Menstrual cups are a boon! They allow free movement, frees you from stains and stink, and does not add to the disposable plastic garbage in the world.

But this boon is not just for women who sit at a desk all day.

Dancers, marathon runners, yoga instructors, swimmers etc. also firmly certify this silicon wonder.

Don’t believe me? The Better India (TBI) got in touch with five women who participate in physical activities regularly.

What they had to say should convince you to switch to the cup, and never look back.

Shilpi Sahu, 40-year-old marathon runner. Switched to the cup in 2013:

Running with a napkin is nothing but uncomfortable. I Switched to the extremely comfortable Menstrual cup more than six years ago. Since then, it has been impossible to leave it. I would have told you how it changed my life, but the switch was uneventful. It felt like a natural transformation!

Priya Panchwadkar, Yoga instructor, using the cup for about nine months:

I switched to the cup sometime around January this year. I switched for two reasons: one because of the amount of waste I was generating, and the second was due to the number of chemicals I was exposing myself to by using pads and tampons etc. Initially, the cup was a little hard to fit in snugly. Finding the right place was the struggle! But as I soon found out, the cup was brilliant! When I am practising asanas on my Period, I don’t have to worry about anything spilling etc. Also, having two cups is a good idea rather than reusing just one.

Prabha, 51-year-old swimmer. A cup-vert for the past two and a half years:

It took me three months to overcome my mental block and to learn to use the cup the right way. I also had a sling procedure for my incontinence issues, and so, my apprehension was multiplied.

But once I started, it has become my “must” period Saathi…

I travel a lot and have used and washed the cup in washrooms in airports, flights, trains and restaurants on highways. I have faced absolutely no issues even as I live an active lifestyle with regular walking and swimming.

Far from the discomfort of pads, you don’t even feel you are on periods!

Sugandhi Gadadhar. 39-year-old cinematographer using the cup for four years:

My motivation to switch to menstrual cups was that they are eco-friendly, and I didn’t have to throw away products every day. It was not an issue for me mentally because I used tampons before it anyway. For the first 3-4 cycles, I went through the usual trial and errors. I would pull without pinching, for example, and at times the cup did not open correctly.

But after that, it was smooth sailing. Now, I shoot in villages and forests where there are no dustbins and at times no toilets either. But the cup is a wonderful companion. I can’t imagine my life without it any more.

Rash-free and trash-free – that’s how I advertise them!

Pragati Badarinath, 33-year-old dancer. Made the switch two years ago:

I am a heavy bleeder. When I was using menstrual pads, I had to change the pad every two hours. This made it difficult for me to step out of the house on my periods. I used to dread my periods.

Before I switched to cups, my entire life was dictated by my periods! I preferred staying at home 3-5 days. So, my whole life, including dance and workouts, came to a halt on those days.

I generally didn’t take up any assignments around the dates of my periods. Even if I had to dance, I was constantly worried about stains and all my concentration used to be on not moving my legs in the ‘wrong’ way.

But I am so glad that I have found the cup! Now I don’t worry about the dates of my assignments. I am more confident than before when I have to dance on my periods.

Also, I am an environmentalist. So every month, I felt guilty when I discarded my pads. No more!

(Edited by Vinayak Hegde)

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