How to Use a Menstrual Cup

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31-01-2017, 17:00

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Community Tested A menstrual cup collects menstrual fluid instead of absorbing it, and is cleaned and reused, allowing one cup to last as long as ten years. Menstrual cups have been shown to leak less on average, have fewer health risks than standard disposable products, and are generally comfortable to wear. To use a menstrual cup, squat with your legs apart, fold the cup using a "C fold" or "punch-down fold," and gently insert the cup into the opening of your vagina at an approximate 45-degree angle until it pops open and feels comfortable. After 12 hours or less, remove the cup by grabbing the base and wiggling it down until it comes free, then dump the contents in your toilet. It may take time and practice to get used to using one, but menstrual cups are a highly sanitary and eco-friendly means of dealing with your period.

Steps

Read the instructions accompanying your choice of menstrual cup. Read over the pamphlets that come with your cup until you feel comfortable to go ahead. Also see the wikiHow on cleaning a menstrual cup for directions on keeping it clean, and if you're on the fence about using a cup, read how to decide whether to use a menstrual cup to help you make up your mind. And if you don't have a menstrual cup already, read wikiHow's advice on buying a menstrual cup for directions on picking out the right cup for you.
Try inserting the cup the first time in the privacy of your own bathroom. Most users do not get the hang of it until after a couple of tries, so this will be far better than using a public bathroom. Also, although you may be tempted to do a dry run while you're not on your period, you really shouldn't because it's generally more lubricated and your cervix may be in a different position while you're menstruating. So for the first time, make sure it is during your period as well.
Practice different folds. The C fold shown on instruction manuals isn't the best technique for many women. When you use the C fold, the widest part of the cup is just at the beginning. Another fold (there are many to choose from) is the punch-down fold. To make this fold, place your finger on the rim of the cup, and push it down into the cup. See the video below for more folds you can try.
Wash your hands with soap and rinse the cup with water to remove any dust or dirt from your hands and the cup. The first time you use it, it should be boiled as well. Soap should never be used on a menstrual cup. It can cause yeast infections amongst other problems.
Stay relaxed and try not to tense your pelvic muscles. This may make it painful or difficult to insert the cup. Your pelvic muscles are the ones you use to stop and start peeing. Practice loosening and tightening these muscles (aka doing kegel exercises) so you will be able to relax them during insertion. Be patient; the first time inserting it is always the hardest, so don't give up if you're having trouble at first-- but do take a break if you become overly frustrated.
Get into a comfortable position. You might like to try inserting the cup while over the toilet. You can also try squatting down in the tub or shower; standing and putting one leg on the edge of the toilet or tub; putting your back against a wall and getting into a squat position; or lying down on the floor with your knees up and legs apart.
Find your cervix. Stick a finger inside your vagina and feel for your cervix, which feels kind of like the tip of your nose. It is a small, squishy nub with an indentation in the middle. Aiming the cup in the direction of your cervix will help. This way you won't accidentally poke your cervix with the cup, or take up space in the cup with your cervix. If you can't find your cervix, this probably means it's very high, and in that case your cervix probably won't cause any problems.
- If you would rather opt not to do this, aim the cup towards the small of your back.
Insert the cup. Fold the cup and then hold it with one hand (stem facing downwards). Spread apart your labia and find the opening of your vagina with your other hand. Now push the cup in at a about a 45 degree angle towards your pubic bone, not straight up. The cup should pop open. Continue to push the cup in until it is comfortable. (The cup may ride low or high depending on your body, but the base of the cup [although not necessarily the stem] should not clear your vaginal opening.)
Make sure that the cup is fully open. You may have heard or felt a "pop." This is a sign that the cup has opened. Otherwise, reach up and feel around the base of the cup. It should be round or at least oval. (The cup may not ever open up all the way, depending on your body shape.) If it's not open, you can open it manually with a hand. Also try doing a few Kegel exercises, squats, jumping jacks, or rotating the cup in a full circle by twirling the base. You can also reach up with a finger and press part of the vaginal wall out of the way, so that air can travel up and fill the cup. You may feel more comfortable with the cup closer to your cervix than pictured in the instructions. When it is in place, you can also try to pull it gently down, to make sure the vacuum has been made (that's what the little holes are for) - this is part of what holds the cup securely.
Wait up to twelve hours. If you have a heavy flow, you will have to empty it more often, because this is the maximum recommended time. For your first cycle with a cup, you'll have to do a bit of experimenting to find out how long you can leave your cup in before leaking. (It's a good idea to wear a back up pantyliner; cloth pantyliners are a good reusable option.)
Remove the cup. Bear down with your muscles so the cup will travel down farther. Continue doing this until you can reach the stem. Wiggle the cup back and forth and down. Get a better grip on the actual base, not just the stem, of the cup and continue to pull it out. Pinching the base helps to break the vacuum and makes it easier to remove the cup. When you get to the opening of your vagina make sure you take it out upright to reduce spillage. If the rim of the cup is too wide to remove comfortably, use a finger to fold the cup into a C fold or a punch-down fold before you take it out of your vagina. If you're removing the cup over a toilet, you can let the contents spill out the "back" as you remove the cup, just keep your hand out of gravity's path.
Dump the contents of the cup in the toilet or sink. Rinse the cup with water. To clear the suction holes of menstrual fluid, bend the cup at the suction holes under the water. You can also fill the cup with water, cover the opening with your palm, and the squeeze the cup to squirt water out the holes-- keep clear! Dry your cup if it's too slippery (although the water and slipperiness may help you out) and reinsert.
Learn how to clean the cup. You can boil the cup, use sterilizing tablets, swab it down with rubbing alcohol, or choose from other methods. See wikiHow's instructions on how to clean a menstrual cup for directions and choose the method that works best for you.
Remember that it may take a while to get used to using a menstrual cup. Take your time. Menstrual cups have a learning curve of about three to four cycles and if eventually you find out it's not for you, that's fine. If you still want to use a reusable menstrual product, you can try cloth pads or sea sponges.

