In five words, we can tell you a short horror story that every menstrual cup hopeful can relate to.
‘My Menstrual Cup is Lost!’ 😱
99% of the time, this is a fear that people have BEFORE they actually use the cup. Losing a cup may deter people from switching to this sustainable menstruation product. While this is a very valid fear to have, we’re here to hit you with a few facts.
Can the Menstrual Cup get lost inside me?
Read this. Repeat this. Tell everyone you know. Make this your Mantra.
THE MENSTRUAL CUP CANNOT GET LOST INSIDE YOU!
As much as we’d all like to believe that our vaginas are the portals to a whole new universe, it really isn’t. Here’s a basic lesson in reproductive system anatomy though- there’s the vaginal canal (where the menstrual cup sits) and above it, is the cervix.
Now, think of the cervix as the VIP zone. A very select few (like sperm) are allowed entry in there.
The menstrual cup is much too large to cross the cervix. To put things in perspective, the cervical opening is no larger than 25 mm in a menstruating individual and the smallest menstrual cups have a minimal diameter of 40 mm. So, it is just not possible for the cup to gain entry into the super exclusive club called the Uterus.
Boohoo for the cup, Yay for us!
Once you’ve already switched to the menstrual cup, here’s something that may hear yourself saying though, maybe once in a blue moon.
I just can’t find my Menstrual Cup!
You’ve repeated the mantra and you know that the cup cannot get lost inside you. But the cup still wants to play a game of hide-and-seek with you. Here’s how to find the little sucker:
- Wash your hands.
- Calm down!
- Take a few deep breaths.
- Repeat after me: THE MENSTRUAL CUP CANNOT GET LOST INSIDE YOU!
- Get into a deep squat.
- Push down with your abdominal muscles as you would to take a massive poo.
- Chances are, within a few pushes if not the first, you’ll feel the stem of your menstrual cup.
- Use the stem ONLY as a guide, do not yank on it. Patience is key!
- Move your finger upwards from the stem and break the suction by pinching on the bottom of the cup where the ridges are.
- Rotate slightly and direct the cup outside your body.
Congratulations, aren’t you a Hide-and-Seek Champion?!
The Menstrual Cup is STUCK- it just won’t move!
There is a chance that you may feel like the menstrual cup is right there but it seems STUCK. You can feel it and the harder you try to yank it by the stem, the more resistance it shows to budging.
This is in-fact EXACTLY what is happening. The harder you pull, the less it wants to move.
You see those rim holes at the top of the menstrual cup? They allow air to pass through the cup during insertion to help with suction and keeping the cup in place. Breaking that suction is what allows you to remove the cup.
Unfortunately, when the rim holes are up for winning ‘Employee of the Month’, they decide to work extra hard. So, you tug on the stem and it just won’t budge. Well, then what do you do?
- Wash your hands.
- Calm down!
- Take a few deep breaths.
- Repeat after me: THE MENSTRUAL CUP CANNOT GET LOST INSIDE YOU!
- Get into a deep squat.
- Use the stem ONLY as a guide, do not yank on it. Patience is key!
- Move your finger upwards from the stem and break the suction by pinching on the bottom of the cup where the ridges are.
- Rotate slightly and direct the cup outside your body.
Notice how the instructions are just the same?
All you really need to do is break the suction. It could be by pinching the base of the cup at the grooved ridges. You could also consider running a finger along the edge and breaking the suction up at the rim before you direct the cup out of your body. Guess who’s not in the running for ‘Employee of the Month’ any more?
As a long-term cup user, let me assure you that both of these instances are extremely rare! Practice makes perfect and it also gives you much-needed confidence!
As a parting thought, here’s a little something: THE MENSTRUAL CUP CANNOT GET LOST INSIDE YOU! You saw that coming, didn’t you?
Are you a menstrual cup user? Has this ever happened to you? Comment below!
