Menstrual cups - What are they and how do they work?

Menstrual cups are small flexible cups that are folded and inserted into the vagina to catch your menstrual flow. Most are made from FDA approved medical grade silicon. There is one brand made from TPE thermoplastic elastomer which is also FDA approved.

So why would you chose to use these over other products like tampons and pads. Well for me there are three main reasons.

• First they are better for your body. Tampons and pads contain all kinds of nasty chemicals. We have know for years the risks of Toxic Shock Syndrome when using tampons which is just that. Your body absorbs everything in the tampons chemicals included. The fibers in the tampons shred and leave fibers in your vagina, fibers that many different bacterias feed on. Which can lead to many infections. The FDA does not require feminine hygiene product companies to list what are in their products. It's very hard to find an exact list of what is in them and what the products are treated with. Try googling it. Also the assumption that tampons and pads are sterile is false. They stink of plastic and chemicals and are wrapped in plastic but they are in no way sterile. Menstrual cups leave nothing behind and can be completely sterilized after each cycle. The cups do not absorb your menstrual fluids but rather catch them. This allows your vagina to keep its natural state without drying it out and throwing off your ph levels. 

• Second they are better for the environment. The average women throws away 11,000 menstrual products in her lifetime. Products that go into our landfills, sewer systems, lakes, beaches..... There are 153 billion women in the USA alone that's 1,738,000,000,000 tampons and pads. When you combine that with all the resources need to mass produces them and the pollution from the factories making them well its really no surprise the earth is in the shape it is. One menstrual cup can be used for 5-10 years and causes no waste waste each month. 

• Thirdly the cost. Most menstrual cups cost between 20 and 40 dollars. Now that may seem like a lot when compared to a box of tampons but when you only have to buy one every 5 to 10 years the savings add up. Now for me I was using a box and a half to two boxes of tampons plus a pack of lines every cycle. That's about 12 bucks a month after two to three months you've payed for your cup. Everything after that is savings.  That's approximately 110.00 a year and 1,100 dollars in a lifetime.

So where to begin? There are many cups on the market like the mooncup, Diva, Lunette, MeLuna, Femmecup, Ruby Juju, femmycycle and others and while all of them are generally the same product there are many differences between them.  Style, shape, stiffness, stems etc.... You can find many reviews and YouTube videos on the different cups. I'm in the process of trying and writing reviews on an array of different cups and will post them as soon as I can. I don't believe there are any bad cups but different cups work better for different women and bodies. 

There are many things to consider when looking for and choosing a cup. knowing your body and how it works is the first step. 

Now if you are going to use a cup you need to be completely comfortable with knowing and touching your own body. To insert and remove a cup you are going to have to put your fingers in there. There is no reason to feel awkward about this. There is nothing gross or wrong with touching any of your body parts. They are yours and to be completely in touch with yourself and how you function you need to know your body.

One of the first things you need to know is where your cervix is. Why? Well because if you have a high cervix you won't need to worry about the length of the cup you choose. If its low a longer cup will not work for you and can cause pain and leaks. So how do you tell? well first wash your hand then stick your finger in there and see. You are looking for a small firm circular nob. Just take you time move your finger around and carefully fill for it. When checking your cervix for menstrual cup use it is best to check your cervix while on your cycle as your cervix moves up and down during different times of the month. Yes you might get blood on your finger. No it won't kill you. That's why there's soap ;) . So you've found it, how do you know if its considered high or low? Well an easy approximate is if its above the bend in your finger ( where a ring would sit ) its high, if it's under the bend it's low and you can reach it with only your fingertip it's very low. Now take these it too consideration when choosing a cup. Measure how far in your finger went until you felt it and use that a a basic start point for you cup. Every cup has a different length.  Check out this size chart.

Now remove the ones you don't think will work for you length wise. Now we can move on to the rim size. If you are a young female that isn't used to inserting things into yourself for example a virgin or not very sexually active or haven't given birth you will want to go with a small to medium size rim. If you are a older female that is comfortable with insertion has been sexually active for some time or has have a baby it should be easy using a medium to large cup comfortably. Only you know your body an what your comfortable with. This should give you a good estimate on rim size. 

Finally you will want to look at capacity. This is how much your cup will be able to hold before emptying. Tampons use grams to show capacity and menstrual cups use Milliliters. But the gram to milliliters conversion is one to one meaning 1 gram = 1 ml approximately. 

Tampons capacities are as follows:

Junior/ light absorbency - less than 6 grams (1 teaspoon equals about 5 grams.)

- Regular absorbency - 6 to 9 grams

- Super absorbency - 9 to 12 grams

- Super plus absorbency - 12 to 15 grams

- Ultra absorbency - 15 to 18 grams

So even the smallest menstrual cup has the capacity to hold as much as a super tampon absorbs. If you have a heavy flow an don't want to empty as often choose a cup within the length and rim size you picked with a higher capacity. If you have a lighter flow you can choose a smaller capacity cup. 

