r/menstrualcups

I'll be honest, I am wanting to try to save a bit of money and tampons and pads are getting astronomically expensive. I've recently switched to reusable pads but I have "basic" hesitations to getting a cup. Suction, discomfort, (don't laugh) size discomfort, TSS, insertion.

Are there brands that are beginner friendly? Are there different sizes or are they all one size? How do you reasonably travel with them and keep them clean? Do you need more than one?

Also what are some cons about them that I should know about that aren't advertised or widely talked about?

Hey! I’m a new menstrual cup user and I was curious about how often people actually wash their cups.

From what I’ve read online, most places say to boil/sterilize the cup before and after each cycle, and during the cycle just rinse it with water between uses.

So I wanted to know how are you guys doing it in real life?

How often do you sterilize, wash, or boil your cup?

Every day during your period?

Only before and after each cycle?

Or something else?

Please im scared!

For context,

I started using the cup this year, last two months when my period stopped I obviously stopped using the cup, so I usually left it inside the silicone cup. And a couple days before my period started again I came back to check it (it was inside a silicone cup I use to sterilize it, it have little holes on top) I noticed some kind of white dust all over the cup (? not sure, it looked like mold for me(? my room is a little humid so I think it was because the lid was closed for like 2 or 3 weeks idk

After that I boiled the cup like 3 times with hot water and cleaned it with soap and inserted it

Should I buy another cup? this happened twice and I’m scared to get toxic shock sindrome

Now I’m trying to save it with the lid open and with a napkin, I got my period today and the cup had a little tiny dust / mold, cleaned with soap and boiled it and inserted again xC

I haven’t got any symptoms yet, but I’m scared this will affect me in the future :s

Could someone please advise? Has this ever happened to you before? How should I save my cup while I’m not using it?

I apologize for my writing, English is my second language

I would like to share my FIRST TIME experience with a cup.

I'm 24 years old and yesterday was my first time using it. I was really excited to try it before since it would make my life easier and better for the next couple of days, I already tried tampons back then when I was in 10th Grade. Didn't last long though since it's more expensive than a pads.

Now, my cousin gifted me a cup. A very dark almost like violat pink cup with a round ring on the bottom. It says on the packaging that it is size Small, for 28 years old and below and without a child.

So yesterday, I tried the push-down fold since I think it will work better, and it did. Took me a couple of minutes to finally manage to put it inside BUT i thought the ring was supposed fo sit outside so i tried and walk and sit and i thought to myself "nah, this isn't how it's supposed to be". So I went back to the bathroom and sit down on the toilet and pushed it back more till it don't hang out anymore. But this is the tricky part, because as i push it more and make sure the cup is fully open, i realized that it's kinda tight down there huh. I did tried my best to relax, and i think i did good unlike the first time i wore a tampons.

I still wore a pads after so make sure there's no leakage but THERE IS so i brushed it off, thought to myself that it's a common beginner mistakes, that I'll get better over time. The leak didn't full my pad it's like a 4th day of period kinda type of leak.

Ff, 12 hrs went by, i felt like it was leaking again and i thought to myself that maybe it's already full, but still SHOULD IT LEAK OR NOT?

And the removal, i was squatting trying my best to relax and push down because the moment i reached down there i had a little panic, the opening is kinda covering or hugging the part of the ring so it made me somehow difficult to reached for it. Tried inserting i finger inside, trying to break the suction and as i do so i feel this warm liquid on my hands, tried pinching it with both thumb and index finger but didn't worked out. And i thought to myself "fuck it, let's try to pull" and it did came out with blood and MAN IT STICKS hahahahahahahahahha but it is what it is. Menstrual blood is sacred.

So, any tips and tricks or a little reassurance? Hahahahaahha

i’m 17 and have been using tampons for around 6 years, i’ve been looking for an alternative that i can leave in for longer. does anyone know any menstrual cups that are effective and will not randomly fall out?

Okay context - I got married 2 months ago and got my period right before my wedding.
I completely forgot about it I guess because I was also using pads some of the days.
The only symptoms I had was brown discharge looked like old blood and whenever I had sex there would be blood on the sheets and the smell was rancid.

