My Experience Transitioning to Cups

By Addie Ray '22

My menstrual cup has made my monthly experience more simple, accessible, and efficient. Initially, I made the switch to a menstrual cup for environmental and financial reasons. It made a lot more sense to me to purchase a $40 reusable cup rather than spend money on tampons and pads that end up in landfills. Obviously, I wasn’t fully sold when I saw the size of the cup and thought of having to repeatedly put it inside me and take it out. Something that also motivated me to purchase a menstrual cup was the fear of leaving a tampon in for too long and getting Toxic Shock Syndrome. I bought my menstrual cup when DivaCup was the more widely known brand but since then, there are so many options for people to consider.

It was definitely scary and intimidating having to do this all on my own. It took one or two cycles to get the hang of using a cup, but I was determined to not waste the $40 I spent on it. Once you get used to the process, it's seamless, easy, and worry-free!

When I first got my menstrual cup, I started out using the triangular fold because it looked smaller and less invasive than folding it in half.

But after my first cycle full of frustration trying to figure it out and only a few successful attempts, I tried folding my menstrual cup in half and that seemed to work a lot better for me.

When I bought my menstrual cup, there were only two sizes offered: one for people who had a baby and one for people who had not. However, I know that there is more advanced sizing now, so I encourage people to research size options!

I’ve come across a lot of people who are completely turned off by having to pour out a cup of their own menstrual blood and I get it, being on your period in general is not a pleasant experience. I’m not a very squeamish person, so I wasn’t too grossed out by the idea. Although, I would say if you are uncomfortable with seeing your blood in the shower when you’re on your period, maybe see if you can get more comfortable with your vagina while you’re menstruating. That sounds strange, but I think there's a huge stigma around periods and vaginas in general. We're taught to think that blood and menstruation are foul and dirty especially because we aren’t exposed to periods until we are forced to. In my eyes, a menstrual cup is just as “gross” as seeing your blood in a tampon, pad, or in the shower.

At first, putting it in and taking it out was not comfortable especially since this was the first thing other than a tampon that went inside my vagina. However, I wouldn’t say it hurt. I got used to the feeling quickly. Putting it in is kind of comparable to putting a tampon in for the first time. It’s a strange feeling but you get used to it quickly. Taking it out feels very similar to taking out a tampon-- it takes a little tugging, but it comes out quickly and relatively easily. My favorite part about using a menstrual cup is that I can wake up, take it out once during the day to empty it, and not have to remove it again until right before going to bed! Some cups may vary in size so I would suggest looking at the recommended time for leaving it in. I wouldn’t recommend leaving it in for more than 12 hours.

Is it in place?

There are a lot of unknowns and questions around menstrual cups because they seem so unfamiliar. However, my experiences have been similar to my first time using a tampon. One question that comes up a lot is knowing if a menstrual cup is in place. It varies from person to person but I think a good rule of thumb is that if it’s constantly leaking, it’s probably not where it’s supposed to be. A menstrual cup is supposed to act like a suction cup where it’s sides are sealed to the walls of your vagina, so if it’s leaking it may be too far in or maybe pushed to the wrong side.

IUDs

If you have an IUD, talk to your doctor before you use a menstrual cup (my friend was told the suction of a menstrual cup is so strong that it could dislodge her IUD). At the start of using a menstrual cup, I was deathly afraid of putting it too far inside so that I wouldn’t be able to get it out. Contrary to what one may think, not putting in far enough just ended up causing more problems because it was so uncomfortable to have the stem sticking out. Do some research, but for me, pushing it in further is more helpful than uncomfortable for me. Although, there have been a few occasions when I panicked because it made its way in a bit too deep. Every time this happens, soon enough, I get a good grip and am able to take it out.

Public restrooms

A lot of people’s concerns have to do with using a menstrual cup in public bathrooms. There are occasions when I need to take it out because it’s leaking and I’m not in my residence hall (these are the occasions when it can get messier). However, I have found plenty of videos on the internet that show methods of taking it out and cleaning it in a stall in a public bathroom. Using a menstrual cup in college has definitely been a challenge and something I'm still trying to figure out. Luckily, my previous residence hall had a single bathroom where I could empty it and clean it easily. If you don’t have access to a single restroom at a college or university, I have heard that a lot of people use the shower to empty and clean it in privacy.

Cleaning

Questions around cleaning also come up often. Cleaning instructions vary from brand to brand but for mine, I use unscented soap during my period and boil it in a pot of water for 5-10 minutes between each cycle. There’s no denying that they can be messier than a tampon or pad. However, I think the environmental and financial benefits outweigh the messiness of it. Additionally, I've found in terms of leaking that they leak much less often than tampons do. I’ve stained much fewer pairs of underwear than when I used tampons and pads.

To me, the benefits of using a menstrual cup outweigh the disadvantages----not to mention that tampons were invented by a man whereas menstrual cups were invented by a woman! Some of the biggest benefits for me are being able to be worry-free for a whole 12 hours and not having to run to the store every time I’m on my period to restock on tampons and/or pads.

Menstrual cups have completely changed my experience and relationship with my period.