So my body tends to readjust itself when I try to lose weight. If I don’t monitor myself aka go to the gym, the weight will creep back up slowly. Case in point? I didn’t go to the gym in September and the greater part of October due to a combination of work and illness. My weight crept up quietly back to 57.5kg from 54. A few rounds of exercise and it looks like it’s going down, and the tummy, the main reason why I am going to the gym now, looks like it’s going down. Still, I have a long way to go. Looks like I have more sit-ups to do soon.

Another exercise I’m looking to is the Kegel exercises (go google it yourself). The main reason is childbirth. Mom’s pelvic muscles had problems opening when giving birth to my brother and me, necessitating a Caeserean. I’m going to try and avoid that by strengthening my muscles. The gynae says that I shouldn’t have problems in that regard, as my pelvic looks normal, so now it’s a matter of maintaining it.

Ok, quick break. The following relates to menstruation. Guys, you might want to skip this part and come back in the next entry. This goes especially to those reading my blog through the RSS feeds. Yes, I know a number of you do. Ladies, please to keep on reading, especially if you’re looking for an alternative to pads AND not wanting to break your hymen. dytia tells me in the comment that doing what I suggest is pretty impossible for women with an intact hymen. Sorry ladies. IANAG, Or I Am Not A Gynae disclaimer, btw.

Guys, this is your last warning. Sorry for the delay, ladies (if any of you are still with me, at least).

Ready? Ok, here we go.

For the ladies, especially those still having menstruation, having to change pads and tampons can be a real pain. Which of us haven’t been caught off guard by the red tide (as a dear daughter calls it) when we’re out or had leaks with an especially heavy flow? Then there’s also the cost. Pads aren’t cheap, and neither are tampons. In fact, did you know that pads also carry a very low risk of the very rare TSS, or Toxic Shock Syndrome? The idea is that wearing either the pad or the tampon for too long causes bacteria to multiply in the pubic area leading to such an infection. And TSS is no joke. It moves very fast, and thus immediate treatment is needed upon first symptoms.

TSS was one of the reasons why I stopped using a tampon after a few tries. The fear that I had a ticking time bomb in my vagina is not something you need when you’re rushing deadlines and generally on the go. So I dumped them after a few months and went back to the pads, which came with their own set of problems.

Now, while researching the tampons, I came across a mention of menstrual cups. More specifically, someone mentioned the Mooncups and Divacups. They are reusable menstrual cups, functioning much the same way as tampons do. The biggest difference is that because of the way they’re designed, they catch ONLY your menstrual blood and not anything else in your body. This is because the cup sits in your cervix, catching the blood before it flows out. Because it’s not an all-absorbent like tampons the rest of your body’s liquids and secretions pretty much remain intact.

The thing about menstrual cups though, is that they are extremely difficult to find in this part of Asia. And then there’s also the cost. The Mooncup costs about RM133 when you convert the price from pounds to RM, but this is before shipping, of course. Let’s not go into the actual intricacies of how to insert them now, shall we?

I’d more or less given up on trying out a menstrual cup until I came across this site while doing some research for a client. Green? Check. Local? Check. Affordable? Check. I contacted the owner of the shop and she replied to me very quickly (think about an hour or so after I first emailed her. For Malaysian businesses this is a record!), and we spoke a little bit about sizes and the like. She mentioned that she had brought in the Lady Cup too (another brand of menstrual cups- the Lady cup is supposed to fit a lot of women better according to the LJ community) but I’ll be going for the Mooncup first.

I’ll probably be paying a visit to the gynae sometime this week or next to talk to him about this. I’d recommend you do too before running out to buy a menstrual cup. Here’s some things you might want to ask while at the gynae’s:

– Safety risks for you in using a menstrual cup
– For virgins, is it safe for you to use? (*Note: this only applies if your hymen is still intact)
– Is your cervix high or low?
— Would you be at risk for pelvic organ prolapse if it’s low?
— Based on the position of your cup, would you be better off with a longer cup (e.g. the Divacup) or a smaller cup (e.g. the Lady Cup)? Comparisions are available here.

Anything more I think you’ll have to ask your gynae yourself.