Moon cup's unplugged
Hey gorgeous,
If you haven’t heard of moon cups then either you haven’t had your period in a while or you don’t follow any females on insta, because these things are everywhere.
While product reviews are wonderful nothing beats real life accounts from first time cup users and Your Monthly recruited a handful of women to try them out for us. Who remembers the first time they used a tampon? Mine involved being coached by my best girl friends on the other side of the bathroom door when I finally got sick of surfboarding (if you know, you know). The moon cup comes with its own set of sanitary item challenges and we hope this article answers some of the questions you’ve always wanted to ask.
Does it hurt?
It can be uncomfortable but that normally resolves by finding a folding method that works for you. One babe reported that she was extremely queasy and felt faint when inserting her moon cup and after researching this affect she discovered this is common! There is a pressure point inside the vagina that can trigger those symptoms and she found that a simple readjustment (not reinserting) fixed that problem.
How do you get it out?
All of the babes agreed that taking it out while squatting in the shower was the easiest way to get it out with the added bonus of washing the contents away at the same time. You have to release the suction by inserting a finger first which is the trickiest part. We’ve heard of a few cases of women pulling out their Mirena or IUD because of the suction mechanism – unsure if this is one of those horror stories or fact but something to think about. Always release the suction! Being relaxed when inserting or removing the cup was also a common theme which is perhaps why the shower helped. Deep breaths were also important.
How the heck to you sanitize that thing if you live with other people? (I am not using the flat saucepan!)
No one wants their moon cup boiling away in the same pot they poach their eggs so how do you manage if you don’t live alone? One babe suggested using boiling water from a kettle in a glass or plastic container and leaving it to soak. Added bonus is the container can be sanitized in the dishwasher.
Any surprises?
Reduction in their total period volume was a major theme for this question! Did you know your period can appear heavier when you use tampons because of the drying affect they can have which causes the vagina to self-lubricate? Isn’t she a clever thing!
Are you are converted cup user?
The verdict was different for all of the trial gals. The overall message was that they were surprised to learn that their period volume is actually a lot smaller than they thought and that using the cup helped them learn about their vagina, its shape and size and ultimately gave them more understanding of “down there”. While most of the babes decided to carry on with their moon cup, some did not due to fear of leaking or being unable to master the fold. The overall consensus was a passionate yes – due to cost, environment and being able to leave it inserted for an 8 hour work day.
Do you have a cup story you want to share? Further tips and tricks are always welcome here!