How to Use a Menstrual Cup

Transcript:

When you use a tampon, you insert the plastic to the base, push the stick to release the tampon, and it’s in. Tampons are thinner and easier to get in and out compared to menstrual cups but you’re left with a long string just dangling there. Tampons also contain chemicals with fibers that can easily come off when it’s inside your body. This is the kind of material you don’t want to be inserting especially when it’s an ideal place for bacteria to grow.

Menstrual cups come in a wide variety of styles so there’s bound to be one that’s the right fit for you. There are some that are wider, narrower, stiffer, and squishier. Knowing which cup will fit comfortably is hard especially when you don’t want to blow $30-$40 down the drain per cup trying out different sizes. The most important part is not how heavy your flow is but how high your cervix is during or close to your period, and how wide your vaginal canal is. You may have a heavier flow, so you get a larger cup. But, if your vaginal canal is narrower then you’re probably going to feel your cup which won’t be comfortable. If your cervix is high and you get a cup with barely any stem, then have fun getting it out. You may be worried about the stem being too short so you get a long one. However, if you have a lower cervix then the stem might stick out and make it uncomfortable.

Menstrual cups aren’t cheap and I didn’t want to spend $40 on something I’m not going to use frequently since the only reason why I wanted one was to be able to go swimming. I ended up finding a seller on Etsy where you can buy two menstrual cups in any style with a sterilizer for only $20. They’re also made with medical grade silicone which is important so I thought that was a great deal. I could try different styles and sizes without feeling like I was putting a lot of money on the table. I contacted the seller to get her advice on which size I should get and she told me she uses the small sport cup which is wider and stiffer. She found the larger ones to feel a little uncomfortable especially when using the restroom. Obviously, everyone’s body is different and the cute cup ended up feeling the most comfortable, but using her as a reference felt like a good place to start. I decided that I would try the sport and cute in size small.

Before you put your cup in make sure you boil it first to make it clean. When you’re trying to insert your menstrual cup for the first time, practice using your hands so you can get a feel for how it should open and how you should be pressing the cup in. I kept doing it several times to build up a little muscle memory which I think is part of the reason why I got the hang of it quickly. It will also help running the cup under water to make it more lubricated.

There are a bunch of different folding techniques but I’m going to go over the three main ones. While you’re inserting it, the thing I found most helpful is taking deep breaths as you push the cup in. This helps your body relax making things much easier.

The first one is the triangle fold/7 fold. You want to insert it up until the corner of the fold. Then you have to push the cup’s brim and push it until you feel like its opened. Use the stem to adjust and wiggle the cup around a little so that it can fully open and become centered. The stem shouldn’t be sticking out. In fact, when you start walking around the cup will naturally move higher up so the stem is completely inside you. I found this method uncomfortable and you can even see in the demo that it stays folded and takes a little longer to completely open.

The next method is the punch-down fold which is my favorite. The tip is narrow which makes it easier for insertion. All you have to do when can only feel the back part is push until it goes in and opens up. Then you can just use the stem to push it in a little further until it feels comfortable.

The third fold is the U fold/C fold. Some people really like this technique because you just have to push straight in and it opens right up. However, others find it uncomfortable because of how wide the insertion point is.

As I said before, the cup should move up so that no part is visible. I have a medium cervix so it went up a lot higher than I expected and I’m not going to lie, I panicked. Obviously, your cup can’t get lost but the worst thought is not being able to get it out.

What I found to help the most to get the stem lower is to sit on the toilet and push down which will allow you to get a hold of the stem. You should be able to pull on it until you can get hold of the base of the cup. Once you get a hold of the base you can squeeze it to break the suction and it should come out easily without any mess. The reason why I found the cute cup to be more comfortable is because when I was pulling the sport cup out it kept wanting to open. When I accidentally lost my grip it would open and let me tell you, that did not feel good. The cute cup was so easy to get out and didn’t hurt at all compared to the other one since the entire body is narrower.