Curious About Menstrual Cups or Discs? Here's What to Know.
Every single person I talked to who uses a menstrual cup told me that getting started involves a learning curve. Jackie Bolen, author of The Ultimate Guide to Menstrual Cups: An Eco-Friendly, Safe, Affordable Alternative to Tampons, said that her biggest frustration with menstrual cups is that 'people give up too soon.'
'Just keep trying and wear a pad while you're experimenting with it; after five or six months, if it's really not working, try a different cup,' she said.
The learning curve includes figuring out the best way to insert and remove the cup or disc without spilling blood everywhere, determining whether the cup or disc is actually open inside you, and knowing when it's time to take the cup or disc out.
Always wash your hands before you handle and insert your cup. How to fold a menstrual cup
There are tons of ways to fold a menstrual cup. Over nine years of testing three dozen cups, I've found that the punch-down fold and the 7 fold are the easiest to use, as they make most cups smaller yet still provide a spot to grip to keep them from opening before they're in place. How to insert and remove a menstrual cup
These are the hardest parts, and they're worth practicing first at home, if possible.
Let's start with insertion. You fold the cup and insert it into your vagina. Then you release the cup, and it should 'pop' open inside you.
It's totally fine to use personal lubricant to insert a cup or disc, as long as you use a lubricant that plays nicely with your cup's material. Avoid using silicone-based lubricants with silicone cups or discs.
Figuring out if your cup or disc is fully open can be tough; some cups you can feel open, but depending on your musculature and how forceful that opening is, sometimes you can't tell.
Once you've inserted the cup, you can reposition it by inserting a finger and moving the cup around a bit. Another good trick for making sure that the cup is open and positioned right is to grab the bottom and twist the cup gently. Some people like to squat or jump up and down a bit after they insert a cup, just to make sure that it is secure and won't move around.
Several companies now sell menstrual cup applicators. We don't think they're worthwhile.
In theory, applicators might be useful accessibility aids for people who struggle with the hand mobility and dexterity needed to insert or remove a cup. But the applicators we've tested so far have been really hard to use, requiring a lot of hand strength and dexterity. (I can deadlift 285 pounds, and I could barely get one of the test cups through an Ecoblossom applicator.)
For removal, experts recommend squatting over the toilet, especially for the first few times, just in case. It's important to relax before you try to get the cup out; if you're tense, your vaginal muscles will squeeze the cup, making it harder to get out.
There are several techniques for removing a cup. Generally speaking, it's not a great idea to just grab the stem and yank. Instead, you'll want to pinch the bottom of the cup to 'break the seal,' and then slowly remove it. How to insert and remove a menstrual disc
As with a cup, learning how to insert, position, and remove a menstrual disc takes time.
To insert a disc, you squeeze the rim so that the disc becomes a long, thin shape (akin to 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 is tucked up behind your cervix. Then you press the side of the disc closest to you up and tuck it behind your pubic bone. Tension, rather than suction, keeps a 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 (or, in the case of a disc with a pull tab or strap, use that). Then you carefully pull the disc out, making sure to keep it at an angle so that it doesn't dump your menstrual fluid out onto you, the floor, or whatever else. (There's a reason that the menstrual cup reviewers of Put A Cup In It called one menstrual disc a 'blood drawer.')
Experts often recommend removing the disc in the shower, at least the first couple of times, to get the hang of it. How to know if a menstrual cup fits (and how it should feel)
Once a 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. But it shouldn't be uncomfortable or constantly at the forefront of your mind. It shouldn't press on your bladder, and you shouldn't be able to feel the stem at all; if you can, and it's irritating you, try cutting the stem shorter.
Before assuming that a cup's size is wrong, try removing and inserting the cup a couple of times over a couple of cycles. It's hard to isolate the variables — a cup might be the right size but sitting awkwardly because it's not in deep enough, or it's at a weird angle.
If the cup migrates up your vagina, and you're having to dig to fish it out, you probably need a longer cup. If you have trimmed the stem and are sure the cup is in as far as it can go, but the cup is still poking out of your vagina or rubbing uncomfortably, you likely need a shorter cup. If the cup makes you feel like you need to pee all the time or is causing pain in your urethra, you might need a smaller (or a softer) cup. How to know when a menstrual cup or disc is full
This part takes a bit of learning. You can start by removing and emptying a cup in as much time as you would normally fill two tampons and then build up the time between cup changes from there — manufacturers' instructions can vary, but experts say you shouldn't leave any cup or disc in for more than 12 hours.
Some people like to wear a panty liner or period underwear while they're learning their cup schedule, just in case.
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