WARNING – I go into full detail and I do so in hope to aid my fellow sisters in the decision of if the menstrual cup if right for you…
I indeed own, use and SWEAR BY my menstrual cup! Now apparently this handy device was invented back in the 1930’s but it only came to my attention around 2018 (thanks Instagram), and now it seems to be trending again. If you’ve seen the ads or watched any videos, everything about it screams ‘TAKE MY MONEY’. From saving money, to saving the environment, to sleeping, travelling and swimming without concern, no long cotton strings, and my personal favourite of all, being able to forget you have your period when you have your period. So why isn’t everyone using it?? I guess it all comes down to the application? Let’s walk through it…
Before I go into detail, let me start off by saying there is nothing modest about it but don’t forget, nothing about dripping blood, pads of dried up blood or shoving cotton sticks up and inside you is modest so I say suck it up and do yourself a favour because the benefits completely outweigh any issues you’ll have. Plus you know, its completely natural and if you’re reading this then you’re probably as blessed as I am to even have so many options as these. Don’t forget there are women scattered across the globe who dont even know what a pad is and have to deal with it the most ideal way they can and don’t know any better!
WHAT IS A MENSTRUAL CUP
The menstrual cup is exactly how it sounds. Its a little cup, that you insert/wear to catch your menstrual fluid. It’s inserted like a tampon but its made of silicon so its a lot more hygienic and better for you. Remember ladies, you’re inserting something in the most vulnerable part of your body. What you put in there does indeed matter and as comfortable as you are with tampons (what I used to swear by before I converted), they have toxins that just shouldn’t be anywhere near your organs. As it is a cup, the M.C. collects the blood and doesn’t absorb it, meaning you do have to empty it at some point.
BENEFITS
Brace yourself… its better for you, saves money, saves you not forgetting/having to buy tampons or pads, less gross stuff sitting in the bin for multiple days, no smell, less landfill so better for the environment, it lasts 3-4 times longer than a tampon, you can shower and swim with no worries, makes travel, long drives, camping flying on planes, etc., way more comfortable and similar to a tampon, you dont feel the blood dripping at all so you can completely forget about it and not be distracted throughout the day!!
I never have to worry about accidents when I’m sleeping, working out feels the same (ill talk more about this later) and you dont have to change anywhere near as much as pads or tampons!
APPLICATION & CLEANING
So back to the whole modesty thing. Look, it’s not an act I could live with being caught doing but we’re human and do gross stuff BTS all the time anyway. Since the cup I use is silicon (rubber type material), when you squish or bent it, it pops right back to its original state. To insert it you fold the cup in half, making it thinner and easier to get in, then once it’s in the right position, I let go and it sort of pops back to the original shape/size. It did take a couple tries to get used to/do it right, but thats like anything right?
I have one small cup for the first and last day and another bigger cup for the days in between – everyones different so this is something you’ll have to think about. Now I kind of learnt the hard way that my small cup doesn’t pop back to the original size as easy as the other one. Luckily, I wear panty liners just in case! SO to avoid leaks and not putting it in properly, make sure you feel around the cup and be sure that it has come to the full shape again (yes I know, its yucky and uncomfortable but you want to be sure and like I said, it’s worth the hassle) but also, I only need to do this when I use the smaller cup.
QQQ’s
Now the “gross part” – before I get into this, remember this thing last AGES compared to other options so don’t think of it in the worst situation but I will go into my own experience of it anyway…
“How do you clean it/what if you don’t have access to a bathroom?”
Yes, you have to empty the fluid once its full BUTTT for me personally, I just make sure I do it before I leave the house and it will last me all day until I come back home that night and I can do it again before I go to bed (and zero worries throughout the night is a dream). The best place to do it is in the shower because hello, just rinse off and clean immediately and you can soap and wash it and reapply right there and then! Otherwise I just empty it into the toilet bowl, wrap it in TP and head to the sink when im done. If you’re not at home or your sink is nowhere near your toilet, just empty it out and use as much toilet paper as you need. Its not the “nicest” option but it does the job and you have the toilet right there to dispense as much TP as you need. See, easy! But like I said, the shower is your best option and it lasts all day long so if you’re like me, you won’t even have to think about it throughout the day at all. Just before bed and before you leave the house – all in the comfort of your own home!
