyes to make them more colourful and “attractive”.
At PERIODINO we prefer our cups to be transparent, because we think it is healthier to be able to see the colour of our menstrual blood and get information about our body. However, the easiest thing to do if you use a menstrual cup other than the PERIODINO menstrual cup is to consult the cup manufacturer. If it is our cup, don’t worry because we always use hypoallergenic medical silicone.
Is it important that the menstrual cup is made of medical silicone?
A resounding YES. Silicone is what will make the biggest difference between disposable products containing plastic and toxins and the menstrual cup.
If your menstrual cup is made of TPE plastic, rubber or other low quality silicone it can affect your health with allergies or reactions, as well as painful menstruation, heavier periods, mismatches, bad smells, etc.
Can hypoallergenic or medical silicone cause allergies?
This is a valid question. One of the main fears of people who want to enter the world of the cup is whether it will cause allergies or vaginal infections, but as we have already said, medical silicone is harmless to health, which means that being free of toxins, it does not interact with the pH or tissues, so it is impossible for it to cause allergies or strange itching.
It should be borne in mind that, although the material does not cause allergies, the product must be used correctly to avoid problems. Clean the cup properly, sterilise it once before the cycle, empty it once every twelve hours… You can find all the instructions when you receive your cup or on our website.
The cup is very unlikely to cause you problems such as toxic shock syndrome (TSS) from misuse, as is more common with tampons. This is mainly due to the material.
Most studies indicate that the ability of tampons to absorb fluid into the vagina and their placement allows for a higher concentration of oxygen in the area, which can lead to the production of bacteria.
The menstrual cup does not absorb, but if it is made of plastic or poor quality material and you happen to wear it for longer than indicated, or forget it, it can also give you allergies or cause a more serious problem.
Make sure the cup you buy is made of medical silicone and start living your menstruation in a positive way! 😍
