[related-post align=”right”]So there are some people who are a little embarrassed to hear about, um, well…ahem, “feminine issues.” This is not an article for them. This is an article for the other people who like to get all in other people’s personal business, but understand that because of the constraints of polite society, they can’t always ask all the questions they like.
There’s this thing called a menstrual cup! You may have heard of it. It’s a reusable alternative to pads and tampons in the form of a cup that fits comfortably up in your vagina and collects rather than absorbs menstrual blood. Different brands are available in both silicone and rubber, but it’s not my purpose to endorse any particular brand, just to tell you about the ways switching to a menstrual cup had a positive impact on my housekeeping.
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Bathroom storage
I have a tiny bathroom in an old building where storage is at a premium. A big box of tampons would take up approximately 60% of all hidden bathroom space I have. Having a single menstrual cup has allowed me to free up that area for toilet paper storage, hair products, the boyfriend’s shaving accoutrements, and bathroom cleaners.
Sleeping in
I love sleeping in. It’s one of my greatest joys and greatest talents. But if I wanted to sleep in on a heavy flow day, tough luck! I had to get up to change my tampon, or my bed sheets would pay the price. I have not conducted rigorous scientific double blind studies, but my menstrual cup has never failed me in this regard. If I want to be a lazybones who sleeps for 12 hours straight, I can without staining my sheets.
Money
A menstrual cup generally retails for $20-$30 making it a little pricier than a big box of tampons right off the bat. But your box of tampons will run out. I will never have to buy another menstrual cup unless a) lightning strikes my current one or b) I decide to have kids, in which case I’d have to move up to a different model. I’ve been using my cup for 6 years, and I’ve saved tons of cash.
Trash
Blood gets stinky really fast. Ask anyone who works in the restaurant industry, and they’ll tell you, their least favorite job is cleaning out the tampon boxes in the bathroom. Since a menstrual cup collects blood, rather than absorbing it, I can just pour it out and flush it. My trash still smells like regular trash, which isn’t great, but is a world better than decaying tampon smell.
It’s reusable!
After a simple cleaning with hot water (and soap if you like), a menstrual cup is sterile and ready to be used again, as opposed to a tampon which goes straight in the trash with the thousands of its brethren that the average woman will go through in her life. I know that if there’s one thing all our offbeat homies seem to have in common, it’s that they care for our global home.
And for extra bonus hippie points…
Gardening
So apparently menstrual blood is an amazing plant fertilizer. I know, it sounds gross, but let’s put that aside and just think for a moment. It’s a uterine lining. Your body was planning on growing a frickin’ baby in it. So it can probably grow some plants, right? I don’t have a garden to try this myself, but I have friends with menstrual cups who have done this, and swear by it. Many people might have knee jerk reactions to this — hell, I do and I’m the one who brought it up — but blood decomposes quickly, which makes menstrual blood seem pretty innocuous, especially considering some of the chemicals that commonly turn up in commercial fertilizers.
Have questions? Now is your chance to ask things you’d be embarrassed to ask about in person, through the magic anonymity of the internet!
After years of the most awful cramps and throwing up as a result at least twice a cycle, I am soooo glad you all twisted my arm and talked me into it. Not only have I had a near complete removal of stomach cramps, but not having to pretend to need to pee when “it’s time” when out with the guys, and being able to go to a kickboxing class complete with burpees, squats and lunges and not worry about leakage or a dislodged tampon, it truly has been a life changing decision for me.
I found a un-named brand on eBay because of the cost for the cup in Australia (I hear you Kaelee) and I also picked up some flannelette underwear protectors ( http://greenchickadee.com.au for any other Aussies). Total cost was about AUD$50 for both purchases and I have had no awkwardness or leakage for the first time use.
My mum was grossed out when I told her about it and asked what century I lived in but my two sisters are really keen and are considering getting one each for their own use. I honestly wish there was more publicity over here for this kind of thing because you cannot just get one from a chemist, pharmacy or grocery store. Once again a big thank you to the owners of the Offbeat Empire, without you guys a lot of us would still be in the dark.
Isn’t it funny that our moms’ generation is grossed out by this, but other women our age are all excited to try it out?
