Organicup Experience
I tried a menstrual cup for the first time this week. I have had the coil in for almost 5 years and haven't had any periods at all in that time. So when I had to have it removed after Christmas (it had perforated my uterus wall but that is a whole other story!) I realised that I was going to have to face the old crimson tide again in the not to distant future. This got me thinking about the different products that have come out in the last 5 years and what I would like to use. I always hated tampons, so bloody uncomfortable to put in and out, and pads just seemed messy and yucky to me.....enter the menstrual cup!
I had heard rumors about this, apparently, wonderful new invention, but had never actually seen one never mind used one! So I looked them up on trusty old YouTube. I was instantly sold. Young girls getting this cup in the mail, popping to the loo and inserting it seemingly trouble free, and skipping off to go about their business without a care in the world! Wow....too good to be true surely?? I was straight on Amazon Prime ordering my very own wonder cup.
I plumped for the Organicup, I had seen a few reviews and vlogs about them and it just tickled my fancy. I liked that they are vegan, cruelty free and organic (I'm a bit of a hippy vegan at heart). So I eagerly awaited the DPD delivery man the next day. I had gotten my period by this time so I was using my pads for, what I hoped would be, the last time. I was feeling pretty smug and save the worldy about it, I'll be honest. I thought 'this is it! the answer to all my period prayers'.
It arrived....I liked the simple, hippy-ish, organic packaging. Simple and plastic free, cute little organic cotton bag to store it in, pretty simple instructions. So far so good. So first of all I had to boil it in a pan of water, which my husband was pretty alarmed about and it hadn't been anywhere near my lady parts yet! I set a 5 minute timer and when it was done I couldn't wait for it to cool down so I could 'pop' in the loo, insert it and change my life forever...... hmmmmm.
I think my expectations were a tad unrealistic. First of all the folding. Folding it is the easy bit....getting it to stay folded whilst you insert it high enough into your foof is no mean feat let me tell you. It kept springing open before it had even reached the first wrung of the ladder so to speak. I eventually found a fold (the C fold) that enabled me to keep a grip on the little blighter, whilst shoving it further up. Getting it to open wasn't too tricky, a bit of a wiggle and twist and it seemed to be open ok. I didn't really expect to have quite so much of my hand up there but still, it was in. Fingers crossed.
I emerged from the toilet, not quite skipping or ready to face the day, more red faced and limping slightly. My husband asked me where on earth I had been for the last 15 minutes..... And then came the pain, horrible stabbing, crampy pain! It felt like I was about to give birth to the thing! I thought maybe it needed to settle in, so I walked around for a while.....yeah that wasn't going to work. it had to come out NOW! Ignoring protests from my 4 year old that I hadn't turned the TV on for him I fled back to the bathroom.
Back up went, what felt like, my whole hand.....squeeze the end and gently pull the cup out it says.....I may as well have been trying to remove an octopus from my vagina. That thing was suckered in there good and tight. Trying not to panic and trying to relax (PAH!) I had another go, rocking the cup from side to side, phew that was working! With a final SSSUUUUCCCKKKKKK noise, out popped the cup and away went the pain. Jeez....by this point I was cursing those beautiful, young, carefree vloggers. Why wasn't my first experience as beautiful as theirs?!
I decided I would be a fool not to try again, so back in went the hand and cup. Wiggle, twist, shove, ouch, pinch, pop! It was in....no pain....all good. For about 10 minutes, when it fell out (FML) . Back to the loo x 4....kept falling out! Not completely, but half way. I couldn't understand it! Back to YouTube I went, spoke to people on some forums, snipped off the stem....went back to the loo. 9 attempts it took me all in all. I eventually got it to stay up there by clenching and releasing my pelvic floor muscles whilst pushing it higher up towards my cervix. I then kept them clenched for a few minutes after insertion and low and behold.....it stayed in place. Thank goodness!!! I couldn't feel it at all, it kept me dry all night and didn't fall out. Hooray!
I can now insert it in one attempt and skip around like the other girls, mission complete! So I guess the moral of my menstrual cup story is, don't expect it to go swimmingly at first. Its gonna be uncomfortable, messy, difficult and make you feel like a bloody idiot. But stick with it people. Don't be afraid of your body or the cup. Get that thing in and out and shake it all about until you get it just right. I don't think its going to change my life, but its certainly going to save me some money, and save the planet a teeny tiny bit.
Thanks for reading :) x