I was thinking of getting a gynac appointment for BV. Today I was trying to get out the 2nd cup I put in during my period and to my surprise there were 2 that came out.

Do I need to go to the gynac or ER? I don’t have any other symptoms

Everyone is raving about their cups so I was determined to get one but cursory research showed this is actually a lot of work - you need to learn how to use it and pick just the right one, you need a sanitary place where to empty it (yes, I can wash my hands but if I have to use a public stall and touch my outside clothes before I get to the cup, this doesn’t help me much), you need to spend time thoroughly sterilizing it every cycle, which is way more trouble then it’s worth for me. I am using pads, I have absolutely zero problem with them except the environmental aspect of it, pads are comfortable, easy to replace, have next to no potential for any health risks due to being on the outside of the body, I never have any issues with leakage or odors or them feeling bulky or chafing that I know is some people’s experience. I can wait a few days if I need to swim. I can see how happy people are with their cups and I WANT to try them, but I literally don’t understand what I’ll be getting out of this experience at this point.

Happy to be convinced otherwise if I am missing something here!

P.S. I was curious about the cups and placed my order but then cancelled it because I was prepared for the steep learning curve but not for the boiling part. I don’t like the steamer option and I think boiling thoroughly is the best approach but just watching over the pot with the whisk and all, that’s just a little much. (And also either way, that means I have to pay even more just to try it.)

Diagnosed PMOS: December 2023

Up until recently I had been using disposable pads and tampons. I made the switch to PFAS free medical grade silicone menstrual cups with hopes to help me fix my hormone (LH to FSH) imbalance. Has anyone noticed improvements?

I’ve (23F) always used tampons but have never gone swimming on my period. It’s hot asf tho! 😩 Thoughts on swimming with a tampon? Any cup/ disk recommendations? I’ve never used those before but i’m open to it :) i just don’t want to leak at my in-laws lol

I’ve been using a saalt menstrual cup for about a year now and i still experience a lot of leaking, essentially at night. i insert it the correct way so im not sure why this is happening. could it be the cup is too small? i don’t wanna waste money on buying a larger one if its bot gonna fix the problem. any advice?

info: using the flex cup size one. first time using cup, started using it yesterday. second day of period.

so leaking is my biggest issue right now. i bled through twice last night and am spotting my underwear consistently within an hour or two. i am almost certain i have done everything right. the seal feels tight and no gaps, and when i take out the cup it has barely anything in it. i even get a wet towel to wipe myself down after inserting it to make sure theres no blood residue anywhere, but i still end up with stains. i usually change my super tampon 2-3 times a day but i'm an anxious girly so its usually precautionary lol. i will sometimes bleed through overnight with a super tampon.

cramping/discomfort? the first insertion went well, i couldn't really feel a thing and i didn't feel like it was affecting me. i was having cramps but it seemed unrelated to the cup. following insertions i have been left slightly uncomfortable with cramps. im not sure if i am doing something wrong or?

my technique: i have switched between the c fold and the punch down method but i prefer the c fold. i have to use some force to insert it but once it is in the cup is popped up and it feels like there arent gaps when i run my fingers along it. ive had issue with taking it out and the "suction breaking" pull tab just coming all the way through the bottom of the cup..? annoying but not unuseable

any tips? is the cup just not for me? i see a lot of people using the disc but I am terrified of loosing it lol. thanks guys <3

I was going to go to the beach and figured to try a cup I've had for years but tried once and hated and it hurt. I have endometriosis and am a virgin so I'm not used to anything and failed at using a tampon once. 30 minutes of struggle and I did manage to get a seal. Removing it was difficult. It was super high up and couldn't really get it down easily.

Is the cup too big? It's a standard small, I might have a low cervix?

Any tips on anything?

