Why menstrual cups

However, doctors recommend replacing your cup every year to reduce the risk of irritation or infection from its material. Buying a menstrual cup will cost you less than the total amount spent on tampons and sanitary napkins every year. Tampons and sanitary napkins need to be changed every five to six hours. With menstrual cups, you can go up to 12 hours without having to change them or worrying about leakage.

Menstrual cups hold five times the amount of blood tampons and sanitary napkins can hold. When inserted correctly, a menstrual cup will reduce your chances of leakage significantly. Sanitary napkins can cause rashes and itching in your intimate area. With menstrual cups , this possibility is eliminated.

Menstrual cups are designed to handle all stages of your blood flow, whereas, with tampons, you should take care to match the absorbency with your blood flow. Unlike tampons and sanitary napkins, you do not have to worry about leakages or constantly change your menstrual cup during nighttime.

What are the Advantages? The following are some of the menstrual cup advantages : Eco-friendly One of the major advantages of using a menstrual cup is that they are eco-friendly. Budget-friendly Even though one menstrual cup may cost you more than tampons and sanitary napkins, you pay a one-time price for it.

Safer than other hygiene products Unlike other feminine hygiene products that absorb blood, menstrual cups collect it; this makes them safer and reduces your risk of getting a bacterial infection, such as toxic shock syndrome. Can be used while having sexual intercourse Reusable menstrual cups need to be taken out before having sexual intercourse. Holds more blood Tampons hold up to one-third of an ounce of blood, whereas a menstrual cup can hold up to two to three ounces of blood.

What are the Disadvantages? Although eco-friendly and budget-friendly, there are still a few menstrual cup side effects and disadvantages that you must keep in mind before switching to a cup: Finding the right fit may be tricky Since menstrual cups come in different sizes and every woman may need a different size, finding the right fit may get difficult.

Difficult to insert and remove Sometimes, you may find it difficult to insert the menstrual cup inside your vagina or you may not be able to remove it correctly, which can cause pain and discomfort. Allergic reactions to the menstrual cup Many menstrual cups are made from latex-free materials; this makes them a perfect option for women with latex allergies. Chances of vaginal irritation If the menstrual cup is not cleaned properly after every use, it can cause irritation in your vagina.

Conclusion A menstrual cup is a cost-effective and eco-friendly alternative to using tampons and sanitary napkins during menstruation. Request an appointment at Apollo Hospitals Call to book an appointment.

Health A-Z. Quick Appointment. Pro Health. Most Popular. Prolactinoma — Symptoms, Causes and Treatment November 11, The first patent for a menstrual cup design was awarded in and the prototype was pretty much a rubber sack that was attached to a ring. This early version was meant to be inserted into the vagina to collect blood. The menstrual cup could then be pulled out by a cord that was attached to it. One of the first commercial menstrual cups was developed in by Leona Chalmers.

As a result, the menstrual cup category as a whole faded into the background until the late 80s. Today, more and more women are using menstrual cups. Most menstrual cups are made of silicone or rubber. Some cups are designed for long-term use — even years — providing significant cost savings over tampons and pads. Keep in mind that some cups are designed to be disposable. Make sure you read the label carefully before buying if you want a reusable one.

Vaginal pH and beneficial bacteria also stay in place. You need to change tampons every four to eight hours, depending on flow. You can go up to 12 hours with a menstrual cup before having to empty it. Here's a look at why they happen, whether they're a sign of pregnancy, and how…. Anyone with a period may be looking for a sustainable way to manage menstruation. Read on to see if a menstrual cup like the DivaCup is right for you. COVID may temporarily affect your period, and researchers aren't exactly sure why.

The most common symptoms seem to be light periods or longer…. A period menstruation is normal vaginal bleeding that is a natural part of a woman's healthy monthly cycle. This article details the process. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect.

Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. How to use a menstrual cup. What are the advantages of using menstrual cups? What are the disadvantages of using menstrual cups? How much does it cost? This test confirmed that cups we had trouble folding in the earlier test like the FemmyCycle and the Intimina collapsible were indeed hard to insert and remove in this test.

Some of the cups have a smoother silicone than others, and we found that the cups with the very plasticky silicone, like the Luna and Yuuki cups, required more lube going in and out of the tube.

I spilled the most trying to remove the Luna cup, as it would catch on the silicone and I had to yank a bit more to get it out.

But most cups were easy to insert and remove, opened up without much trouble, and performed well overall. Which makes our job a lot harder here.

Most cups are really, really similar in fact, some cups seem to be made at the exact same facilities using the same molds. And the shape of the cup, rather than being the bell-shaped curve, has more of a kidney-bean-shaped bottom with grippy rings that are really easy to hold onto.

We found that this design makes removal easier, since the cup is shaped to be pinched. The Cora cup is made of the same soft silicone so many cups are and is easy to clean. It holds slightly less volume than some of our other picks, so if you know you have a heavy flow you might find yourself emptying it more than some of the other options.

We really like MeLuna cups in general, because they are so customizable. Unlike most cups, which come in only two sizes, MeLuna cups come in a whole bunch of sizes and styles. We tested a handful of combinations of firmnesses, handles, and sizes, and they were all easy to insert and remove because we could fold them in all sorts of ways thanks to them hitting a sweet spot of firmness and thickness. They were also easy to clean. The MeLuna Classic falls into the middle of the size range we tested.

Unlike most menstrual cups, which are made of medical-grade silicone, the MeLuna is made of medical-grade thermoplastic elastomer TPE. The material is manufactured in Germany, where it must comply with standards that allow it to be used in products like baby pacifiers. You can get the MeLuna Classic in four sizes , from small to extra-large. The small cup holds between 10 and 28 milliliters, and the extra-large holds between 21 and 42 milliliters.

