If you’re considering ditching tampons and pads for menstrual cup, please read before you jump onto that bandwagon. I have not included any body part or bloody photos in this post, however use your imagination, the writing will be quite raw and graphic. This is a bit of a TMI post, but I think it is important to share what using menstrual cup actually involved. It’s 2019, time to try something new, right?
In short, the first time inserting it AND removing it was a bloody mess. Pun intended. It took me 20min to insert and 30min to remove. Sadly, I am not exaggerating. My husband got really concerned and offered to help at some point LOL
Insertion
It took me 20min of trying to position it correctly. That’s right. During which I had to deal with bloody hands and floor. Thank goodness I had the good sense to attempt this in the shower. O and whenever I lost grip with compressing the menstrual cup, it “bounced”, so basically, blood sprayed. Compressing it or rolling it is the only way to insert it. So make sure you have a firm grip.
When I finally got the menstrual cup in, I couldn’t get it to move up enough to not feel the menstrual cup. At that point, it has been 20min of trying, I wasn’t going to give up. So I had to push it up with many “pokes”.
Once it was in position, it was fantastic. Cannot feel anything and ZERO leak for a full 7 hours!!! At that point, I was a believer and thought that it was the greatest invention. Then… the moment to remove it came.
Removal
One had to insert at least 2 fingers to remove the cup. If you’re uncomfortable with inserting/removing tampon, this will probably top it off. The trick is to squeeze the cup to break the vacuum. It was incredibly uncomfortable to insert 2 fingers to find the cup AND squeeze the cup enough to break the vacuum; it maybe just me though. Normally, one will use thumb and index finger to pinch anything right? Well, imagine trying to do that inside your vagina. 30min later, I somehow managed to break the vacuum by using my index and middle finger. I pushed the bottom of the menstrual cup against the wall. Okay, please bare in mind that whenever you squeeze the cup in anyway, blood will come out. Again, thank goodness I did this in the shower.
Cleaning
It is very important to wash the cup properly. Besides rinsing it between uses, it is necessary to sanitise the cup when the cycle is over… Boil the cup in a pan for 5-8 minute. (Or put it in the microwave) I find this exercise awkward. I don’t want my menstrual cup entering the kitchen. Like, no worry hubby, I am just “cooking” my menstrual cup.
Will I try to use it again?
Probably. If I know that I have 1 hour to spare that day. I can already tell that the menstrual cup is the ultimate solution for swimming. Despite my clumsy first use attempt, it had ZERO leak. I mean come on, neither tampon or pad is leak proof.
I understand that it is supposed to be a majorly eco-friendly product, but I don’t think it is for everyone. Period by itself is hard enough. Menstrual cup is not user friendly at all in my humble opinion. If using a tampon without an applicator is difficult, then this is difficulty x 3.
Can virgins use menstrual cup?
The marketing states that it is safe for virgins. Here’s my female thought. “How about NO?”. It maybe “safe”, but it will hurt like hell to get the cup pass the hymen. Did I mention that you’ll need to insert TWO fingers to get the cup out? I am betting that the person who wrote that it is “safe” for virgin is a guy. “Discomfort” is an understatement. Anyways, if you are a virgin, please make sure that you get the right cup size for you.
Reasons to buy a menstrual cup?
- You intend to persevere and replace tampon/pads with menstrual cup.
- You’re trying to be more green / ecological / reducing trash.
- You want to save money. **One cup lasts for 5 years. That’s 60 cycles.
- You’re into camping or swimming.
Reasons to NOT buy a menstrual cup?
- It is trendy.
- You already have one. (you only need ONE, pointless to buy multiple)
- You’re not comfortable with touching yourself.
- You’ll be too embarrassed to sanitise your menstrual cup (aka housemate / bf / gf / husband etc.)
- You struggle to insert tampon without an applicator / lubricant.
100% my personal opinion and experience. I bought the cup myself and the brand does not know that I exist LOL.
My cup is from Intima Cup in size T2. My bestie has hers from Diva Cup. The brand doesn’t matter at all. All menstrual cups are straight machine made 100% silicon product and you won’t see it when you use it. However, any brand that market their cup as organic I will recommend to stay away from. That brand is clearly full of shit. Silicon is man made and does not occur as a free element naturally. So a brand that place the word “organic” screams that they will put anything onto their packaging to get extra money out of their customer.
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12 Comments
Thank for sharing this, I really enjoyed reading it 🙂
“Thanks for the information!! “
” If I know that I have 1 hour to spare that day.” Funny.
I was never tempted to try to the diva cup. I didn’t even use tampons. Now I’m past the age of menstruation. 🙂
😂 wahaha the trouble days are over~~
Wow that was a straight-forward sharing of Menstrual cup experience. It’s kind of hard specially in first use but will surely get used to it. I really enjoyed your site, thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Tammy. We’re all girls, no point in hiding behind the bush 😉
I agree it’s defintely not for the faint hearted. I purchased my first one last year. I’ve used it on two periods and found it traumatic. I’m not squeamish and always up for trying something new and I was definitely swayed by wanting to be better to the environment and my wallet by purchasing one and I travel a lot. However, the only thing I’m now convinced of, is that I have weird shaped insides!
The insertion part was fine, however there was never a proper seal no matter how many times I tried to adjust the position of the cup. I always had leaks, and if anything I was more conscientious of leaking than with wearing a tampon. Removal was – urgh! It would take me 10-20 mins each time. I’d be a sweating mess afterwards, and there were several painful occasions where I could feel myself pinching my own (sensitive) skin in attempting to retrieve the cup. I did this in a public toilet (emergency leaking), and in the comfort of my own shower. With all the mess, I would only recommend removal where you know you can wash your hands etc.
I giving it a little break, but may go back to a third attempt when I’m feeling brave enough…
Thank you for sharing your experience, Joanna ❤
O golly, you are so brave to try in the public toilet! Emergencies push us all. I guess I’m lucky that I haven’t experienced leaks. My cup is the bigger size, maybe that helps? (wild guess)
Excellent point on the hand washing facility. That is so important. Can only imagine walking out blood stained hands… yikes.
I admit that the first few times I used it it was uncomfortable and messy but twelve years down the line, I am still using it. Perhaps try inserting and removal when it is not your period? Just so that you can get the hang it without the mess? 😉
Well, will see how it goes the next time? I still have a lot of hope in only using menstrual cup moving forward. er.. with the practice part… I am avoiding the cup in between periods 😛 xox
I’ve had both good and horrific experiences using a menstrual cup. There is definitely a learning curve to using them!
Wahaha I am so glad that I’m not alone. The top feature for me is that it was totally leaked proof. That was just amazing! Hopefully, it will be a steep learning curve 😉