Goodbye My Lover, Goodbye My Friend.
As life goes, all good things must come to an end. And even though our beloved Pelvi cups last a long time, they do not last forever. And we must lay her to rest after a length of time.
Now how do we know when that time is you may ask.
Pelvi Teen cup is made from TPE, and the small, medium and large cups are made from Silicone. These both have different properties and benefits, which we've previously talked about. So because of this, the way they can be disposed of is different.
TPE is a medical grade, substance short for thermoplastic elastomer. It doesn't contain silicone, rubber, latex or metals. Because of this TPE actually decomposes over time. Which is great for your environment, but not always for your body. If kept for too long, and then worn, sometimes fragments of the cups can excrete into the body. The TGA requires for correctly cleaning a TPE menstrual cup is to boil it in water for 2 minutes. This ensures that the cup is correctly sterilised, however, often hastens the deterioration of the cup. This is why TPE cups generally don't last as long as silicone cups.
A TPE cup lasts about 6-8 years, after this time you may notice some stickiness with the texture of the cup, as well as cracks in the material. If you do notice this, unfortunately, the life of your cup is nearing its end.
BUT, don't be too sad, because that means new cup time (YAY) and also means you're probably ready to move up in size, so upgrading to a silicone cup. Now the Pelvi Small-Large cups are made from a medical grade silicone, which generally last a bit longer than TPE cups as the do not biodegrade.
In saying this, silicone is made from silica, which is found in sand. To make that silica sand into the silicone cup we know and love - involves a chemical process, but is derived from natural materials. So when it is time to say goodbye to your beloved cup, you can just burn it to ash. Similarly to the TPE cup, you will know to replace your cup when it becomes chalky or sticky in texture and starts to crack or break.
The full circle of life.