The previous post was about the use of cloth sanitary napkins. In this post I will describe my experience with the menstrual cup.
For me, the invention of the cup was something really revolutionary and brilliant, since it is much more functional than the tradicional products that they sell in the market, more ecological, long lasting, and therefore it will save you a lot of money.
If you do not know, the menstrual cup is what you see in the center of the following photo.
Fotos by Ele.
It folds and inserts in a similar way to a tampon, having the same function, but a thousand times better.
To start if you are going to buy one, make sure that it is from a recognized brand and that it is not anything from China. Menstrual cups must be made of surgical or medical grade silicone. Seek that such material is approved by the FDA. This material is hypoallergenic and inert, so you will never have the risk of suffering from toxic shock syndrome as with tampons, since there is no way that it is an ideal culture medium for bacteria like the tampons. Being a medical grade material you will not have adverse reactions to it as you could have to other materials such as latex for example.
The drawback is that it requires a learning curve to be able to use it .You can try different types of folds and see which one suits you best because each person is different. You can also try applying it in various ways, seeing which one is easier for you. There are women who learn very quickly, there are women who find it more difficult. Placed properly you won’t feel it. But you may have to investigate how to know if it is well placed, there are videos that explain this on you tube to make you feel more secure. Practice, practice, practice.
Of course, you have to lubricate the upper edges before applying it to make it easier, you can simply use drinking water. It is placed folded and as soon as it is inserted it must be opened, once opened it produces a suction which keeps it in place. To remove it, with your finger, bend the cup a little, to break the seal and remove it. Empty the contents in the toilet, wash it with soap and water and replace it. To sterilize it between periods, simply boil it for 3 to 4 minutes in a special pan for this pourpose on the stove. Be careful not to boil it for long because it can melt. You can also find cleaners from the same brand of cups, but I haven’t used them.
My recommendation is to practice at home first, you don’t want to use it for the first time at work or school because you can have accidents. Once mastered in the house, you are done!.
The hours you can use it depends on your flow, most of it supports 20 to 30 ml. You can have it for up to 12 hours, as they can contain up to 3 times more than a tampon. I do not recommend sleeping with it, as it can migrate upwards and cost you more work to remove it. For some reason it migrates upwards and you cannot pull it until you reach the little stick it has and then you can pull it and break the seal. (All the cups come with a long stick at the end so you can pull it and change it). There are women who juts don’t need that and cut it, there are women for whom it is super useful.
I know that there are women who use it and no longer change it for anything. It is easy to understand, because they can use it without changing it for a longer time than pads or tampons. They know that if it is properly used there will not be accidents and they do not have to use an uncomfortable foreign body (feminine pharmacy pads) in their underwear. Almost like there is no period. In the same way there are women who simply do not like its use. I have it as an alternative to tampons when I go swimming or at the beach, but I personally prefer feminine pads. There are women who use it practically throughout all the period and there are women who alternate the cup with the cloth pads. Everything is a matter of preference.
They usually come in 2 sizes, the small size for those who have not had children and the large size for those who have had children, but this can also vary depending on the brand. Although the size may slightly vary from one brand to another. For example the size 1 (small) of the Diva Cup (the most famous) is larger (30 ml) than the small size of the Angel cup (20 ml Mexican brand). Now recently I noticed that the Diva cup added a new size, the 0 that would probably be the same than the small size of the Angel cup. The Diva cup surgical silicone is thicker than that of the Angel cup. Personally, the Angel cup suited me better and it became more manageable and more suitable for me, since I am not very tall. The thinner the cup, the easier to create suction, but therefore it is more difficult to break the seal. In people whose vaginal walls are very strong, a thick silicone cup may be a better option as it will not collapse easily.
It is a product that is more expensive than disposable products, but it is a long-term investment that lasts around 10 years. They usually come in various colors depending on the brand. The color may change over time but is normal because of the iron in the blood. You must keep it in its cotton bag with which they almost always come and it is very discreet and easy to transport.
I hope this has been helpful for you. I am going to leave a couple of links because they are the cups that I personally know and therefore I can recommend, however this does not mean that there are not other brands that are also good .
I leave you the link to the official Diva cup page which is the best known:
I also leave the Precious stars link from the British girl, Bryony, through whom I learned about products such as towels and cups, she has many reviews of cups and other products. On her site you can see other brands of cups and she also sells the pads made by herself.
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