Any gals out there with vaginismus using a menstrual cup? I can still get a tampon in, so I figured a cup wouldn’t be too hard to use once I got adjusted to it. I did my research and got the smallest size of a soft Meluna – I was so excited, it even was SPARKLY!
But getting it in? YOUCH! I woke up all crumpled on the bathroom floor, with the cup halfway in and no idea how I got there. Turns out I had a “vasovagal reaction”. Does this mean I can’t use menstrual cups? I have heavy periods and do NOT want to have to resort to tampons again 🙁 Any ob/gyns or experienced cup users with vaginismus in the house? What should I do?
Liz, you need to talk to an ob/gyn about this — no-one here is qualified to answer that question for you.
Hi, I have mild vaginismus (by mild, I mean that I can HAVE intercourse, but it hurts like hell). I can use tampons, but I have swapped to a DivaCup. I’ve never had a vaso vagal reaction to any sort of vaginal interaction (although I have passed out from having blood drawn, shots, deep cuts, etc), so maybe I can’t get you exact advise. I’ve never heard of anyone having a vaso vagal reaction to using a menstrual cup, so my advise would be to first visit an ob/gyn if you haven’t already. Once you determine (as I did with my visit) that there isn’t really anything physically wrong with you, my suggestion is to (ahem) purchase a life size “toy” to practice getting your body used to. Once your body gets used to that being inserted, a menstrual cup should be a breeze. I use my DivaCup with ease; the only discomfort is when I remove it because it’s open all of the way instead of folded. But, no biggie. Good luck!
After reading this and other info about the cups, I think it is high time that I give it a try. So we shall see!
I started using the cup about 3 months ago. I’ve noticed that since then, I’ve started to have a LOT of bleeding in between periods. So often in fact, that it seems like there’s only a few days break in between. And they’re anywhere from full-blown period to very spotty. Some with large clots. I’m wondering if it might have to do with the suction aspect of it. I’m not sure what to think at this point. BTW, I’m 48 yo. For the past 5 yrs, my periods have been getting goofier but this seems to be definitely different. Anybody else? Opinions/ideas? TIA.
That sounds awful, Mary.
I’ve never heard of that happening with the cup and I’m not sure what to make of it. Do you think it’s possible that some early premenopausal symptoms have started?
Do you use an IUD? Does it hurt to have the cup in?
As awesome as the cup is I might try a cycle (or a week or whatever that looks like to you right now) with pads and see if there’s any difference.
And of course I am NOT a doctor! So see a doctor when you can. Sudden heavy periods could be nothing, or an indicator of some hidden issue. All the best!
My mum and grandmother both started getting menopause symptoms around 47-48 so I would recommend going to the doc to get checked out. Not to fear monger but if they have been acting up for the last 5 years it might be something more serious….
Believe it or not one of my environmentally conscious male friends first introduced me to the idea of using a Diva Cup. At first I thought he was crazy & I shouldered the idea, not because I didn’t care about being wasteful or because I didn’t care about the environment, but because I was ignorant! I thought I was just one of those lucky women blessed with a heavy period, & that there was no way putting a cup in “there” would collect all that “fluid”. After all I was going through about 4-6 ultra tampons per day, & my period lasts 6 days. That’s 24-36 tampons a month! That’s 288-432 tampons a year!! That’s wasteful & expensive. So I decided to buy a Diva Cup & overcome my skepticism, mainly because it would pay for itself if it worked. I read blogs, reviews, tips etc. before making my purchase & the odds seemed pretty 50/50. I thought it would be messy and difficult. But I bought it and I tried it. It only took me a few tries to insert it properly, and when I went to the ladies room to remove it 4 hours later I was STUPEFIED!! Not only was there less mess involved than previously thought, but there was less fluid! I thought I had a heavy flow!?! I’m not saying the Diva Cup lightened my period, but it put into perspective the reality of fluid I actually lost. I was SHOCKED!! I’ve only been able to wear tampons for about 4 hours, but with the Diva Cup I can wear it longer!! Not only is this easy but it’s more efficient and effective. This is the first time I’ve used this product and I’m sold for life. Well, at least until Menopause.
