Using & Reviewing The Menstrual Cup
Here's what you need to know from a Menstrual Cup beginner...
I was meaning to get this for the last two years but the convenience of tampons just never dimmed and although convenient in ease of access and use, at the end of every bleed my vagina was always sore and tender from these things sitting in it’s canal for hours on end.
The menstrual cup I got ~
I don’t think the brand of these menstrual cups matters too much but this is the one that I got linked here. I got size medium, I usually have a very heavy flow for day one and two and then it tappers off to light. These silicone formations last for more than 10 years and are a much more eco-friendly form of period care and they typically cost under €10.
I won’t lie, I was nervous to use these. I think I was as nervous to use this as I was to use tampons over 15 years ago. I was hoping I wouldn’t faint again. I had also heard these were quite messy and that they were really hard to get out, to which I say - they can be but it entirely depends on your mood and willingness to get our of your head (I think most period care these days, although nifty, has warped our sense of what to do and what actually happens when we have our periods). Once you get into the swing of using them the way that suits you then you will love them.
I wrote this review during and after my second time using it ever and overall and going forward, I will continue to use a tampon on day one of my bleed and then switch to the menstrual cup. I find on day one I am in a really low and fragile mood and the amount of blood you handle and see while using a menstrual cup is a bit shocking. If you have used tampons since you got your period, you will likely have forgotten just how much you do bleed in a day, the colours it can be and handling that blood in a clear cup is kind of overwhelming but also grounding.
Day 1 ~
This time around I used a tampon on day one because I actually couldn’t get the menstrual cup up inside me on day one. My nails were long and I was in bad form so I just wanted to use a tampon for ease. Then, on the morning of day two I was feeling a lot more optimistic and the menstrual cup went right up no bother. I also used a pad on my knickers because with the menstrual cup, you start spotting when it’s full so it’s inevitable you will get blood on your knickers fyi.
Day 2 ~
I left it in for 12 hours that day and took it out to empty it before putting it back in again at bed time. I’m lucky my toilet is next to my sink because it is indeed really messy and there is an extra layer of complete gore because the force of the suction becoming un-suctioned when you pull it out causes it to kind of jump out of your hand (think of those times you take out a tampon and it swings up and blots a loud of blood on the wall times 1,000). I just popped it into the sink next to me and washed it before re inserting. You can also do this in the shower which would be much smarter and easier.
Day 3 ~
I repeated the routine of removing and washing it in the morning and reinserting it for the day. It’s important to note that usually at this stage of using tampons you get quite tender but there is nothing like that when using the menstrual cup which is a nice change and you don’t feel the need to pull it out because it starts to hurt which was one of my main gripes with using tampons.
Day 4 ~ until end of period
I continued to remove it in the morning, wash and reinsert and eventually I just left it out and wore a panty liner.
Overall I would recommend the menstrual cup. It is more comfortable and safe to use than other period care products. However, it is not as convenient as tampons or pads for example if you are in a public place and need to rinse it - I’d imagine that would be stressful and the type of thing that you don’t want people to witness. I’m really enjoying using it and it is interestingly making me connect more with myself and not look at my period as a chore.
Please note that rinsing and cleaning your menstrual cup in between each use is essential to clean away bacteria. You can use gentle fragrance free, oil free soap to do this but make sure it’s clean and has no residue of soap on it before reinserting. Similarly, once your period cycle is finished for the month it’s recommended to boil it to further clean it and you can store it away in the little linen bag you get in the box.