Tips

If you find the stem on your cup to be uncomfortable, you can always cut part or all of it off. Make sure the end is filed down so it doesn't poke you however, and remember you will have to work solely with the base of the cup during removal.
Menstrual cups are very comfortable to wear and sporting activities such as swimming or yoga can be performed with no ill effect. Make sure your cup is properly sealed though, and it's also a good idea to empty your cup just before the physical activity. You may see a little water in the cup if you remove it after swimming, but that's alright.
The first time you use a cup, you may find that you need to trip the stem so it doesn't extend out of the vaginal opening. This is normal.
Menstrual cups work by holding the blood, rather than absorbing it like a tampon. Therefore, they can be emptied less frequently. This also means the cup can be inserted when your period is due, and before it starts. You can also use the cup for heavy cervical mucus.
Cups most often come in two sizes. The smaller is usually recommended for women under 30, and the larger is recommended for women over 30 and/or those have given birth vaginally. However, a large cup in one brand may be the same size as a small cup in another! Therefore, it's more important to consider the heaviness of your flow and features of your anatomy, than adhering to this guideline. See wikiHow's article on how to choose a menstrual cup for more information.
If you're a virgin, you may find that your vaginal opening, and more specifically the piece of skin called a hymen, does not easily stretch to accommodate a cup. If this is the case, it may help to stretch it over the course of a week or so by using your fingers. Start with one or two and increase to three as your body will allow. Looking at diagrams of the female anatomy and exploring you own will make using a cup much easier. Experiment with the the punch down, triangle, or origami folds because they make the cup less wide and thinner for insertion. Try inserting the cup a little at the time, and if it's painful, remember to relax. You'll can always try again some other time. While removing, remember to be patient and relaxed as well. Be gentle while removing the cup so you don't tear your hymen in the process.
Some women find that putting a little lubricant makes it easier to insert. If you use lube, it's best to put it on yourself, not on the cup, or it'll be slippery. Only use water-based lubricant though.
While many menstrual cups come with a pouch to store it in, yours may not, or you might prefer to use something else. Whatever you choose must allow air flow and be sanitary/cleanable. A retainer case is a good option, because it is designed for a similar product (a piece of plastic that gets wet in your mouth), so it can 'breathe', and people aren't likely to open one to find out what's in it. Most people know what they are and don't want to get up-close-and-personal with someone else's saliva.
If you use a diaphragm for contraceptive purposes, it can double as a menstrual cup! (They are very similar to an Instead soft cup in shape.) However to preserve the lifetime of your diaphragm, you may only want to do this if it is made of silicone, not rubber.
If you're uncomfortable with the concept of tampons or cups, but still want to use reusable menstrual products, look into cloth pads. You can buy them online or make them yourself.
Single-stall, public washrooms with private sinks are a great place to empty your menstrual cup, if you can find them. For bathrooms that don't have single stalls with a sink, bring some feminine wipes and a small bottle of water with you to rinse the cup with, or use toilet paper. It's also fine to just tip the contents of the cup into the toilet and reinsert.
If a reusable menstrual cup grosses you out, there is a disposable brand called Instead soft cup that is available at most drugstores in North America. It is composed of a ring and a plastic sac and is inserted like a diaphragm. See wikiHow's article on how to use an Instead softcup.
If you want you can save your menstrual fluid in a jar and help out your plants. The nutrient-dense contents of female menstrual blood can be used for a variety of purposes, including being diluted with water to serve as energetic fertilizer for house plants or garden beds.
