Cheers – My experience with menstrual cups

I'm Alina, 27, I don't have children, and I enjoy yoga and Pilates. This information about me seems a bit random? Not if you're trying to figure out what size menstrual cup you need. Maybe you don't even know if you want to know what size you need because you're unsure if you even want to use such a "thing." So let's start from the beginning. I'll tell you about my experiences with cups, and then you decide if they might be right for you.

While typing, it actually occurred to me that I probably first noticed menstrual cups on the shelf at the drugstore (very old school, because I wasn't a fan of social media yet!) when I was buying tampons again. These days, there's so much more on these shelves than just regular tampons and pads: menstrual cups, washable pads, period underwear, soft tampons – take a closer look next time. So I browsed the shelves a bit, looked at the different sizes, shapes, and colors, and then... bought tampons. Not because I thought the idea of ​​using a menstrual cup was stupid or disgusting, but because I wasn't sure if I wanted such a "change" and because I didn't want to throw €10-20 down the drain. When I got home, however, I immediately started looking into the topic, scouring blogs and forums, reading positive and negative reviews, and after a short time, decided: I want to try it!

To be honest, the decision to use a menstrual cup wasn't based on sustainability for me. Of course, I thought it was great that it produced less waste than tampons and pads. But what ultimately convinced me was that:

it does not dry out the mucous membranes and is comfortable to insert and remove at the beginning and end of your period.
Don't have tampons lying around everywhere (I still found "spare" tampons in the side pockets of my handbags months after switching).
When I go on vacation, I don't have to calculate how many tampons I need per day to make sure I have enough with me and then, in the worst case, forget to take any with me anyway.
I save money, because extrapolated over the years, that amounts to a significant saving.
I can wear the menstrual cup for up to 8 hours without having to change it.
So I compared various cups online. It wasn't easy, as there are countless providers. After a bit of research, I decided on a standard cup with a pouch for €18 in the small size (20 ml). That was back in 2017, by the way. Why the small cup? The manufacturer specified three criteria: I was under 30, hadn't yet given birth vaginally, and had a light to moderate period—or so the theory goes. Incidentally, I later learned that the position of the cervix can also be important for choosing the right size. But it worked for me even without this knowledge.

And then it started... well, not right away, because I still had to wait for my period! Although I recommend doing a few "dry runs" beforehand, so that everything works out when the time comes. Since I read quite a few reviews and a few user reports before buying, and the application is somewhat intuitive, insertion worked right away after 3-4 attempts. At first, I wasn't sure whether the cup would fit properly and would definitely keep the leak out, so I removed it and tried again in a different way. But that comes with a bit of practice and experience. The first few nights with the menstrual cup, I also wore a pad, just to feel safe. And then my first period with the menstrual cup was over. Without any leakage, without any feeling of disgust because you come into contact with your own blood (which you do when inserting tampons, by the way), without any other hassle. I thought it was good, no... I thought it was really great and practical, and I was almost looking forward to my next period. No, just kidding... By the way, I gave away my remaining tampons and pads to friends, so I was done with it right away.

A few years later, I had the copper IUD inserted. Many girls and women fear that period pain will get worse, as will bleeding. Since many cups have a larger capacity than most tampons, the latter didn't worry me much. And indeed, my period did get heavier. The result: I emptied my cup twice instead of just once in an eight-hour period. I've since replaced my old cup with the ELANEE menstrual cup in size 2 (33 ml instead of 20 ml) and, thanks to the larger capacity, I don't have to change it as often, despite my heavy periods. Since I have a well-trained pelvic floor, I find the slightly harder material comfortable because the cup pops up well and supports the muscles. This also shows that the choice of cup size depends on more than just age or whether you've already given birth vaginally! So, do your research to find out which size suits you. Ultimately, though, you just have to try it out.

In the last four years, I haven't used conventional tampons or pads once. I travel, swim, go to spas, hike, and exercise with my menstrual cup. And don't forget to sleep! No, nothing leaks when I lie down.

Whether a menstrual cup is the right choice for you is up to you to decide. The topic is currently very topical, and it feels like there are two camps: "I'll never use anything else" (hands up, I'm one of them) and "Absolutely not!"