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Manyperiodeuphemisms don’t do an adequate job of summing up how annoying menstruation can be.
Gregory Lee / Getty Images
Aunt Flo’s in town?
It’s always nice when family visits.
Surfing the crimson wave?
Actually sounds fun, if water sports are your thing.
And unfortunately, for many people they’re just a fact of life untilmenopausehits.
That is alotof blood-filled years, which is why some people are turning to menstrual cups as an alternative.
Menstrual cups are reusable, bell-shaped products that are inserted into the vagina to catch blood during menstruation.
“I tried aDivaCupfirst, but I now use aBlossom.
Paige W., 29
2.
I havent worn tampons since I tried Lily Cup, and Im never going back.”
Andrea S., 28
3.
Diane P., 47 (“and on my way towards menopause, I hope!")
“I got aRainbow Cup[also known as the Monzcare R-CUP] because it was inexpensive.
Thanks to my menstrual cup, I pretty much forget that I’m even on my period.”
So I triedMeLunawith the ring at the bottom for better grasping.
Now I useMooncup, which I love.
This lowers the cup for a better grasping point.”
Corissa O., 37
6.
I’m a virgin, and I’ve never stuck anything up my vagina.
With lube and the origami fold, which makes the insertion point as small as possible, it worked.
I had to resort to giving birth to the cup.
Joanne G., 21
7.
I mostly have insertion and removal down, and I only notice it when I’m super crampy already.
“Jen G., 30
8.
Haily B, 23
9.
After a few months, I bought a MeLuna to use long-term.
The first time, it was hard to put in.
Then I tried different ways of folding the cup, and it became easier.
ButI don’t like that my cup tends to fall out when I have a bowel movement.”
Cynthia F., 32
10.
“So far, I’ve only tried theVida Cup, which is on Amazon.
I was about to write off menstrual cups all together.
Alexandra H. 23
11.
I did have a hard time removing it at the end of a period one time.
I spent a good half-hour wiggling and bearing down to get the cup out.
When it finally came out, I felt so triumphant.”
Erin M., 20
12.
Katherine S., 21
13.
“My first and only cup has been theEvaCup.
I’m very happy with it.
I have never leaked when wearing it or had any issues removing it.
Brittany D. 20
14.
“I bought the cheapest menstrual cup I could find.
It was smaller than I thought, but I had the biggest issue putting it in at first.
Alisha W., 23
- note: like theReddit Menstrual Cupspage, where I found a lot of these sources!
Hanne T., 28
16.
“I got the Lunette.
When it was in place, it didn’t feel strange at all.
In fact, when I had it in during my period my cramps went completely away!
I thinkmenstrual cups are one of the best things to happen to people with periods.”
Marlene J., 23
17.
“I bought theLadyCupbecause it was so small, had good reviews, and looked pretty.
I wet the cup with water and put it in and it was in place in under a minute.
It was kind of amazing.
Taking it out was a whole other story.
It was so slippery, I had to use both hands.
Still, it has improved my comfort and it is so convenient.Tampons are dead to me.”
Stefanie T.
Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