A recent study found that menstrual cups leak half as often than tampons for women as a whole, so don't let this dissuade you from trying a cup. However, if your cup is leaking, here are some troubleshooting ideas:
- The cup is overflowing. This is probably the easiest problem to fix. If the cup is leaking and when you remove it, it is nearly full, that just means your cup is filling with fluid and hath runneth over. Simply change your cup more often. You may want to purchase a cup with a higher capacity if you're changing your cup too frequently for your tastes. See How to buy a menstrual cup.
- The cup isn't opening fully. You'll probably have a lot of leakage with this problem. It's caused by the cup not opening fully, so make sure to check that it is fully open after every insertion. Reach up and feel around the base of the cup. It should be round or at least oval. (The cup may not ever open up all the way depending on your body shape.) If it's not open, you can open it manually with a hand. Also try doing a few Kegel exercises or rotating the cup in a full circle by twirling the base. You can also reach up with a finger and press part of the vaginal wall out of the way, so air can travel up and fill the cup. It's also important to try different folds.
- Your cervix is taking up room in the cup. This occurs if the cup is leaking and when you remove it, it is only half full. This means your cervix is dangling inside the cup and taking up room, so it only fills halfway. To solve this problem, try placing the cup as low as you comfortably can. If this doesn't fix it, the cup may be too long, and you will probably need to purchase a short, squat cup to get a better capacity.
- Residual slobber : This occurs if you're getting a very small amount of light leakage. There might still be some blood on the walls of your vagina after you change your cup, and this will slide down and end up in your underwear. You can try wiping thoroughly after changing the cup, but that may not help too much. Since it is a light amount of leakage, a disposable or cloth liner will keep you feeling dry.
- You're placing the cup past your cervix. If you experience a twinge of pain while inserting the cup and then a lot of leakage, it's probable that you've inserted the cup past your cervix. The cervix is very tender, and if the cup is actually pressing against your cervix it will hurt. To solve this problem, you will need to place the cup lower. Also feel around for your cervix before you insert the cup to get a general idea of its location; keep in mind that your cervix may move around on different days of your period, so it's a good idea to check every time if this is a recurring problem.
- You're angling the cup away from your cervix. You also need to know the general location of your cervix for this problem. If this occurs, you're probably aiming the cup into the vaginal wall instead your cervix. Pay careful attention to your cervix's location and the angle the cup needs to be at during insertion.

Warnings

Be careful to keep the cup in an upright position when pulling it out so that it does not spill.
On heavier days, a full cup can leak; wearing back-up pads and emptying your cup more often for these days can help.
Don't be discouraged if a friend is disgusted by the concept of a menstrual cups. Some people will open to the idea, and some will not. A good way to open the subject is, "Have you heard of menstrual cups?" This way you can gauge their initial reaction, and whether you want to try to convince them to try a cup and share your experience.
Menstrual cups are not a form of contraceptive and must be removed before sexual intercourse. (However, disposable Instead Softcups can be used during sex along with a contraceptive.
Do not forget that you have a menstrual cup in. Empty and rinse at least every 12 hours. If you leave it in longer, watch out for signs of infection. There have been no cases of cup related toxic shock syndrome (TSS), but if you notice any symptoms of TSS, contact a doctor right away.
Don't worry about making sure your cup's position matches a picture or a diagram. What matters is that the cup is not leaking and you are not able to feel it. Depending on the shape of your vagina and your cervix location, the cup may sit high or low. And once it is inserted, it will most likely gravitate there on its own. Both of the images to the right are correct placements of a cup.