I’m so jealous of all you ladies who can use a menstrual cup. i have a didelphic uterus with two separate cervices. And _almost_ two separate vaginas – as it was, i had a septum down the middle that was removed in 2011 after it was becoming irritated too often during intercourse (never a problem in the past until we tried to conceive… more sex = more opportunity to make things uncomfortable)
Best part of the surgery: i can now at least use tampons. When i was a teenager, i thought i was just too stupid to get a tampon inserted right for it to work/stay put.
More interesting facts about my in-utero development oddities: i only have one kidney.
Is it messed up that I read your post and thought, “Wow!” For some reason I am fascinated by medical oddities of all kinds.
I also had my vaginal septum removed a few years ago, and have always used o.b. tampons… I’m going to do a little research to see if anyone else with this issue has had success with a menstral cup. Best wishes to you!!
I’ve been using cups and cloth for years! I developed a really intense allergy to adhesives in high school, so I switched to cloth pads. In college, I got a cup for convenience. I started out with a MeLuna, but I got the dreaded ‘funk’, so I switched to a Lunette. The Lunette works better for me anyway, as it has a bigger capacity than the MeLuna. My my periods are a lot heavier since I got my IUD (Paragard, not Mirena).
I am 30 and had never heard of it until recently. The sewer line at my house clogged up with tampons from years of disposal from me and prior owners. After researching online for alternatives I ended up buying a Diva Cup and am using it for the first time. It will take some getting used to but I feel so much more independent now – I don’t have to plan out my period in my life. Just insert, dump and clean over and over again. I have a very heavy period so where I used 1 ultra tampon that would last me 3 hours the Diva Cup lasts 4 hours, just fyi for those ladies worried about public restrooms. But I would still recommend it – think of all the money you will save! 🙂
I’ve been using my silicone Mooncup for 3-4 years, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever bought. I love it so much! I bought it at Boots (I live in the UK), and the amount of money I’ve saved in not buying tampons/towels alone has made it worth it! It’s so comfortable, discreet and easy. I hardly ever get leaks, even on the heaviest periods. And I never have to worry about going round to someone’s house to find that they don’t have a bathroom bin.
But what I love most is that I’m not responsible for thousands of towels and tampons rotting away on a landfill somewhere. I forgot to take my cup away with me last week, and had to use tampons for the first time in years, and I’d forgotten how gross they were, and how gross they made me feel.
Apart from period pains I hardly even feel like I’m on my period when I’m using my Mooncup. I was SO RELIEVED to get back to it last week, and I can’t say how much I wish someone had told me about it when I was in school, instead of letting me believe for years that pads and tampons were my only option. Seriously, TRY IT OUT if you can, it couldactually change your life (once a month).
Does the cup ever flow over or pour out? How does it stay in place? It just seems that if you lie down that the cup would spill over wouldn’t it? I am so confused
It doesn’t pour out when you lie down…I assume it because the cup forms a circular seal around your walls. So when your laying down it is still sealing in the same spot. I guess when you lay the blood is sitting in a different place in your cup then when your vertical. I have only had a mishap once…it was proceeded by an air bubbly feeling, which was obviously a seal breakage. Not sure why or how it happened. If i ever feel the air bubbles again i’ll be heading straight for the loo at speed.
I doesn’t stay in the place I put it…it somehow migrates itself to the place it needs to be (higher than i ever put it). So worth it…for my 2c worth I would recommend Meluna I have a small and a medium and I rotate them small for the night, medium for the day. They are sparkley and super comfy. Regardless of heavy or light days I do a morning and night switch out preferably in the shower…it so much less messy that way. Meluna now has a Sport range which is stiffer and would suit the kick boxers and heavy athletes out there. Stop thinking and get one!
It doesn’t spill out. Plus, as you will see with the cup your menstrual fluid isn’t actually liquid. It is more gelatinous and sticks to the walls of the cup until turned upside down, then a lot of times it takes shaking it, wiping it out, or rinsing it out to get the fluid to remove.
I want to look into this, but um…I’m a tad…narrow? I have trouble using tampons, even when my muscles relax, it’s just this really uncomfortable, full feeling. I’m not sure how I’d handle a cup, but I really want to try.
