If there were an experience ranking for different kinds of feminine hygiene products, then pads would be the beginner’s level: easy to use, go-to, old reliable. Tampons would be for women at the intermediate level who are more comfortable with themselves and have upgraded from pads.
Tampons can be left in for four to eight hours, but you run the risk of getting Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). According to Better Health Channel, tampons can cause TSS by creating micro-abrasions to the vaginal wall introducing bacteria into the vagina, which is a dark, moist environment, making it the perfect place for bacteria to grow.
As an avid tampon user, I wanted to look for a safer, more reliable option, which brought me to the advanced level of feminine hygiene products: menstrual cups.
Menstrual cups are made of silicone with a tag that sticks out of the bottom for easy removal. They can be left in for up to 12 hours and have a lower risk of causing TSS.
I know trying out this new product may be scary for a lot of women. That’s why I went to my local CVS and bought the Flex Menstrual Cup, so you wouldn’t have to.
The box came with step-by-step instructions on how to put in the menstrual cup and remove it, with pictures to guide the process further. It’s important to remember to wash your hands and the menstrual cup before and after each use.
When putting in the menstrual cup, there are different positions you could be in, such as standing on one leg with the other bent on a counter or even in the shower (running the shower could also act as a lubricant), squatting, or simply sitting on the toilet. I went with sitting on the toilet, as I was already used to doing that for tampons.
The instructions show different methods of folding the menstrual cup to allow ease when putting it in. I tried the quarters method, where you fold the cup in half twice, but I do not recommend this. I had a difficult and slightly painful time trying to insert the cup, and I wasn’t putting it in far enough using this method. You can tell if a menstrual cup is far enough in because you shouldn’t be able to feel it.
A good test to see if the menstrual cup is in the proper place is by trying to do a hip-lift exercise, and if you feel the cup near the opening of the vagina, it is not far enough in. I would describe the feeling as a stress ball, which is not something you want to be feeling down there.
Instead, I would recommend the tulip method, where you fold the menstrual cup by rolling it in on itself to loop with a rounded point that looks like a tulip. Sliding the cup in and putting it properly in place was much easier this way.
Once properly in place, I loved the menstrual cup and didn’t think much of it until it leaked a bit.
Menstrual cups can only hold so much volume, which is listed in the instructions, on the box, and in the cup itself. There are different sizes of cups, and I got the smallest one because that is a beginner-friendly size, but as a result, the cup holds less volume.
I would recommend keeping in mind how heavy your flow is when buying a menstrual cup. No matter what size you get, I recommend using a panty liner in case you experience leakage while you learn to put the menstrual cup in place correctly.
Overall, there is a learning curve to figuring out how to use a menstrual cup, and it can be a messy and slightly uncomfortable process. For me, it only took a day or two to get over this curve, and now I will be using a menstrual cup on my heaviest flow days.
Now, all there is left to learn is the expert level of feminine hygiene products: menstrual discs.