Today, I’ll talk about my personal experience, which I think is necessary to share with you.
Most of the bloggers and someone out there will only tell you the benefits of a menstrual cup. They won’t tell you the dark side of it as far as I noticed.
So, I think it is necessary at this point to talk about my experience so you could rethink your decision about whether to get yourself a menstrual cup or not. Or, if it gets stuck, how to deal with the issue.
I’m not mentioning the brand I used, as all types of menstrual cups have the same mechanism.
Before moving into my experience, I’d like to share what I read about menstrual cups and what they are exactly!
Contents
What’s a Menstrual Cup?
According to Wikipedia, A menstrual cup is a feminine hygiene product inserted into the vagina during menstruation. Its purpose is to prevent menstrual blood from leaking onto clothes.
Menstrual cups are usually made of flexible medical-grade silicone and are shaped like a bell with a stem. The stem is used for a holding grip during insertion and removal. The bell-shaped cup seals against the vaginal wall just below the cervix.
Every 4–12 hours (depending on the amount of flow), the cup is removed, emptied, rinsed, and reinserted. After each period, the cup should be boiled for at least 5 minutes and stored for use the next month.
What are the benefits of using a Menstrual Cup?
When I got my cup, I felt free and tossed away sanitary pads and tampons. Unlike them, it collects blood instead of absorbing it. If you’re a sanitary pad user, you know how it creates rashes and sometimes even infections. For tampons, they are harsh on the delicate internal skin of the cervix.
- One time investment
- Eco-friendly and promotes zero waste
- Big time intervals between changing. It stays up to 12 hours inside, after which you need to empty.
- Easy to use!
- No leakages
- Can be used for 2 to 3 years
Who should use Menstrual Cups?
They come in two sizes, small and large. If you’re below 25 years of age and haven’t given birth, go for the small size. If you’re above 25 and given birth, go for the larger one.
How to use a Menstrual Cup?
If you can put on a tampon, you can put this on easily. Follow these steps:
- Wash your hands thoroughly.
- Apply water or water-based lube to the rim of the cup.
- Tightly fold the menstrual cup in half, holding it in one hand with the rim facing up.
- Insert the cup, rim up, into your vagina like you would a tampon without an applicator. It should sit a few inches below your cervix.
- Finally, once the cup is in your vagina, rotate it. It will spring open to create an airtight seal that stops leaks.
Day 1 of using a menstrual cup
The first day I put on a menstrual cup wasn’t much of a hassle. I was already moist due to menstrual bleeding so putting it inside took me 2-3 tries, and it got successfully inserted when I heard a pop sound. That pop sound seals within and forms a suction, and doesn’t let the menstrual cup move or budge from its place.
Initially, it hurt my lower abdomen area after the insertion, and I could feel it inside me. So after 12 hours as instructed, I placed two fingers inside my lady bits to make a C-shape fold to get rid of the suction and take the cup out.
After few attempts, it finally got out, and I imagined how I’d write a blog post on the benefits of using a menstrual cup. I put it inside and adjusted in my cervix again, and slept like a baby.
Day 2
The real horror begins now. The next morning was the worst morning ever for me! I tried a billion times to take the menstrual cup out only to find out that my fingers couldn’t reach the rim of my cup.
That was the time when I cursed my fingers for not being long enough. To my horror, I couldn’t locate it anymore.
While sleeping, it went deeper and deeper up to my cervix. I panicked out of fear. And I didn’t go to college. This sudden trouble made me miss every important thing.
I was in my room for 2 hours straight, trying to get that monster out. I got the hold of the stem, but the strong suction of the cup prevented me from pushing it out. And when I tried, it was painful, and I felt like my inner parts would come out.
I was hopeless and believed that it would stay stuck inside forever. So, I looked up gynecologists near me on Google. Also, I rummaged through every website on Google that provided the solution for a stuck menstrual cup.
Somehow, I stumbled across a post about how a friend helped someone take her cup out. I couldn’t go to the doctor alone and make her understand. What if she doesn’t know about it? And what if she’s tough on me? What if I get judged? A lot of questions crossed my mind. Going to the doc didn’t sound like a nice way out.
The Final Run
So I gathered courage and asked my best friend to help me. I showed her videos and everything about how to get out of a stuck menstrual cup.
