My (Menstrual) Cup Runneth Over

Step number one: cut your nails. Long nails and menstrual cup insertion…not an ideal situation.

When I was on dialysis for a number of years, I stopped menstruating. I guess it was one of those situations where your body “shuts off” bodily functions that aren’t 100% needed when it’s stressed. I know that this is the case because my periods came back exactly one month AFTER my kidney transplant.

Up until that point, it had been YEARS since I had my period. Oddly, I was super happy when it returned. Having my period made me feel…”normal”.

No sooner after feeling thankful for my periods did I dread the coming of “that time of the month”. Pads are gross and I don’t like tampons either. I decided that it was time to look into other options.

Of course, the first thing that I saw were menstrual cups. Good grief, a CUP? My immediate thoughts:

How do you get that thing IN?
What if I can’t get it in at all?
What if I can’t get it OUT??

All of that said, I felt the pros outshone any perceived cons, so I decided to give it a try.

Cup #1: The Diva Cup

Photo from the Diva Cup Website

The Diva Cup comes in two sizes: The smaller size is for people under the age of 25/women who have not yet had children. The other, bigger size is for…well…everyone else.

I got the smaller size. It never really “did it” for me. I couldn’t get it to go in and open. When I did get it in, it always leaked.

Now, I take my share of the blame in this for two reasons. First, this was my first cup and I had exactly no idea what I was doing, in spite of all the YouTube videos I watched. Second, I had no business getting the smaller size when I didn’t fit into the “under the age of 25” category. But still, I decided to try something else.

Cup #2: FemmyCycle

Photo from the FemmyCycle Website

The Femmycycle comes in 3 different sizes: the petite size, the regular size, and the low cervix size. While I got the regular size, I really appreciate the fact that femmycycle took the differences in a woman’s anatomy into consideration when they decided to go with three sizes instead of the “standard” two.

The Femmycycle is one of the pricier options out there. However, I was drawn to the leak-free design I read about during my research of the product, so I decided to give it a go.

When I first received it, my first thought was…ok..how am I gonna get THAT thing in?? It looked huge! But I had to remind myself that the woman’s body was designed to give birth to little humans. If a little human can come out of ‘there’, I’m sure a cup can go in there too.

I have found that a lot of cup companies advise you to put one foot on the toilet while the other one is on the floor when inserting the cup. I never found this method to be particularly comfortable or easy, so I’ve always gone with the “sitting on the toilet” method (Be sure to hold on tight; the last thing anyone wants or needs is for their cup to fall into the toilet).

It took me a few tries, but I got it in. The FemmyCycle says that the cup won’t necessarily open all the way when you put it in, as that is what is expected of pretty much every other cup I’ve heard of. So I stopped panicking at the fact that it wasn’t 100% open.

I got lucky with my first go at it. Not a leak in sight. Now mind you, since I wasn’t 100% confident that I wouldn’t experience leakage, I also wore a cloth pad (I do this with all cups that I wear).

The second time around, things didn’t go as smoothly. I was on the subway on my way to work and I could “feel” the leakage happening. Thank goodness for my cloth pad!

When I got to work, I went to my desk and dropped off my jacket, purse, etc., and headed for the washroom.  I washed my hands then headed for the stall to make some adjustments.  The adjustments worked.

The FemmyCycle, while kind of expensive, is definitely one of my favourite cups. I like the ring at the base of the cup to help you pull the cup down closer when it is ready to be removed (as opposed to the “stem” found on many other cups). I also like the design of the cup; it inverts in a way that helps prevent spillage. It’s a “Yes” from me.

Cup #3: Lunette

Photo from the Lunette website

The Lunette cup comes in two sizes. Model 1, which is the petite size (also meant for lighter flow) and Model 2, which is meant for normal/heavy flow.

The Lunette cup is bae.

Like almost any new relationship, it took a little while for me to get used to the Lunette and “feel things out”. I soon realized that I found myself reaching for the Lunette cup over and over again, in spite of the other options available.