I think once you get it in being narrow wont matter, my cup comes out squished into an oval shape, they will mould to your shape. You would just need to find a narrow fold for inserting. They don’t feel as hard and awkward as a tampon inside.
I am a bit tight too (over 30 and married so not a virgin) and would feel “full” as you say with a tampon. My flow was heavy but the super tampons wouldn’t fit. 🙁 So i would change them a lot. The Diva Cup (size 1 so the smaller size) works much better for me: once it is in I forget it is even there. No “full” feeling. My only issue in a little pinch removing it but that is way better than going through the whole day feeling weird.
I just got my first period in six years (had previously been on hormonal BC that stopped menstruation) and I had forgotten how truly terrible pads are and how much I hate tampons. I remembered this post, though! And now that I have read all the comments and researched tons of different brands, I think I’m going to go out to get a Diva cup (the only one I found that I can buy locally). I’m curious to try it. Thanks for all the input!
Hello,
I am looking for alternatives to pads and can’t seem to get a tampon to work/fit (At all!!!). I am 14 and a virgin so do you think that a LadyCup would work better than my bad attempts at using a tampon? And maybe so tips if you have any?
Thanks!
Depends why tampons aren’t working for you…if its a comfort/capacity issue then cups might be for you. If you are anyway uncomfortable with getting up close and personal with your lady bits…skip the cup. I don’t think being a virgin matters too much, keep in mind you are squishing a small cup up inside with just your fingers. Think the kind of contact needed for inserting an applicator free tampon. Also removal sometimes involves a little fishing around to locate the cup. If you think you can handle that then cups should be fine. I have learnt so much about my body since using a cup, I know where my cervix is, how it changes location during my cycle etc. in hindsight I wish I knew this earlier in life.
Cups can feel a bit bigger when inserting but once in you usually can’t feel them, the don’t poke ( especially if you get meluna ones without a stem, I like the ring and the ball ). They don’t dry you out inside and hold my whole flow for a day without changing. As for tips, break the seal before removing…it prevents the ouch. Go for it…I haven’t used a pad or tampon in two years, for the first day or so of my period I may use a panty liner but haven’t actually needed it. If you have any more specific questions I can probably help you out. It will change your life.
Grace, I had the same problem from the age of 13 until I started using the menstrual cup, at the age of 25. I am about the size of a 12 year old (4’10” tall and weigh 90 lbs). You might like to read my story of my use with the menstrual cup. Good luck! http://cleaningouttheclutter.com/2013/02/a-menstual-cup-is-a-girls-best-friend/
I bought a cup last month and I was super excited about it. And just after that I forgot to take my contraceptive pill again, and decided I really should switch to those implants you get somewhere in the arm that continuously give you hormones. And I realized I probably wouldn’t have periods at all. Well… We’ll see, my appointment is in a fortnight, I might try the cup once…
I know this post and its comments have been around for a while, but thanks to all of the information here, I was convinced to get a menstrual cup a couple of months ago, and I want to thank all of you because *it is awesome.*
I spent a glorious day at the beach yesterday unhindered by the discomfort or inconvenience of tampons, and I feel like I’m cheating. Sure, I still have some cramps and whatnot, but using a cup makes my period so much less disruptive. I am a total menstrual cup convert now.
I got a Lunette, and I got the smaller one even though I’m 30, which is old in the world of menstrual cups. I’m really happy about my choice.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my cups (plural)
I bought a medium Meluna about…eighteen months ago? Something like that. And it was perfect and wonderful until about six months ago when my doctor put me on iron supplements. Those have made my period heavier (but thankfully not longer!) and the Meluna couldn’t cope overnight on the first two nights. So I bought a large Fleurcup, and it has been just as wonderful. Now I have the Fleur for the first two heavy days, and the Meluna for the light day or two afterwards.
I would absolutely never go back to pads or tampons. The cups have paid for themselves several times over with the money I haven’t had to spend on tampons, and they are a million times more comfortable.
