All About Menstrual Cups – Should You Switch?

I’m sure not if many of us are aware about this invention which can prove to be a boon for the entire womanhood. After a long research and innumerous trials, Menstrual Cups are being manufactured and introduced to women. Now, it’s time to reconsider your options and choose a better alternative to pads and tampons. Menstrual cup is a feminine hygiene cup that is made out of medical grade silicone which is flexible and shaped like a bell. Read more on this and find out if you should make the switch!

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Menstrual Cups:

Menstrual cups are made out of medical grade silicone which is healthy for a women’s health, even vagina. They vary in sizes too. It goes from small to large, a woman can choose her size based on the size of her vagina and also considering the fact if she has ever given birth vaginally. Menstrual cups are mostly extra flexible, but that depends upon the brand. The smaller the size, the more it would be flexible. Some companies offer a firmness level too when it comes to menstrual cups.

How to Use:

A menstrual cup is first folded and then is inserted directly under the vagina, and it can stay there up to 12 long hours. If inserted correctly, it leaves no space for leakage or stains. Blood gets collected in the cup which can be emptied, cleaned and reused again. Those who have heavy flow should always go for menstrual cups as the capacity is more than tampons and pads.

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After 12 hours, you can are advised to check the cups by taking it out and watching how much blood is collected. The cup is removed by reaching up to the stem of the cup in order to find the base. Simply pulling on the stem is not recommended to remove the cup, as pulling it down will create suction. The base of the cup is pinched to release the seal, and then the cup is removed. After emptying, the cup should be rinsed or wiped and then reinserted. It can be washed with a mild soap, and sterilized in boiling water for a few minutes at the end of the cycle.

Colours:

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Like the rest of other fancy things, menstrual cups too are available in an array of colors.. Most of the cups are colourless, transparent silicone. The dyes used for coloring the cups are safe for usage, especially in sensitive areas. Translucent cups lose their initial appearance faster than coloured ones – they tend to get yellowish stains with regular use. The shade of a coloured cup may change over time, though stains are often not as obvious on coloured cups. Stains on any colour of cup can often be removed or at least lightened by soaking the cup in diluted hydrogen peroxide and/or leaving it out in the sun for a few hours.

Pros of Menstrual Cups:

• All the blood released is collected in the menstrual cup, so there is no chance of leakage
• Menstrual cups are more hygienic than tampons and pads, as a research suggested that pads tend to absorb all the water content from the vagina making it dry and favourable for bacterial breeding
• They can go a long way, upto 8-10 years
• You save a lot of money too
• This cup can allow a woman to know more accurately about the kind of blood being released during her monthly cycles, about which she can speak to her doctor

All About Menstrual Cups – Should You Switch

Cons of Menstrual Cups:

• Due to high prices of menstrual cups, women from low income background cannot afford to buy these
• You cannot wear this for a long journey as you find no place to sterilise it and wear it again. You’ll have to consider pads in such cases as they can be trashed quickly
• Some women find it painful while inserting menstrual cups into their vagina, no matter how flexible it is
• Cleaning menstrual cups in public place may be a problem
• Insertion products are unacceptable as per some cultural and religious norms
• Women with pelvic organ prolapse may not be able to use menstrual cups (or tampons) comfortably or safely

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33 thoughts on “All About Menstrual Cups – Should You Switch?

  1. I was always intrigued to read about these. When it comes to periods, I am very conservative and prefer only pads, not even tampons. They scare me. Good to read that these cups offer so many benefits, but it might take some time to wrap my head around this concept.

  2. I know about this cups and seen videos on how to insert it and how it works? But I personally don’t have courage to use this .. I am very particular when something comes to my body .. I didn’t even tried tampons in spite of reading many benefits of it So I’ll keep these cups far far away 🙁

  3. I read sooo much about this an although the advantages totally make it win over pads… i would still go with them… 😉 this is pretty scary to test and try 🙁 although this product impressed me a lot

  4. I have made the switch some time back, and I couldn’t be happier! After many failed attempts to use a tampon, i was surprised that i was able to use a cup successfully. There is definitely a learning curve. I got mine from amazon for 550 rs.

  5. Hi Jyoti, good you found this working well. Now, After doing this post I wanted to try this, so it would be better if you share some problems, if at all you faced it using menstrual cups.

    1. Hi rima, glad i could help. The stem of the cup had to be trimmed a bit. And like you said, emptying and cleaning in public toilets is quite a hassle. Also, overweight women like me, could find a bit difficult to bend and stretch to insert. Rest all is great about cups!

  6. I think we should switch to these now because disposal of pads is a big problem… and is very unhygenic even when we dispose them it took near 20 to 30 years for our mother earth to actually absorb them and are very unhygenic for cleaning workers also in dumpyards where stray cows and underprivileged ppl exposed to these products… even though I m also not comfortable with cups I will try my level best to incorporate in my lifestyle

    1. Totally agree with you Richa. I’m inspired by your thoughts. Even I don’t feel very comfortable with the idea of menstrual cups but at least I can give it a try. May be I’d become habituated with time. The disposal of pads and tampons is a major environmental problem in countries like India where proper hygiene is not maintained in cleaning workers. Unknowingly we are actually pushing many poor people towards untreatable bacterial infection and sometimes even death by throwing the pads in the garbage bin.