One of the things I really like about this cup is that it’s not difficult to get it to “pop” open. Once I put it in and run my finger around the cup, it seemed to open fairly easily.

I have this theory. Now, it might be complete BS, but i’m sticking with it, so hear me out.

When you wear a menstrual cup, you’re not supposed to feel it when it’s inside. This is because the cup “warms” to the temperature of your body, making it virtually undetectable. It molds to your body and it’s shape…and that is one of the things that makes it so great.

When I’m getting ready to put my cup in after I have washed it with warm water…I give it a rinse in cold water; as cold as the tap will get. My theory behind this is…if your cup is already warm when you try to insert it, it’s going to be all…squishy and moldable, and may not open as easily. If you rinse it in cold water first, it’s going to be “stiffer”, and therefore it’ll pop open more easily once you insert it. It will then warm to your body temperature almost immediately.

So like I said, not sure if I’m blowing smoke or not, but I live by this method.

Anyhow, the lunette cup has really exceeded my expectations in terms of ease of use and beginner friendliness.

I personally get really bad cramps. I don’t know if it’s the firmness of cup, or if it’s my super strong pelvic muscles, but I find that I don’t get much menstrual cramp relief when I’m wearing the lunette cup.  In fact, it might almost feel worse when I have the cup in. My cramps are at their worst on day 2. That said, I must say…I don’t wear my dear Lunette on day 2. My cramps are just too crazy.

Cup 4: The Lena Cup

Photo from the Lena Cup Website

The Lena cup is kinda cool, and this is why.

The Lena cup comes in your standard 2 sizes: Small and large (I have large).

There is also a “sensitive” cup, which is one of the smallest cups on the market. It can be used by teens or adults, and can be used as a companion to the Lena cup on your more sensitive days. This model has a softer silicon than the other two models.

I received the Lena cup as my period was just ending last month, so I had to wait a month before trying it. When my period came along, I was pleased to grab my Lena and put her to the test.

My experience with this cup is that I never experienced a leak for the entire duration of my period. This is very rare for me. But in this case, the cup held its own. It was soft and comfortable. This isn’t surprising to me as this cup is said to be one of the better cups for beginners.

This cup is also less firm when compared to the Lunette, which makes it a good choice for me when I’m on the second day of my period.

I will say, though, that my “cold water” trick didn’t work as well with the Lena cup. I found myself having a bit of trouble getting the cup to open once it was inserted. I twisted it and turned it and tried to run my finger around it, but I still had some trouble. This trouble may have been lessened dramatically if I didn’t have long fingernails (ouch), but I did find it slightly more challenging to get open. Once it was open, though, it was heavenly.

When I go and get my nails done next week, I’m going short. It’s just easier overall, for a number of reasons lol. That said, I will update this review next month once I have shorter nails.

All in all, based on my first period impressions, the Lena cup will most definitely be a regular part of my monthly regimen.

Cup 5: Voxapod (testing pending)

Photo from Voxapod’s kickstarter page

I came across Voxapod while perusing kickstarter. I was really drawn to it because it has a bunch of cool features. Some of these features include ribbing around the middle to allow for easy breaking of the seal when it’s time for removal , pinch grips at the bottom for easy removal, and a reinforced centre to allow for even more leakage protection (in addition to the leakage protection that is already around the lip of the cup.

Obviously I can’t say too much yet as I’ve yet to try it, but when I get it and have a chance to try it..I’ll be back!

So there you have it-my take on some of the menstrual cups out there.

Menstrualcup.co is a space where you can find tons of menstrual cups, including some that I’ve spoken about in this post (Lunette Cup and Femmycycle). Check them out! If you decide to dive in and try out a cup yourself, use the coupon code MIZFLOW to grab 10% off your purchase. Not bad eh?

I’ve also linked the websites for each cup in its heading (or a link to wear you can buy said cup). Check them out and let me know what you think. Until then, I hope that my menstrual cup review has proven helpful if and when you decide to take the plunge.