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!!!!
