OVER THE MOONCUP: page two
				A SHAKY START The public loo test gets off to a shaky start. I empty it into the loo and wipe it out but realise I need water. I am in a busy University toilet. I can hear chatting and giggling at the sinks. This is the point where I'm supposed to bounce out of the cubicle radiating feminist vigour, rinse the bloody Mooncup in the sink and return to the cubicle again to insert it. When it comes to the crunch, I bottle out. But the Mooncup has got me this far home and dry. I'm not about to betray it with a tampon. Instead I use a bottle of drinking water to rinse it out. I hear more giggling, probably because it sounds like a horse peeing.
JUMPER ROUND WAIST My Mooncup joy starts to wear off when on my heaviest day I wake to find it has leaked. On the plus side, there are no full on state-of-emergency type leaks requiring a change of clothing. The few leaks there are amount to damp patches. Nothing compared to my illustrious back catalogue of leakages involving regular use of a jumper tied around my waist to cover a tell-tale red patch. In the end I realise simply changing the Mooncup more frequently rules out any leaks. SENSE OF PRIDE By the end of my period I feel a strange sense of pride in my Mooncup. Well done little Mooncup! I cheer as I wash the blood down the sink. I like the way I can see what is coming out rather than pulling out a weird bloody lump. Over the week I see the blood slow to a brown dredge and I'm fascinated to be able to pinpoint exactly when it stops.
				SLOSH, SLOSH, SLOSH I have one worrying moment lying in bed thinking about all the blood in the Mooncup going back up inside me and sloshing around. Slosh, slosh, slosh. Yuk. I soon realise this is totally stupid as there is no huge cavity inside me for it to slosh around in. Silly school Tampax diagrams. I drift off to sleep chanting in my head 'Mooncup, Mooncup. How I love my Mooncup!' TIME TO EVALUATE One period and six bloodgushing days later, time for an evaluation: Tampons used: 0 Hideous blood-flinging incidents: 0 Massive embarrassing leakages: 0 Proceeds to the beauty industry £0 General all round happy bunniness of me: huge. I am delighted, and look forward to never buying another tampon ever again. Join the revolution: www.mooncup.co.uk Further information: www.bloodsisters.org WORDS: KATIE TOMS IMAGE: YTJE VEENSTRA first page >> home >>

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