Are you more of a tampon, pad or menstrual cup girl? Thought I'd love the cup and it wasn't all it was chalked up to be.
We get it every month, you already know what it is but have you tried these menstrual cups? It's gotten more popular in recent years, but what's truly the difference between pads, tampons or menstrual cups? I caved in to the all the raving reviews I saw and tried it out for myself a while back.
Here are some of my initial takeaways:
1) There were many different sizes for you to choose from and unbeknown to me at the time, I of course, bought the larger, postpartum size (so I'm sure due to that error alone, this skewed my opinion of using these cups.
2) There's a weird antenna at the end of the cup that's supposed to stick out so it's easier for you to locate the cup and pull it out. They say you can trim it so it doesn't stick out as much, but it still felt weird for me to have a little antenna stick out of my vagina. Mind you, the cup's fabric is very thick, so this antenna thing did not go unnoticed.
3) Longer nail girlies - I would not recommend this for you. Unless I'm the problem here, but each time I tried to grab this thing out, my nails would pinch the inside walls of my vagina and it would scare me. The feeling also wasn't great...
Anyways, I'm a huge fan of a good ole pros and cons list. Check it out and see if it makes you intrigued to try out the menstrual cup for yourself or if you're going to stick to what you know best! As I explained a little of my experience above, I'll probably stick to tampons and pads for now. I might give it another try in the future...maybe.
MENSTRUAL CUPS / PROS
Environmentally-friendly - Menstrual cups are made of medical-grade silicone that can last up to 10 years and they are more gentle to your body than tampons.
Cheaper - They might be a bigger investment at first with some starting $29-$34. But when you think of how much tampons and pads cost to restock, that price point is nothing. I even found some for only $6 which is equivalent to a 34 count box of tampons. And the good thing is once you've bought it, you just keep reusing it.
Convenience - Due to them having a bigger capacity to hold liquid, you won't have to change them as often as you would with tampons. This is the biggest appeal factor to me because I have such a heavy flow (I'm talking Ultra tampons here) and being able to not think about if I'm leaking for hours on end, I'll take that. They claim you only have to empty them about every 8-12 hours so take that as you will.
Cleaner ingredients - Tampons are made of cotton and can contain dangerous chemicals like bleach or dioxins, which can be harmful for your vaginal flora. Obviously you can opt for organic cotton tampons, however, they're typically more expensive.
Doesn't dry out your vagina - Unlike tampons, menstrual cups preserve the right bacteria to prevent vaginal dryness.
Lower risk of TSS - Although more rare, there are still case of Toxic Shock Syndrome in menstrual cup users but a lower amount compared to tampon users.
MENSTRUAL CUPS / CONS
Uncomfortable - Just like tampons, it does take a minute to get used to the right position up there. The time I tried it, I hated the feeling of it but like I mentioned, I got the wrong size for my body.
Untrustworthy - Something about it for me (again, probably because I got the wrong size) made me not feel like I could trust the cup to withhold a large amount of my blood and that there would be no leakage. The whole point of tampons, pads, etc. is so we can go about our life as if we don't have to worry about what's going on down there, so if I'm going to be paranoid about whether or not this thing will hold, I'd rather stick with my tried and true Ultra tampons.
Taking the cup out can get messy - Unlike being able to quickly change a tampon in a public restroom, I'd recommend only taking the cup out when you're in the shower or in the comfort of your home. Especially for those who have a heavier flow, it can get messy real real quick. I couldn't imagine taking this out drunk at the bar is all I'm sayin'. If you have a lighter flow, I could see this being no issue for you. Again, this could just be because of my bad technique and overlarge cup size.
Upkeep - Unlike tampons or pads that you can just discard in the trash when you're done, with menstrual cups, they need to be cleaned and sterilized. Even though it's fairly simple to clean them by just boiling the cup in hot water after each cycle, it can be annoying to do. It's almost like washing your silverware vs. buying plastic silverware that you can throw out when you're done with it. Is it more environmentally-friendly one way? Of course. But sometimes you just don't feel like doing the dishes.
IUD-ers risk - The risk of accidentally pulling out your IUD may be higher. There's a correct technique you're supposed to use so this doesn't happen but just something to point out if you do have an IUD in!