Finally you will want to look at firmness. Now this one is very personal for your body. If a cup is too soft you might have difficulty getting it to open. If its to firm it might cause you discomfort. If you are again a younger female not use to inserting things, someone who has a sensitive bladder, or weak pelvic muscles you might want a softer cup. If you are comfortable with insertion, have no bladder sensitivity, normal pelvic muscles and want a cup that is easier to pop open I would go with a normal to firm cup. If you are very active and have super strong floor muscles you will want to go with a very firm cup like MeLunas sport firmness so that your pelvic muscles do not collapse your cup and cause it to leak. So as you can tell just going by large or small / before or after birth won't get you a cup that fits your body perfectly. 

Now you've picked a cup, received it, and sterilized it . How do you get it in and use it it. Well there are many different folds and everyone likes a different fold. Here is a link for a video that shows you all the folds. I use the c-fold and the punch down method. It just depends on the cup I'm using. You don't have to place the cup as far up as a tampon but you want the whole cup to be fully inside of you where you can just reach the bottom of your cup .Once you insert it you are going to want to make sure it has fully opened and that the cup made a good seal and won't leak. To do this its called "stirring" you will take your finger and run it around the cup while its inside you. It should fill smooth and not have any indents in it. If you fill and indent you can grab the base of the cup where the grips are a gently twist or spin the cup this should help it to open the rest of the way. You can also fully insert your finger up to the top of the cup am allow a channel of air to reach the cup. That can also help it to open. When it's time to empty it you will reach in and feel for the stem. If you don't feel it just relax and push gently like your having a bowel movement. One you feel the stem pull on it gently just enough so you can grab the base of the cup. Get a firm grip on the cup and push it in. Then you will want to stick a finger in and push on the side of the cup to break the seal the cup made. Now you can pull the cup out wiggling it slightly from side to side working it down and out of you. Empty the continents into the toilet an rinse out you cup with cool water to prevent staining. Some women like to wash it after each use and some just rinse it thoroughly. If you want to wash it use a unscented mild soap and make sure to rinse it completely so you don't cause yourself any irritations. Then just simply reinsert and your ready to go. I suggest using a small thin liner until your  100% comfortable with using your cup to catch any leaks you might have. I use a small cloth liner every time just in case I get busy and don't remember to empty it. 

Menstrual cups are an amazing product and will completely change the way for look at your period. Are cycles are an amazing part of what makes us females. It shows us our bodies are fertile and is an amazing process. Women are amazing creatures and we shouldn't hate something so amazing as our body cycles. Getting in tune with your body and knowing how it works is incredibly liberating. Take charge of your body, your health and this amazing place we call earth. Do what's best for yourself an the environment! Hope you have enjoyed this post. Have a great day ladies you deserve it!!!!

One in a Mel'lion cloth pad review

Today I will be reviewing a beautiful pad from One in a Mel'lion. The pad I recieved is a 10" moderate flow pad.

This pad is topped with quilters cotton . It has four layers of flannel inside to make up the core and is backed in a very nice anti-pill fleece. 

Along with my pad came a very cute "Cloth pad care instructions" card and a business card. I will leave it in a public bathroom stall to help spread the word about RuMP's. 

The pad is listed as a 10 inch but measured about 10.5 long. This is the perfect length for me for moderate and heavy flow days.

It is flared along the top at about 4.25 inches and 5.5 inches at the bottom.  I love the flares and the extra protection they offer. I also like that the front flare is shorter than the back as I tend to need back coverage more and don't like the extra bulk in the front. But what's great is that if you are more of a front bleeder you can simply turn the pad around and use the bigger flare in the front and have less bulk in the back. I also like the wing and how the are slightly flared as well making the whole pad look very nice and cohesive.

 The pad snaps in the middle at 3 inches wide. I am a smaller lady and I find that pads 2.5-3.0 inches wide work best for me. Any shorter and I leak off the sides, any wider and the pads tend to bunch up and become bulky and uncomfortable. 

This pad being in my perfect measurement ranges made it work very well for me. The flannel is very absorbent yet keeps the pad super thin. The fleece backing is very nice and plush making the pad very water resistant. The cotton top was nice and cool but still wicked the blood in nicely and didn't leave me feeling to wet.   

This pad is very well made with quality products and sewn by a very talented seamstress. The pad is very well constructed with beautiful straight stitching. Some pads are very obviously handmade with crooked or wonky stitching and not so perfect measuring as far as wings matching and such. Not the cause with these pads. They are sewn close to perfect. 

Mel the lady behind One in a Mel'lion ( knowing her name makes her business name so much cute ;) ) is so sweet and great to work with. Her prices are great and her shipping speeds are excellent!   

