How do you use soft cups

Most cups are shaped almost exactly the same way, but we think the Cora cup has some really smart design differences that make it a great beginner choice. The cup has a flattened bit on the side, showing you where to place your finger while folding it, and the bottom narrows in a way that makes pinching to remove the cup easier. We love that it comes in the biggest variety of sizes eight total, including the Shorty versions to accommodate people of different heights, athletic backgrounds, and vaginal birth histories.

The MeLuna is also available in a firmer version and with three handle options. Its design can be folded the most ways, yet it pops open easily. This cup is simple to insert, remove, and clean. Though all the cups we tested came in at least two sizes, MeLuna has more options when it comes to customizing the size, shape, and firmness of your cup. If you have a really low cervix, this is the shortest cup we tested that still performs well. People with low cervixes often have the hardest time finding a menstrual cup that fits, because most cups are too long.

The MeLuna Shorty is one of the few cups designed specifically for low cervixes, and compared with the other low-cervix cups we tested, this one is far easier to fold, insert, remove, and clean. With a low-cervix cup, you do sacrifice volume—because the cup is smaller, it can hold less blood—but comfort is more important than having to change the cup a bit more frequently.

This is one of the best-known cups and also one of the largest. It comes in three sizes. But if you have a high cervix, the DivaCup works really well, is smooth and comfortable, and holds a lot of fluid. The silicone is smooth and feels good on the skin, and this cup is easy to insert and remove.

The Lena cup is a bit wider and a lot smoother than many of the cups available. For this guide, we talked to Dr. We also watched a whole lot of YouTube reviews of the cups we tested, and read through a stack of scientific papers on how people use cups , how cups compare with tampons , how they can be cleaned properly in all kinds of settings , and more.

There is a very vocal community of menstrual cup users, and as part of our research we read through several comprehensive blogs and websites that reviewed and discussed the ins and outs of every menstrual cup model we could find.

Wirecutter has a number of cup users on staff, and we were eager to solve some of the mysteries surrounding menstrual cups. If you are a person who gets a period, you can probably use a menstrual cup. Unlike products that absorb your flow, a menstrual cup is something you insert into your vagina to hold all the blood, and empty it a few times a day.

Like most things that are period-related, what you choose to use comes down to your own personal comfort. Die-hard cup lovers appreciate the eco-friendly and wallet-friendly aspects of the cup. But cups do come with a learning curve , and not everybody wants to go through all that. Before you feel any additional and unnecessary period shame, know that in the grand scheme of your personal waste, menstrual products are just a small sliver. Menstrual cups can be used again and again for years, eliminating that waste and ultimately saving you money.

Following the reclassification of menstrual products such as pads, tampons , menstrual cups, and period underwear as qualified medical expenses in , you can now use health care flexible spending account FSA or health savings account HSA funds to buy them.

An additional advantage of the menstrual cup over pads and tampons is that you need to carry only one with you, not a handful. This makes cups popular among backpackers and other travelers who worry about carrying too much weight. Plus, menstrual cups can hold up to an ounce of fluid at a time, which means they can handle far more than even the heaviest-duty tampons.

Some people worry that menstrual cups leak, but a literature review found that reports of leakage were either the same or less frequent with cups than the other two products. Lots of menstrual cup advocates also claim that using a cup eliminates the risk of toxic shock syndrome. That is not true, and there have been at least five confirmed cases of TSS in people using menstrual cups. Jen Gunter. And the chances of getting TSS is less than 1 in , The dealbreaker for most people when it comes to menstrual cups is the learning curve.

The cup catches and contains menstrual fluid, so using it means removing the cup and pouring out the fluid, then washing the cup. One of the challenges of finding the right menstrual cup for you is that not all vaginas are shaped the same way. Which means you might not know which cup shape is the best for your particular vagina shape. Different cups are different sizes and shapes, as are different vaginas. Finding a cup that fits, and feels, just right for you may require some trial and error you should not be able to feel a cup inside you very much, and it definitely should not hurt.

And it can be hard to guess what shape your vagina is, even for doctors. In general, menstrual cups come in two main sizes: large and small often coded as A and B.

Unless you already know that you have a large or small vagina, you should go by that divide and pick the one that applies to you. Some guides draw the line between large and small at age That is nonsense. But that cup might wind up being really uncomfortable to wear. Instead of looking at the volume a cup can hold, you should try to pick based on which cup will fit you most comfortably. If you suspect you might have a particularly long or short vagina, you can ask your OB-GYN next time you go in.

When you get a pap smear, the speculum they use can come in a few different sizes. Most people simply get the standard middle-size speculum, but some might need the large or small versions. Ask your gynecologist which size they use on you. These are all just general guides, and remember that vaginas are inherently stretchy they are designed to fit a baby through them, after all.

Aside from size, there is one other main distinction between different cups: firmness. Some cups are made of sturdier silicone than others. For other people, the thicker, sturdier cups are uncomfortable to insert and wear. This, too, is a matter of personal comfort and preference that requires some trial and error to figure out. Like tampons , menstrual cups should be easy to insert and remove and reliably keep the blood in instead of all over your clothing.

