Manual to Getting Into Menstrual Cups
- Written by Christine Simmons
Like how people are now getting into a vegan diet, or aiming for a healthier lifestyle through CrossFit or Pilates, using menstrual cup is now one of the revolutionary changes many people seek in today’s time due to various reasons.
Women who are now “menstrual cup converts” have earned the reputation of evangelizing the said product since they talk and praise about it endlessly. It may be the reason why more and more women are getting curious about this menstrual hygiene product wonder.
Are you one of those wondering women that have heard about this glorified cup? Well, then you are probably curious about how this thing goes and how you can also enjoy its benefits like how other women do. So, why not join the discussion and see for yourself how it is done? Sit back and read on to learn more!
First Of All, What’s a Menstrual Cup?
Menstrual cups are one of the feminine hygiene products whose purpose is to collect menstrual blood flow during a woman’s menstruation cycle. With this said, it is a reusable item that you can use up to 10 years maximum if taken care of properly.
As for its description, it is a small, funnel-shaped cup that is flexible enough to be put inside a woman’s vaginal walls to collect the blood and prevent it from leaking. Additionally, the product is made from either rubber or medical-grade silicone, which is considered to be hypoallergenic to avoid any irritation from occurring.
Now, menstrual cups are considered advantageous, mainly due to its characteristics. One of them is its ability to hold more blood than other menstrual hygiene products such as tampons and sanitary pads. With menstrual cups, women do not need to worry about changing every 3-4 hours since a cup can hold up to 30ml for 12 hours.
What Should You Look For in a Cup?
So, if you are getting into menstrual cups, surely by now, you are wondering how to buy one. Thus, with this said, let us break down your questions in this section:
Are There Different Types? There are different types of brands, and each has various characteristics. For instance, there are brands that are better for beginners since it is easier to use and insert. On the other hand, there is the daisy cup brand, which is your to-go for extreme comfort and cramp prevention.
Are There Different Sizes? The answer to this question is yes; menstrual cups have different sizes. Why? It is because women’s cervixes are not all the same. Think of our feet, which dimensions are not all the same for women or men that is the same for women’s cervixes. Now, the cervix’s height depends, thus branded menstrual cups have small daisy cup, medium, and large daisy cup sizes.
How to Look for the Perfect Match? To find your menstrual-cup-meant-to-be, professionals highly recommend that you check your vaginal length during your stirrups. How to? You only need to slide in a well-clean finger and feel for your cervix. Now, when you reach the cervix, measure it with how deep was your finger inserted inside.
If it takes your full finger to reach the cervix, then it means to say that your cervix length is long. On the other hand, if it gets to the middle knuckle, then your cervix length is average, and if it is any less than both mentioned beforehand, then you have a short cervix.
Additionally, another factor for picking your menstrual cup match is your flow. This means to say that the menstrual cup that you choose should be able to cater to the volume of your flow during menstruation. Thus, a massive flow might require a large cup size, and a small daisy cup size is able to hold a light flow.
Important Things You Need to Know About
“Leaking is possible if the cup is not inserted correctly, or if it overflows,” says Raquel Dardik, she is a clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at NYU Langone Health. You can have a medicinal expert tell you the best way to set up the cup, however fundamentally: Wash your hands, crease the cup by squeezing one divider into the inverse with your pointer finger, slide the wedge inside your vaginal opening, drive it in until things feel good, and give the base a bend to ensure the cup flares open.
Conti says she normally tells individuals that the first cup is some way or another an experimentation procedure when you're attempting to discover what fits and feels the best, and not to surrender if the principal cup doesn't fit well or breaks.
Takeaway
Settling on things that are best for you is very confounded and could be overpowering. In any case, in the event that you have the correct information to know which item provides your need best, at that point that would spare you time and all the stress.
The feminine cycle is a piece of a lady's life, which is the reason it is important to know all the accessible alternatives for you to pick. Along these lines, your month to month blood release will somehow be comfortable because of the correct feminine hygiene utility you chose to have.