Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Menstrual Cup - Revolutionising A Period Journey

CAUTIONS ⚠️ : This post contains descriptions of biological / bodily terms that may offend some readers. Please skip if you are not comfortable with the content. This is not a paid review.

Last night’s post on menstrual leave totally reminded me that I haven’t reviewed about my recent experience of switching from sanitary pad to menstrual cup. 

It took me 2 years to persuade myself to change, mainly because I wasn’t convinced that the cup could fit me (it looked big and the silicone material is thick and so impossible to insert in!). Eventually after hundreds of reviews later from menstrual cup users, I plucked up my courage to buy one from Shopee.

Why do I switch to menstrual cup?

It started when a friend of mine posted in her Facebook that she was lovin’ her menstrual cup. It is environmental-friendly (no more throwing away used pads) and convenient (no more ‘oh no i forgot to bring my pads’ when traveling or going out). She also gushed about how comfy it is (no ‘icky’ feeling of wetness, skin rash from wearing thick pads or you know, when the pad shifted because it doesn’t stick to the panty properly or after going to the toilet).

Additional plus points for me are no more ‘leaks’ during night time or any other time (I once had the horror of my pad soaking through and leaving a mess on my office chair!), nor washing the used pad before throwing it away like my mom taught us to, nor dealing with blood smell every time going to the loo. Also, it’s much cheaper in the long run (imagine saving thousands of RM because each cup can be used up to 10 years and you only need one cup!). It just made so much sense to use a menstrual cup!

After doing some research on the menstrual cup brands out there (both in Malaysia and overseas), I decided to purchase ‘Saalt’ menstrual cup from Shopee:

Available in regular / small size and a few pastel colors

BUT. Despite the reassuring reviews from the users, I was still not buying the idea that I could fit the regular size, so I bought the small soft cup. It’s because the website describes the small size as suitable for those who have not birthed before (technically I had never birthed my kids NATURALLY because they were C-sec babies! 😂).

Description of each size (Credit image: saalt.com)

The good thing about Saalt is their easy-to-navigate website packed with useful information for newbies like me. They also have a quiz to help users to find out the right size before purchase. Most importantly they include videos to show step-by-step how to insert and take out the menstrual cup properly for a more pleasant experience:

Anyway, I had to wait for several months before the cup that I wanted was in stock (wow, so many ladies out there are switching as well). Of course it has to be purple because it’s my favorite colour 💜. Finally it arrived in this cute recycled packaging. The cup comes with a pouch to store it when not in use.

Unboxing Saalt menstrual cup package

It just so happened that I was on my period when the cup arrived, so first thing first was to sterilize the cup by boiling it for several minutes. This is where I found it slightly inconvenient because it doesn’t come with a microwave sterilizer container. Alternatively you can also buy sanitizing tablets and soak the cup in it. For me, I just soak in diluted Dettol liquid followed by a quick rinse.

The first few attempts of trying to insert the cup was a steep learning curve for me. The first time it felt uncomfortable and it leaked. So I rinsed it and tried again. It took me 3 attempts before I figured out the correct angle and how far to insert before I got it right (Tips: Find your comfortable position, relax your pelvic muscle, take a deep breath and check it’s properly sealed by giving the tip a gentle tug).

The first few times of wearing it, my mind kept reminding me that I had a cup inside me every time I move about. After a while, I soon forgot about it and hardly felt anything at all. I can lie on my front, roll around, lie on my back and nope, it doesn’t feel a thing. That night, I had the most comfortable sleep knowing that I will no longer have accidental leaking! 😂

By the second month, I began to wish that I had bought the regular size because I experienced heavy period flow on the first 2 days. So instead of emptying the cup every 6-8 hours, I had to empty the cup every 3-4 hours. I also woke up in the middle of the night to empty my cup (I knew when the cup was full because the cup would be push lower and then I could feel it). The frequency of emptying the cup was reduced by day 3 to 8 hours and by day 4, I only needed to empty the cup once in the morning and once at night. There is no risk of infection from prolonged usage because the cup sits inside your body and not exposed to airborne germs and bacteria.

So, is it a worthy investment?

It’s a huge YES for me because of the 3Cs and 1 E = convenient (no more stocking up on sanitary pads, forgetting one when I am out and about, or not to forget the rush to put on panties right after taking a shower before it starts leaking 😝), comfortable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Not to mention how it is more hygienic and less messy compared to using a sanitary pad.

Is there any ‘But’ moment?

Yes. Despite its many advantages, I wouldn’t buy one for my teenage daughter. It’s fine if you are already married to switch to menstrual cup but it’s a whole other argument for unmarried ladies to use the cup. Anyway this is just my opinion, perhaps a trip to a gynecologist office can confirm whether it’s safe for unmarried ladies to use a menstrual cup.

If you are thinking to get one for yourself / family member, the cup that I bought retailed at RM180.90 (yes, a bit pricey but can be used for 10 years) on Shopee (click here for the Shopee link).

Definitely not going back to using sanitary pad if I could help it 😉