Protect our oceans; protect our vaginas - Guest blog - Yvette Curtis
Protect our Oceans!
Protect our Vaginas!
Yes, that’s right, our vaginas. Now I have your attention, let’s talk periods and the impact that our menstrual choices can have on our environment and our bodies.
I am writing this as a person who menstruates (my pronouns are she/her), and I have been menstruating for over 25 years - that’s around 300 menstrual cycles! In that time, I have learned that my menstrual blood is not bright blue – like adverts used to show. Nor do I have a compulsion to rollerblade, contrary to popular campaigns. These lessons are light-hearted; sadly, most of the lessons I have learnt are much more shocking.
What’s the the damage to our health?
Did you know that non-organic, big brand tampons have been found to contain viscose, plastic, non-organic cotton (even detecting pesticides), sometimes even chemical fragrances!
Yes, fragrances IN TAMPONS!!! Vaginas are sensitive parts of our bodies, and certainly not a place for chemical fragrances.
That’s all even before we get to the plastic applicator or the single use plastic wrappers.
When I learned all of this was being voluntarily put into my vagina, I felt pretty sick.
So I asked myself:
“What can I use instead?”
That question sparked a huge search for information and training in alternatives, not just for myself but so that I could shout out that there ARE alternatives. I am now a plastic free periods ambassador for the Women’s Environmental Network, and work to provide people who menstruate with the knowledge they need to make informed choices about menstrual products. We just need to find which of the available alternatives works best for us - and that’s not a one size, shape, or option fits all.
My own personal fav is my menstrual cup. It took a bit of getting used to initially - but it’s been an absolute revelation! I actually find that it’s made me more in tune with my cycle and what my body needs.
Let’s be blunt... all of these options are going to be inside or in contact with our vaginas so let’s protect that very special area shall we everyone?
So, what are the options?
1. Period Pants
2. Menstrual Cup
3. Reusable Applicator
4. Reusable Pads
5. Organic Plastic Free Tampon
6. Organic Plastic Free Pad
Who knew about all of those? Be honest. No – me neither! That’s because the bigger brands have such a large market share and presence, that these alternatives rarely reach everyday conversation. Thankfully the conversation is changing and more organisations and activists and people with vaginas are finally putting our vaginal health and our ocean and environmental health first.
What’s the environmental damage?
Ok, so we have discussed the harmful ingredients we are putting in or close to our vaginas (how many times can I write that in one article I hear you ask - it’s an important point and worth making more than once), but what about our environment?
Well, a study by the European Commission in 2018 found that menstrual products are the fifth most common item found on Europe’s beaches, that’s even more than plastic straws. We see the impact of this on every single beach visit, finding menstrual products washed up on the shoreline.
The team at the Women’s Environmental Network found that each year over 200,000 tonnes of menstrual waste are sent to landfill. We must do better, if not for ourselves, then for our neighbours and their grandchildren.
I’ll leave you with an interesting fact this Environmenstrual Week:
“You could save up to 94% of what you would have spent on disposable products over a lifetime by switching to reusables.”
- Insomnia, 2017
What can we do about it?
Why not give plastic free periods a try? If you need more info, here are just some of the resources available:
Contact us at Women’s Environmental Network for more information on the available options and we can help you track and record your savings between now and next year’s Environmenstrual Week
Check out Plastic Free North Devon’s Plastic Free Periods blog for more info and information on some of the alternatives
Have a look at City to Sea’s video blog and resource kit
Check out the Environmenstrual Week resources, including count codes, on the Wen. website
Ask your friends - let’s normalise talking about our bodies and talking about our environment
First time?
If you are currently at school, have recently started your periods and aren’t sure where to go, I would recommend making contact with your PHSE teacher or school nurse as many of the more environmentally sustainable products are now available through the free school period program. If your provider does not have these available, you can contact myself, Yvette, directly and I can contact the school on your behalf and arrange a more sustainable range of options be made available.
Thanks for reading and remember – protect your vagina, protect your ocean.
Yvette Curtis
Wave Wahines - Founder
Wen./City to Sea - Ambassador
yvette@wavewahines.co.uk