They should also be easy to clean and store, and last for years without getting smelly or breaking down. In reality, cups hold menstrual fluid, which is made up of blood, vaginal secretions, cervical mucus, and tissue from the endometrium. We found that black cups made it hard to see any residue that still needed cleaning, especially inside the cup itself. Most menstrual cups are designed to have a long skinny stem. But some models, including our MeLuna pick, come with other options.

The argument for ball and loop stems is that they can make the cups easier to remove: They give you something bigger to grab onto, or you can even slip a finger into the loop to pull the cup out. In fact, trying to remove a cup by hooking your finger into the loop and pulling is a recipe for spillage. The same goes for pulling on the ball. When we tried removing cups that way, we wound up spilling a lot of blood all over the place. Most people remove their cups by inserting two fingers and gently squeezing the cup, and then sliding it out.

More on how to insert and remove cups later. Ball and loop designs are slightly bigger too, and some people find that they can irritate the vaginal canal more than a stem might. Most cups come with relatively long stems that many people will trim down. Almost all menstrual cups are made out of medical-grade silicone—a material found in everything from feeding tubes to catheters.

Some cups are made of thermoplastic elastomer a type of plastic that is a bit cheaper to manufacture than silicone , and there is one cup made out of rubber, the Keeper Cup.

You might have at some point encountered menstrual discs as well. Menstrual discs have one key thing in common with menstrual cups: They catch menses. For a long time, menstrual discs were available only in disposable forms, but now there are a few that are reusable, so we gave them a try.

For more on those, see What about menstrual discs? In the end, we put all our cups and reusable discs to the same set of tests, and then separated our picks into vague vagina shapes. A note on price: You can go on Amazon and find menstrual cups that are really cheap, but menstrual cup reviewer Bolen says to steer clear.

Explore your vagina and which direction it runs. Try inserting a finger into your vagina to learn how long your vagina is and see if you can find your cervix. The cervix is located at the end of the vagina and should feel firm and round, like the tip of your nose.

Having trouble getting the menstrual cup to get into place? Try using something to help lubricate its entry. Water or a small amount of water-based lubricant placed along the rim can be helpful. Your own menstrual blood will also help work as a natural lubricant, so if you are trying the menstrual cup for the first time during another part of your cycle, it may be more difficult 4.

If you are especially active, a more rigid cup may be better. Secondly, make sure that the cup is actually opening up inside your vagina.

You can check this by gently pulling on the stem. If there is some resistance or a feeling of suction pressure, then your menstrual cup is set. If you are not sure if your menstrual cup has opened completely from its folded position, try inserting a finger along the inside your vagina up to the rim of the menstrual cup, and follow the rim around, ensuring that the whole rim has opened up.

Consider your insertion height—how deep are you inserting the menstrual cup? The stem should sit just inside the opening of the vagina.

Lastly, make sure that the little holes around the rim on the menstrual cup are clean and clear of any old menstrual blood. Download Clue to track your period and menstrual cup use. Are vaginal fluids really all that different? In this article, we explain how to identify vaginal discharge, arousal fluid, and cervical fluid.

Science is evolving each day on how coronavirus affects pregnancy, lactation, and postpartum. Karly McBride, 36, from Springfield, Virginia, shares that she and her husband were struggling with male factor infertility , so she was active in the TTC online community. Most women said they kept one by their bed and inserted it immediately after sex. I can never say for sure if it was what helped me get pregnant after a year of trying, but I do believe it did. To insert the cup , you press the sides of the cup together and then in half again to form a "U" shape.

Then, hold the folded sides together in place between your thumb and forefinger, with the curved edge facing away from your palm. Next, you insert like you would a tampon, pushing the curved edge of the folded cup horizontally into the vaginal opening. Finally, grip the base of the cup and turn it a full rotation in either direction. When it rotates fully, you know that it is fully open and positioned properly.

At my next IVF appointment, they did a baseline ultrasound and bam! I was pregnant. Though it may not be a conventional conception strategy or one that has research backing it just yet, a menstrual cup could be a method worth investigating and discussing with your health care provider when you're trying to get pregnant. Though some women's experiences may simply be coincidental, it's also possible that the cup did help their cause.

Some are long-lasting and reusable while others are disposable. But should you make the switch just because everyone seems to be doing so right now?

Keep reading to learn more about these not-so-new feminine products and to get some helpful tips from gynecologist Erin Higgins, MD. The first patent for a menstrual cup design was awarded in and the prototype was pretty much a rubber sack that was attached to a ring. This early version was meant to be inserted into the vagina to collect blood. The menstrual cup could then be pulled out by a cord that was attached to it.

One of the first commercial menstrual cups was developed in by Leona Chalmers. As a result, the menstrual cup category as a whole faded into the background until the late 80s. Today, more and more women are using menstrual cups. Most menstrual cups are made of silicone or rubber. Some cups are designed for long-term use — even years — providing significant cost savings over tampons and pads.

Keep in mind that some cups are designed to be disposable. Make sure you read the label carefully before buying if you want a reusable one.