I have used cups for three months in a row. Personally i hated using pads due to many reasons, therefore switched to cups since many women were suggesting it. When i tried it for the first month it was easy . But the second month was relatively harder for the cup to open up! When i insert it it’s a bit painful too(concerns abt it. Is it normal?) and sometimes after insertion i have a mid range pain in the abdomen. I’m mainly struggling with inserting it properly and making sure it opens. I genuinely do not want to go back to period pad anymore since this is much more better for me pls help guys 😭

I haven't found anyone talking about this in the recent threads so I'm curious. I usually do the big business at home, and I like to tie it to a shower afterwards so that I can get all clean. That means I would remove my cup, and then do my business and then shower. Then I would pop the cup back in after all that. That said, I only started using a cup last year and I'm always home when I need do my business while on my period.

Has anyone done a number two with the cup in?

Got a cup today (small). I was not scared at all, instead I was excited to have pad free periods.

Unfortunately I didnt get time to practice and I got my periods today too. I have a really moderate flow which lessens a lot during the last 2 days but super super painful first day. My cramps eased a bit after some hours so I thought I would give it a try

Got a mirror, an XL pad (I thought for the first time i would have it as a backup) the cup and went in the washroom all confident.

The thing is I have never inserted anything in there before..not even my own finger(never used a tampon). So I had to look in the mirror, examine and put in a finger. AND IT HURT and burn a bit. Not a lot but significantly discomforting. The canal felt so small I was like how tf would the cup go in.

Still tried with the cup and of course it didnt go in. I just couldnt understand the path. I am thinking of trying again tomorrow.

Any tips would be appreciated😭

Never doing anything there before gave me a hard time today I feel :,)

I have been using tampons basically since I started getting periods when I was 13, and I am now 30. I recently had someone recommend using a menstrual cup - I live at the beach and spend a lot of time outside and it super sucks when I have to either not do the things I like or make sure I time things around when I need to change my tampon. However, I have zero knowledge of menstrual cups and don’t know how to use it, which brand is best for beginners, or anything. Obviously I plan to do some research before committing, but Reddit is a powerhouse of information most of the time so I didn’t know if there were any recommended tutorials, websites, brands, etc to help narrow down my research. Please tell me all things menstrual cup related, the good, bad, and the ugly and any recommendations of brands or brands to avoid. Thanks in advance!!

Hi, good people.

Years ago I used a small Yuuki, which was my Goldilocks cup at the time. Before that, I had a UK Mooncup. Have no notion how I managed to buy them, as they weren't for sale here yet!

After having twins in my 40s, dropping hormone levels, I guess, made it impossible to insert anything! So I've been out of the loop for awhile, but am feeling brave enough to try a cup again (after failing with a disc. Disc was Easy to insert, but too messy on removal to be practical!)

So my questions are:

Can I order a Yuuki from the U.S.? Does anyone have a link? (I did try to Google, but am confused.)

If not, can you suggest a similar cup? Something small and firm/easy to pop open?

I bought a Shordy cup to try; they are cheap, and could arrive in a day, so not much to lose if it couldn't work. But the small Shordy is too soft! I can't get it to pop open. I had thought the softer cup would make insertion easier--which it did--but it's no good if I still have to fiddle with it endlessly to get it to open! It shouldn't be this much work.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Maybe everyone’s doing this and I’m just late to the party, but I just recently discovered this on accident. If I’m changing my cup at home, I’ll let it sit under hot running tap water for a solid minute or so so it’s nice and toasty warm when I replace it in, it’s comforting at the least and I’ve found it usually helps me to relax and get it in easier aswell:)

I still use pads because menstrual cups honestly scare me a little 😭

The idea sounds convenient and budget-friendly, but I keep wondering if it’s uncomfortable, difficult, or takes forever to learn.

For people who switched — what made you finally try it, and was it actually worth it?

Since 2021 I have used the disposable and reusable Flex Cups. I have four of the reusable ones, so I very rarely find any need to grab a box of disposable cups. I initially purchase these because of the ability to have the least messy intercourse opposed to any other option. One of the things I noticed, and have been more aware of is the fact that while being intimate with my husband, specifically while giving him head - when I gag, no matter how strong my kegals are you always have to watch out for the displacement from the force of gagging. It hasn’t really affected anything, so for anyone they may be worried- just posting to let yall know!