“What if it’s unexpectedly heavy and fills up without you knowing?”
I recommend using panty liners or period undies in general if you are someone who occasionally leaks or has an inconsistent flow. Look, the cup is silicon and in a small, tight, wet space so it basically acts like a plug but there are very minuscule holes around the rim of the cup so if you are taking too long and it is time, eventually it will leak but it will take a while to get to that point so you should have changed it by then.
Another handy tip though (and this goes for anyone who gets their periods, not just for M.C users – exercise when you’re on your period!!!! This bit of advice has done wonders for me…
You know when you get your period and you feel like absolute crap and don’t want to do anything, especially anything fitness related (barf, I know) and you tell yourself “pfft I don’t have to lift a finger because I am a woman and have to bear through this rubbish so I deserve to be lazy this week”. And I totally get that and agree BUT BUT BUT exercising whilst on your period actually makes your flow lighter!! Yes this is a thing and I have tested and proven this theory. So whenever its my time of the month and its making me feel bloated, heavy and lazy, this motivates me even more to get up and get active because I dont know about you but I do not enjoy a heavy flow. Trust me on this one!
“How do you clean it”
Soap and water does wonders.
“Can you feel it sitting inside?”
Can you feel tampon? It’s one of things that will make you squirm and uncomfortable at first but as soon as you carry on with your day, you completely forget about it. It’s amazing how your thoughts can impact you physically. So in this case, mind definitely over matter.
In saying that though, I have noticed that when my period is starting to end, my body doesn’t seem to like the feeling of something sitting down there and I have that feeling of having to pee but not actually needing to. So that’ll either tell me to change to the smaller cup or its pretty much ended now and ill only need a panty liner for the rest of the day.
“Which one do I get?”
Honestly, don’t worry about brands or what looks cute! They all do the same thing and get the job done. Don’t spend more than you need to. I think mine came to a total of $17 (for TWO sizes), I’ve used it for the last 2 years (already made my money back compared to tampons) and I will continue to use it for many years to come (should last up to 10 years!).
TIPS
As i’ve already stated, my biggest tip would be to change it before you leave the house so it can last you all day long and you won’t need to worry about it for the entire day. This also comes down to making sure you have the right size. When I use the smaller cup for my lighter days, I’ll sometimes use a pantyliner as well, just in case (but its usually fine), and im good to go when I use my bigger one.
Change/wash it in the shower. Its just way easier – the drain, water and soap is right there and you’re already wet to application is a lot easier.
SQUAT! My cup instructions say to “get in a relaxed position on the toilet” and I believe the tampon packets say the same but for me personally I like to squat down low on the floor OR bring a leg up onto the toilet seat and get bendy! Seriously, get comfy and wacky. Modesty all out the window and who cares anyway, no one is looking and we do worse things when no one is watching so for your own benefit and applying with ease, open up girl. This saved my life trying to put on tampons as a tiny little teen and it helps now.
Remember if you are using a smaller cup, you must must must feel around and make sure its popped back to its original shape otherwise it will leak. There’s something about the smaller space between the silicon and not enough air between the folds that just doesn’t allow it to do its thing as easy as the bigger size – I dont know, but you’ll see what I mean. It needs to come back to a full cup and the circumference will act like a plug. If you feel gross and not lady like, just relax and use the toilet paper, there is plenty there. Remember it’s natural and you can wash your hands twice if you need to.
YOU DO YOU
At the end of the day, it is personal preference. I have experienced pads and tampons and now I use the menstrual cup and I don’t think I will ever go back. Like I said, there are just so many benefits with the M.C and if you’re like me and think “I don’t want to one day wish I started this earlier” then do yourself a favour and just get one. Test it out and if you don’t like it then you can just go back to whatever methods you were using right? That’s life! You won’t know until you try it, so try it (;
Peace x