Over all I am super pleased with this brand. The pads themselves, the quality sewing, the great customer service, price, and shipping speeds all together make for an amazing company to buy from.  

Caroline's Creations Review

My very first Caroline's Creations pad was a 14' overnight minky that I got in a destash. I was instantly in love! This was my very first overnight pad and it was this pad that had me hooked on cloth. This pad is so soft and plush and absorbent. It was amazing. I have been a tampon user since I was 17. I'm talking tampon in 24/7 for my whole cycle. I hated pads, especially at night. I always leaked and never felt secure. That was until I tried this pad. I wore it all night woke up the next morning with clean undies and be sheets! It had worked! And might I had how amazingly comfortable it was !

I have ordered twice from her since then. Both small purchases but hopefully I can add more of her pads to my stash. The first order was a 10' average flow pad and two matching face scrubbies.

This pad is just as awesome. They are so well made and hold a ton. It is cotton topped and fleece backed with a hidden layer of pul . I also asked for a second snap to be able to adjust the width . The width is 2.75 on the first snap and 2.5 on the second snap. 

Her pads have the absorbency stitched on the wing of the pad. Which is great! No more guessing or trying to remember what pads are what absorbency.

A = Average flow which is a core of one layer zorb and two layers flannel. This pad is super absorbent and yet still very trim. 

My matching face scrubbies are so cute and work very well. When I'm on my cycle and using a cup I take these with me in my wet bag and use them to wipe out my cup when I'm out and about and need to empty it but don't have access to a sink. It works perfect and doesn't leave any fibers behind like toilet paper does. It also gives my a clean spot to sit my cup on before I put it back in.

My second order was this super cute liner. I love fall and when I seen the leaves I had to have it. It 8" long and 2.5" wide when snapped. It is three layers of orange flannel and two layers of quilters cotton in the fall leaves print. This is a perfect everyday liner or menstrual cup back up.

I also ordered some more face scrubbies. This time the were Obv ones and they are awesome. Super soft and feel great scrubbing your face.  And again great as a mini wipe and clean surface for you menstrual cup while on the go.

Caroline is an amazing seamstress. She makes amazing products and is a pleasure to do business with. Her communication and customer service is fabulous and her shipping speeds and wonderful. If you are contemplating buying from Caroline's Creations do it! You will be so happy you did.

Jordan's Eco Alternatives Review

Today's review is on Jordan's Eco Alternatives . She got in some awesome Skelanimal prints that I just had to have. 

Jordan is awesome. She was so sweet and has amazing communication and customer service. 

I did a custom order for one 10.5' heavy pad and an 8' liner.

The 10.5' heavy pad is cotton topped and black fleece backed. It's core is a layer of zorb and a layer of bamboo fleece. This made for an extremely absorbent pad but was still trim. I used it on a heavy day for 4 hours and had no leaks! It has two snaps to adjust the width of the pad.

The 8' liner was cotton topped and backed in the Skelanimal print. The core is a layer of zorb. For being a liner with no waterproof layer this pad is awesome. It is trim and so breathable. I was trying out many new menstrual cups this cycle and always wore a liner in case of leaks. I did have a leak once while testing the capacity on one of my cups. I was wearing this liner and it caught the whole leak. 

My order came with a package of tea which is such a sweet and unique touch. It's the little things like that really make different people's shops stand out.

The speed of completion and shipping was outstanding for a custom order. Under a week from the time I ordered till it was at my door. 

All in all it was a great experience. Her pads are well made and work great. She is very nice to work with. I can say with confidence that I recommend her shop to everyone. 

Environmenstrual Modern Cloth Pads Review

Hello lovelies,
  Today I will be doing a review on a wonderful shop by the name of Environmenstrual. I was lucky enough to have won one of Rachel's awesome giveaways that she offers quite often. She sells a great variety of pads from thong liners up to 13.5' Xl overnights. Her pads are some of the most beautiful ones that I have ever seen. They are topped with a variety of beautifully dye fabrics like minky, bamboo velour and cotton velveteen. The core of her pads are made from super absorbent bamboo fleece . What makes her pads even more awesome is that she uses a hidden layer of pul to make them waterproof and backs the pads in gorgeous cotton prints. So they are truly beautiful from top to bottom.

On to the pad I won. It's a beautiful overnight pad topped in mystic potion minky and backed in a pretty floral print that compliments it perfectly.

The pad is 11.5in long and has two snaps to adjust the middle width to your liking. It snaps at approximately 2.5in on the smallest snap and 3in on the widest snap. 

This pad is one of the most absorbent pads I have ever used. The core is made up of two layers of bamboo fleece and is wonderful. I was having a super heavy flow day and decided to test this bad boy out. I kept going to the bathroom to see if I needed to change it and every time I did  it still looked fine and like it could hold more. I kept this pad on for 6 hours! At that point I was sure that my flow must have just slowed down. I changed pads and went to rinse this one out. WOW! My flow had definitely not slowed down at all!!! This pad had held a ton!!!! I was truly amazed. To top it all off its super trim. It is the trimmest heavy pad I own. 