So we began the mission monster cup. How I laid down and spread myself, I won’t go into this deeper. I was extremely embarrassed about this process, and I made her promise not to tell anyone about it. Now everyone knows about it. *haha*
She calmed me down. I took a few deep breaths and pushed with all my strength until she got hold of the stem of the cup. She made her way in, and I was so focused on getting this thing out, I didn’t care about the pain I went through.
After infinite tries, she reached up to the rim and finally unsealed it. The main culprit was the suction which made it impossible to get the cup out. When the most important step, which is unlocking the suction, was done, it was a cakewalk to get it out.
I heard a pop sound when it got out, and I cried and gasped to the victory. There was a bloody mess all around. Surprised, I couldn’t believe it was out.
I hold her hand tightly, looking at her with awe and thankfulness. She scolded me for trying every other new stuff I came across. If you’re reading this, sweetie, know that you were like an angel to me at that time of crisis. I’ve learned the lesson. Sadly, I would have to go back to using sanitary pads.
What went wrong?
So now, after analyzing what could have gone wrong, I have a guess. Because I have a deep cervix and the cup might have been a smaller size for me. But it was the only size which fitted me. And figuring out the depth of the cervix ain’t no easy job. That’s very tricky!
PS: This post isn’t meant to discourage you from stopping using menstrual cups or don’t start using them. To each his own. It was my experience which I wholeheartedly wanted to share before you. Not many bloggers or vloggers share this dark of menstrual cups. All they say is good goodie things without telling the risks and what could go possibly wrong. Please share your views in the comments, and I’d like to discuss more!
Nice post Mariyam, am so proud of you for posting this experience. I am already scared of using this and I don’t want to try it.
Oh God! This must have been a horrifying experience 🙁 I have never really got around understanding of putting something in there for so long.. Some how my brain just doesnt fathom it :p This post has made my decision even stronger 😀 i am glad to stick to pads for now 🙂 Thank for sharing your experience 🙂
I have always heard ppl talking good things about menstrual cups..Looks like it does have its own cons. You experience is an eye opener for anyone who wants to try it.
Definitely true! Trying a new fad is not a good idea always. I actually never thought of getting this or using it myself. I don’t like the idea of inserting something and keeping it for so long in there. Good you shared your experience. I appreciate your courage that you spoke about it.
thank you for sharing your experience..it took me a lot of courage to even attempt at tampons, this is never going near my vagina for sure 🙁 … i always used to get this exact question in my mind whenevr i used to read any review “What if it gets deep into cervix while sleeping because most of our muscles are relaxed that time and it is possible to happen???” Now i know it is very well possible… so bad that you had to face this horrifying experience…and god bless your best friend..
My God!! I got goosebumps while reading this. I have always been scared about using a menstrual cup.. I am quite comfortable with tampons despite of them being infamous. Atleast they come with a string which thankfully will never get lost.
Hahaha!! I think you should have visited a gyanecologist so she could have broken your myths regarding your vagina! Or probably you should have read a biology textbook to know about you anatomy down there! A vagina is not an unending secret passage! Its just like a small cave with an ending! Your cervix can never be this high unless you are in an aroused state! The best way to deal with such situation is to calm down and relax your pelvic muscles and sit down in squatting position like you would if you were pooping in an indian style pot! This significantly brings down your cervix and that coupled with a cup of minimum length of 45mm would be very very easy to catch hold of!
P.s. A doctor and a menstrual cup user.
It doesn’t work for everybody. I’ve tried it all nothing worked. That’s why I’m sharing my experience.
Easier said then done. I’ve did everything you talked about… no luck
You were lucky your friend could help. I had to go to the Emergency Room to get it out. Most embarrassing experience of my life and I’ve gone through childbirth
I had to go to the Emergency Room to get it out. Most embarrassing experience of my life and I’ve gone through childbirth
well, I broke my wrist trying to get that horrible thing out of me…. I used it for two days. At the beginning I was really impressed…. On the third day, it was stuck… I tried the relaxing and squating technique…. you name it! I couldnt grab the cup strong enough to release the suction. It was way too deep. I ended up spending a couple of hours in the shower, trembling and crying, imagining myself in a emergency room saying: I cant get my menstrual cup out!. It was just horrible. Eventually, my wrist broke because of the weird postion of my hand while trying to get that thing out for hours. I guess I was loosing all patience and just bended my wrist too much. When I got it out after 2-3 hours of real suffering, I inmediatly throwed that thing to the garbage bin. seeing it in the garbage was incredibly satisfying. Will never use one again. Thanks for your post! great to know this happens to a lot of people and those cups are not an “easy to use” period product.