  7. I was always wondering whether to buy these or not.. Still very difficult to decide. Could not make my mind up to use tampons how to use this. But looking at the environmental benefit I want to use it. Some day may be I gather that much strength.
    Thank you for all the research and info. 🙂

  8. It’s a proven fact in India our govt is in big trouble in disposing diapers both kids diapers n adults leaving cleaning ppl in major health issues stray animals are also getting incurable disease by this… they say uneducated ppl clean the country and educated ppl makes it dirty… thanks tia if I any way inspired you please carry the good work and inspire others also… stay beautiful inside out

  9. Hey beauties,
    I have menstrual cup, i bought she cup. When i bought it i was very excited and was actually waiting my period to come ?, but i was so disappointed after using it, i can easily insert it after watching so many videos on you tube but after 2-3 hrs that she cup slipped really up inside me and believe me it was so horrible, i could not even find it, i was scared to death..she cup comes in one standard size only so i ordered it but i think it dosent fit me as i have given birth vaginally..but i had horrible experience hence i stopped using it and back to pads only..

  10. great informative post….but i am not brave to try it as the part of cleaning it and reusing that make me cringe and have seen a coupe of videos on youtube where people were sterilizing them in their kitchen stove in boiling water… quite disgusting.

  11. Hi, great article.. I want to tell everyone go for it gals. I bought she cup from Amazon for 700 Rs. It’s just awsm. I have been using it for last couple of months. U won’t believe how comfortable it is. U can’t feel ur periods is on.. Initially u may face little problem in inserting it. But once u get used to it after couple of try, u will just love it.. Go for silicon one not plastic based one which is available for cheap..Go for it everyone n get freedom for life.. N yea, u can even swim wearing it..

  12. I used pads, then tried tampons and finally the she cup. She cup wins hands down. Tampons felt strange in body, they also have TSS risk associated with it. Also they change the nature of body, which is unhealthy. Cups do not get lost inside, there is no way it can get lost. It takes practice, for 2-3 cycles, but it’s so worth it. I have a separate small vessel for just sterilising the cup, and it takes just 5-10 mins a month. Since the blood is collected I side body, there is no chance of any smell (the menstrual blood smells when it comes in contact with air). I will know approx the monthly flow and if any changes to it,i can check my health with doc. I am not going back to pads and tampons ever. Thanks imbb for this post.

  13. For those who want to go green, but not use cups, there are cloth pads. They are stay dry (you won’t feel the wetness), washable, and come in different sizes and colours. It’s huge improvement over the cotton cloth of olden times. Check sustainable menstruation India group on fb, tons of info and help.

  14. according to environmental aspects its good, it will reduce waste due to using pads, but inserting something inside is scary one,will try to use ,new things take time to get habitat, thanks for information

  15. Awesome product, very comfortable and hygiene too. You will feel like you are not having period at all. Shecups are good and economical too. I am using since long and very happy with mensuration cup.

  16. Hey all,

    After much thought I have given it a try and am so happy that I tried it…this is the first time I am using it and yes it needs some practice but it’s so worth it! The initial effort is so less compared to the advantages it offers….it’s great for your body and environment….medical grade silicon is far far better than bleached and chemically loaded pads or tampons…silicon doesn’t absorb any bacteria or dirt so there’s no chance of infection….I have been using pads for decades and just few months back, I discovered I have endometriosis…after a lot of reading I found out that dioxin a chemical commonly found in pads might be a culprit here and sanitary pads in the name of making it feel dry for hours and hours actually harm our body…I used to change pads only twice a day feeling dry but that’s actually very very bad for our hygiene….girls never fall for this trap! I think I paid a big price for this!
    The environmental hazard of using a pad was also disturbing me for a long time so even I was initially scared to use the cup, I went ahead and try it… Am yet to master it fully since this is the first time am using it but I can surely see myself never going back to pads which is a curse for both our body and environment….

  17. I see many women here hesitant to try out menstrual cups. Keep and open mind and trust me switching to menstrual cups is going to be the best decision of your life! This is totally life changing. The thought of inserting a menstrual cup in the vagina is impossible to fathom for many women, including me- that was the reason I delayed trying this for so long. But that is just a mental block. You vagina is very flexible; there is no pain whatsoever. Just make sure your body and muscles are not tense. Relax and try the insertion. A child can come out of your vagina! A cup is nothing. There are no nerve endings in the vagina and there is absolutely no pain. Look up on YouTube, there are so many women making videos. There is a 14 yr old girl ( who is now 18+) whose channel is completely dedicated to information about menstrual cups. The reason I’m am trying to motivate everyone is because I’m so happy after switching to cups. My periods are easy and stress free. Infact I don’t even feel like I have a period. It has completely transformed my life!

  18. Hi Ladies, I just started using them. It’s day two which for me is heavy. While it’s still early days I must say that these cups are heaven. When I read about it I thought it’s too good to be true after trying it there’s no turning back. Once inserted properly you have the freedom to just be, no more worrying about messing yourself or those embarrassing moments. Switch to menstruation cups it’s the best decision I’ve made.

  19. I am trying to use it from my last two periods but I am not able to insert it properly, every time I tried to use it there is always leakage even I watched a lot of guiding vidios but still I am anable to use it. I really want to use it.

    1. Hey Kavi, what helped me is I tried almost all sort of folds. After insertion, use your thumb and point finger to slightly feel the folds of the cup and make sure it is opened up ( a light push after insertion will tell you that it is open up). These are the two things that helped me.

  20. Very impressed with the cups idea. But Is it okay to use menstrual cups when you’ve a loop inserted ? Please help !

  21. This is really nice and give us the wings to move freely. Comfortable shape and material make it wear very easly.
    👌😊
    No irritation no wetness!!
    Feel free live free!!

  22. I bought the cup while ago but I’m still in dilemma either to use it or not.Well period’s blood are meant to be discharged but the cup let’s it to be stored inside the uterus until we remove it.Blood inside the cup may be spilled inside the uterus.I fear the uterus won’t be completely clean which may lead to some disease.

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