Rachel is a great pad maker and has definitely made an awesome product through and through. She is based in Australia and that makes for a slightly great shipping fee if you are in the US but it is worth it. If you are curious about her pads and have considered making a purchase. Do it, do it now! Environmenstrual pads are the bomb!

I did not purchase this pad but I promise that wining this pad has not had any impact on any part of the review above. I wrote this review of my own want and desire to share with my readers this awesome cloth pad brand.

Blossom pads Cloth Pads Review

This review will be on Blossom pads . Blossom Pads come in many different sizes ranging from 6in micro liners up to 12in supers. She offers cotton velour and flannel topped pads. Her cores consist of   Bamboo and cotton and are backed in anti pill moisture resistant fleece. Her design is very nice. Her pads have a fleece and cotton print wings and base then she sews on the bamboo/cotton core and topper either flannel or cotton velour soaker with a decorative top stitch. So it look like this.

I love this design a lot because it matches the shape of my panties and conforms perfect to them and my body. Some women like to move their pads more to the front or back of their panties if their flow tends to go one way or the other and that is not possible with the shape of this pad so just keep that in mind. I'm a straight down flow kind of girl so these work awesome for me.

She labels her pads with engraved letters on her snaps. L for light, M for moderate/regular and S for super like this.

Blossom Pads measure 2.75in wide in the middle when snapped and flare out moderately to 3.25 in on both ends.

Her pads snap up awesome do to the wing and soaker design. The pads have nice full coverage wings which really help keep the pad in place.

So onto my order. I purchased a intro into cloth kit from her. In it was a 10' flannel topped super, a 8' cotton velour moderate and a 6' micro liner.

I have used these pads for three cycles now and love them. The 10' super flannel topped pad has become a bit pilly but thats just the nature of flannel and is completely normal. It held my heaviest day of flow with no problem and no leaks. The 8' moderate cotton velour topped pad is my favorite. It super soft pretty trim and holds a lot. I tried it on a heavy day just to test it an it held up perfectly. The 6' micro liner is cotton velour topped and fleece backed with no core. It is 2' wide when snapped. It is so soft and so thin. It's the perfect liner to use everyday or as a cup or tampon back up. The awesome thing about is as well is that by adjusting the angle in which you snap the wings it can be shaped as a regular or thong liner.

So I must say if you are considering purchasing from Blossom pads go for it! Her prices are great, her shipping is fast, the owner has great communication and is a pleasure to buy from and above all else the pads work great!

These are my own personal thoughts as a buyer and user of this brand. 

If you have any question about Blossom Pads or Reusable Menstrual products in general please feel free to comment below or message me. Have a great day ladies.

Creations by Five Cloth Pad Review

Hi lovelies,

  Today I will be doing a review on a shop by the name of Creations by Five. The lady who makes these pads is named Christy and she is great to work with.

Christy offers panty liners up to postpartum/over night pads. I have order two or three times from Christy and these are the pads I have from her.

One 8in. Medium/heavy pink minky topped and fleece backed, three 8.5in grey minky topped and fleece backed pads. Two are medium/heavy one is light/regular, one 7in light/regular pink chevron flannel topped and fleece backed, one 8" medium/heavy batik cotton topped and fleece backed and one 8in panty liner key print cotton topped flannel backed.

The pad absorbency levels that I have from her are as follows:

Panty liner- your choice of top, one layer zorb core and flannel backed

Light/regular- your choice top, one layer zorb core and backed with moisture resistant fleece

Medium/heavy- your choice top, two layer zorb core and backed with moisture resistant fleece

All of her pads snap at 2.75in. wide but she has the option to add a second snap if you want a narrower option.

Christy's pads are very well made. I love the shape of them, it works very well for my body. I love how absorbent they are. The medium/heavys definitely hold up to my heaviest flow day with no leaks. They may not be as trim as some pads but I like the comfort that adds to my mind on my heavy  days. The light/regular pads are very absorbent as well. I have used them on heavy days and had no issues. They are pretty trim and I can barely feel them when wearing. Her panty liners are very nice super trim yet able to hold more than most other panty liners on the market. I have nothing negative to add about her pads. They are well made, competitively priced and do their job very well. Shipping is fast and well priced. I love the awesome prints she offers and hope to add more of hers to my stash in the future. I really want to try her postpartum/overnight pads.

Here are the links to her pages:

Etsy shop

CreationsbyFive's Facebook page

Hope you enjoyed. If you have any questions about this particular brand of cloth pads or cloth menstrual products in general please leave a comment below or message me. Have a great day ladies. <3