The MeLuna Classic is also right in the middle of the pack when it comes to firmness. In addition to a cloth carrying pouch, MeLuna cups come with a small brush that can be helpful for fine-detail cleaning. The MeLuna offers the shortest cup we could find, with an entire Shorty line of cups for those who have very low cervixes. It has all the same attributes we like about the MeLuna Classic. The caveat here is that if you also have a narrow vagina, the DivaCup might be uncomfortable to wear because it is relatively wide.

If you have a long but narrow vagina, go with the MeLuna. In the United States, the DivaCup is a best seller. But the DivaCup is actually one of the largest, longest cups you can buy the MeLuna Classic Medium is 48 millimeters long, and the DivaCup is 66 millimeters long. The Lena cup is a good choice here. The silicone on the Lena is really nice and smooth, but no less firm than the MeLuna or DivaCup, and of the wide cups we tested it was the easiest one to handle without spillage.

For a long time menstrual discs were available only in disposable form, most commonly as the Softdisc formerly known as the Softcup , made by Flex Company. Now, however, reusable menstrual discs are available, and we decided to test three of them. Discs do not sit in the vaginal canal the way cups do.

To use a disc, you squeeze the rim so that the disc becomes a long, thin shape like a tampon , and you insert it up into the vagina and push it all the way back so that the farthest part of the disc finds its way tucked up behind your cervix. Then you press the side of the disc closest to you up and tuck it up behind your pubic bone.

This tension is what keeps the disc in place. Removing a disc also differs from removing a cup: Rather than pinching the bottom of the disc and pulling out, you insert a finger into your vaginal canal and hook it under the rim of the disc.

As with a menstrual cup, inserting, positioning, and removing a menstrual disc involves a learning curve. Discs require you to insert your fingers much farther up your vaginal canal than cups do. If you have a low cervix, menstrual discs are probably not the right option for you, as they do require a certain amount of space to fit comfortably.

In fact, for most people, we recommend a menstrual cup over a disc. That said, some people prefer menstrual discs. But you might need to reach in and push the disc back in place if this happens.

If you do think you want to try a menstrual disc, we recommend starting with trying a disposable one like the Flex disc. Of these, we think the Lumma Unique is the best option, particularly for people who like the way a disposable disc fits and feels. Lumma Unique : The Lumma is the only menstrual disc that actually comes with size options, offering Short, Medium, and High options that refer to the height of your cervix.

The Lumma is also the only disc available that has a little string to help you remove it, which we found beneficial given how far into the vaginal canal you have to place a disc. Ziggy : Unlike the other two discs we tested, the Ziggy is oblong and actually has a correct orientation for insertion. I found that when trying to hook my finger under and remove the Ziggy, I wound up disturbing the contents enough to cause spillage most of the time.

A tester who used both the Ziggy and the Nixit during penetrative intercourse reported that the two discs performed relatively similarly, but she preferred the Nixit as it was easier to remove, and although she could always feel the Ziggy during sex, eventually the Nixit was undetectable.

A good hot wash or boil is totally fine. Before cleaning your cup, you should always read the instruction manual that comes with it. You should follow the rules for your cup, with one exception: Many companies that make menstrual cups also sell special soaps and cleaning wipes along with them, and they might even recommend these things in their manuals. Any hand soap will work just fine. In general, there are two types of menstrual cup cleaning: the cleaning you do in between insertions during your cycle , and the cleaning you do in between cycles.

Depending on what your flow is like, how often that emptying should be will change. But inevitably all menstrual cup users find themselves in some public bathroom stall dumping menstrual blood down the toilet. In some bathrooms at home or in single-person bathrooms, for example , you can wash the cup off in the sink with mild soap before reinserting, though not every bathroom provides that luxury.

For these scenarios, many people carry baby wipes around with them to wipe out the cup before reinserting it. In between cycles: Many people like to sterilize their cup once their cycle is over, with a bit more of a deep clean than they might perform just between wears. You have lots of ways to do this. Many people boil their cups again, check the info on your cup to see whether it warns against boiling for about three to five minutes. Others use sterilization tablets like these. Lots of menstrual cup fan sites advise using either hydrogen peroxide or bleach to sterilize the cups, but we would advise against that because both chemicals might eat the silicone that your cup is made of and cause all kinds of problems.

Sealing the cup like that makes it impossible for the moisture on the cup to go anywhere, and the cup can get stinky.

If you have no prior experience using one, then folding, inserting, and removing a menstrual cup for the first time—or first several times—can be challenging.

Every person I talked to who uses a menstrual cup told me that it definitely involves a learning curve. There are tons of ways to fold up a menstrual cup. You can see a video of some of them. We found that the punch-down fold and the 7 fold were the easiest to use; they made the cup the smallest yet still gave us a spot to grip that kept the cup from opening up before we let go.

This is the hardest part. You fold the cup and insert it into your vagina. Then you release the cup, and it should pop open inside you. Another good trick to making sure the cup is open and positioned right is to grab the bottom and twist the cup gently. We recommend squatting over the toilet for this part, especially for the first few times, just in case. Instead, pinch the bottom of the cup, and then slowly remove it. We do not recommend just pulling on the stem, whatever the design, to get the cup out.

When we tested the cups this way, it was a disaster every time. For us, what happened was a lot of blood all over the place. Once the cup is properly positioned, it should feel the same way a tampon does inside you. If you think about it, you can feel it there.