I love all of these benefits of using the cup. Such a great list. I agree with all of them. I actually wrote an article about my love of the menstrual cup, but mine is more about how to choose the one for your body and how to use them. I call it, “A Menstrual Cup is a Girl’s Best Friend.” http://cleaningouttheclutter.com/2013/02/a-menstual-cup-is-a-girls-best-friend/
It’s funny that this post is featured on facebook today, as I *just* came across this myself in the last few days. I had never heard of a menstrual cup until reading this, but it prompted me to do a bunch of research. I ended up ordering one through a Diva Cup sponsored blog and I’m definitely excited to try it out. 🙂
I just started using my Moon cup this week and already I love it. I ended up cutting the stem off completely. Both tampons and my nuva ring have always sat low in my vagina so I wasn’t to put off by this. I totally recommend getting a cup. Yes, I can fell it a tiny bit more then tampon, but I also don’t feel like my vagina is completely dried out. (hot, right?) I love my cup and will never go back.
try bellacup. it is awsome!
reviews : http://rumpsreviews.blogspot.com/2013/09/bella-cup-review.html?m=1
http://periodbloggy.blogspot.kr/
I’ve been considering getting a menstrual cup. Many have said in the comments that it hold much more than a tampon but I’m worried I’ll have unexpected overflow as I get huge clots during my period and I assume these would take up quite a bit of space in the cups. Any suggestions or answers?
I can’t believe I’m 35 and have had miserable heavy periods since my teens and no girlfriend or gyno ever told me about this! I will have to order tomorrow. Thank you for sharing your tmi. I feel that this will be life changing.
Can I just say THANK YOU for this post?!?!?! It’s only thanks to this that even knew these existed! I have been looking forward to a day when I would be done with having children just so I could go talk to the doc about a hysterectomy and just be done with this whole period thing!
**TMI warning**
My time of month affects me a lot. besides being an emotional wreck, I have a couple of super heavy days to the point where I have to change a super tampon every 45minutes to an hour (even have to wake up in the middle of the night 3-4 times) and I can litterally feel the weakness in my body from all the blood loss, feels just like when donating blood. Anyway, after reading this, I decided to try out a Diva Cup and even having just gone through my first period with it, there will be no going back to tampons for me! It’s incredibly freeing! I did still have one night where I had to empty out in the middle of the night but I only had to wake up once which was amazing. Otherwise, the rest of the days went great!
A lot of people have mentioned that it may take a cycle or 2 or 3 to get comfortable with it but by about day 3 of my first cycle, it had completely won me over! Thankfully, my cycle started when I wasn’t working so I was able to be at home and, out of paranoia, emptied it pretty often on the first day, but then after a while, I was able to tell when it was time and was able to go the whole 12 hours (other than the 2 heavy days I have). That’s seriously amazing for me. Not having wake up in the night is so great! Also, I’m a wedding planner so I can’t always escape to the bathroom when I need to when I’m working so this is going be life changing in that aspect as well.
Thanks again Offbeat for being so truly awesome!
When I was still having periods (Yay for my IUD in combo with my red raspberry leaf tea!) I tried like 3 or 4 different kinds of cups and had the same issue with all of them, THEY HURT. and not like I tried once and was done. OH no. I tried and tried month after month with no success. I remember one day, my girlfriend at the time and I were starting to, ya know, get a little frisky and the damn thing shifted and literally felt like it was sucking my insides out. I panicked (of course) and it took me getting naked in the shower and deep breathing exercises to get it out. Since then, I switched to sea sponges (which also help with my damn near yearly yeast infections, joy) before needing nothing as I am a year into my iud. I’m a total wimp when it comes to my lady bits and I know my uterus is a low rider (just ask my boyfriend). Perhaps I’ll try again some day…
But what about small people? I have a hard time with the smallest of tampons. I am just small all around, not just in the vaginal area. Is there a cup that is recommended for smaller women? I would love to change over but already have so many problems. Thanks if anyone has an answer.
I’m generally small, too. The DivaCup was much too big (and stiff) for me; my current one is a ball-ended, small, soft MeLuna cup, which suits me much better.
If you search for “feminine wear” there should be a .co.uk site around; the lady who runs it ships things to North America (just in case you’re based there). Pretty cheap, too, so you wouldn’t be risking much by trying it. 🙂