PeeSafe Menstrual cup: A review (Nepal)

 Hello everyone! Today we are talking about menstrual cups! 

Let's face this. Every month we have periods and without a second thought we grab a pad and rush to the bathroom! I never gave a thought of how pads affect the environment or our own body. Pads are even infused with perfumes to "prevent" odor. Imagine putting perfume so close to your lady parts. Now you know why you are so itchy and burning after using pads. 

3 years ago I came across a YouTube video. It was the very first time I heard about menstrual cups. They were not available in my country. 2 years back I noticed online shopping sites in Nepal selling them. They were pricey for my poor butt. Later there were many affordable options but I was too scared to try them.

Now that I knew such a product existed, every time I used a pad and wrapped it in some more plastics to dispose it, I felt guilty! In addition to that, decent pads are expensive! Even though they are basic needs, they are taxed like luxury items.

So I decided to remove all these guilt and make one time investment on menstrual cups.  

Here is my verdict on Menstrual Cups.

General Information about the product:

Brand of the Menstrual cup: Pee Safe

Price I paid: NRs. 799

Place I bought from: Foreveryng

Size I used: Small 

Sizes it came in: 'Extra Small', 'Small' and 'Large' 

Size Chart provided by the manufacturer: 

Product Description from manufacturer's website:

What is a menstrual cup?

Menstrual cups are the most economical menstrual product so far. Our cup is made of 100% Medical Grade Silicone and in an FDA approved facility. They are supposed to be inserted into your vagina. It can collect up to 26 ml of blood and no, it doesn’t leak out. On an average, we bleed just about 20 ml a day but never forget the thumb rule with any period products; keep a check every 4-5 hours.

My Experience:

My period Background:

I have normal to heavy flow during my periods. I need 14-16 pads every period. I use Whisper XL (the ones with orange packaging and costs NRs. 70-75 for 6 pads). The flow subsides from 4th day of my periods and completely stops after the 7th day, usually.

The start:

I finally got my menstrual cup and my periods too. The very first thing I did was wash the cup with mild soap. Then I went ahead and boiled it for 5 mins or so. Be careful as to not let the cup touch the utensil you are boiling the cup in! Else the cup will get melted away. Make sure to put a lot of water so the cup will be floating in the water.

Picture of the product I use.

The insertion: 

You have to fold the cup to insert it in. Their website suggested three different kind of folds i.e. a 'C' fold, the '7' fold and 'punch-down' fold. 

This is description as per their website:

The C Fold – Push the cup from both ends and curve it to make the letter C.

The 7-Fold – Push the cup from both ends and curve the right side diagonally to the left side to make the number 7.

The Punch Down Fold – Push the front side of the cup towards the bottom of the cup to punch it down.

Initially, I tried to insert it in with the C Fold but it was very difficult to work with. It kind of hurt and kept unraveling. I could not insert the cup in with the C - Fold.

Then I decided to go with the Punch Down Fold. It was so much easier. In this fold, the front part is narrowed which makes it easy to insert and could be easily slid in. You can dampen the cup with water to lubricate it.

Punch down fold. I personally find it convenient and have been using it.

The leg position:

This may sound like too much information. But it is important! Your leg position determines how easy or difficult using menstrual cups will be for you.

The first position I tried was a squat. I did not sit on the toilet seat because I was too scared that the cup will slip away from my hands and fall into the toilet bowl. I struggled a lot to actually place the cup inside. I took me good 15 - 20 minutes the very first time.

You can try squatting on the floor like a frog squat or do a regular squat as well. You can also place a foot on the toilet seat and next foot on the floor and try inserting the cup into your vagina. 

After many trials and errors, finally I found my position. I sat on the toilet seat, spread my legs out and tried inserting the cup. I tried to align the straight line created by punch down fold along my spine. It was much more convenient and was not painful at all. Once the cup was fully inside, I gyrated my hips a little bit. Your can do a little dance if you may to make sure the cup has unraveled inside and created a seal. You can tug the stem to make sure it has created a seal and then you are good to go. Just grip the cup firmly. I assure you it will not fall into the toilet bowl.

While the menstrual cup was inside:

It did not even felt like there was a cup inside! I was anxious that it will poke here and there, but none of that happened! I felt like I was not even on my periods but the cramps kept reminding me of it, of course(-_-). 

I used panty liners as back up since it was my very first time using cups. I didn't know how long the product could last. There was also the chance of me inserting the cup the wrong way and blood leaking out.

 

The product claims that it could last for up to 12 hours. Since I have medium to heavy flow the cup did not last for that long hours. I had to clean the cup and empty it out after every 4-5 hours. 

You will know when it fills up! You will get sensation of bubbles around the vaginal walls when the cup is completely filled. If it overfills then the liquid gushes out. So, girl you will feel it! 

It happened to me. I was attending my online class and I could not go to clean it up and it overflowed. I was using panty liners thankfully preventing any potential staining. 

I had to go sleep with a pad on though. I sleep for good 8-9 hours. It was obvious for the cup to overflow. Hence, I opted for a pad instead of panty liners. It caught everything and I had no staining at all.

Removing:

Removing the cup was much more of a headache than inserting. Initially, what I did was tried to tug the stem of the cup. That is now how you do it! (Insert a big red cross here) The cup would not even budge if you try tugging the stem. 

What happens is, the cup creates a suction on your vaginal walls which creates a seal. So you have to break the seal first and then proceed to removal. I struggled for good 20 - 30 mins the very first time figuring out the whole removal process.

After a lot of struggle and practice of removing it, this is my take.

First thing, do not tug on the stem to remove it! Understand that it is your body and do not be shy. Relax. Then with your index finger and thumb feel around for the base of the menstrual cup. Then pinch it and hold it firmly. Slowly pull it out.

This is my finger position while pinching and pulling the cup out. The nail of the thumb faces forward and the index finger faces towards your butt. Pinch it, the cup will deform and pull it out. You might spill it. Don't worry it is just blood and it can be cleaned easily. 

I removed it while I was in shower the very first time so that I could get a hang of it and if I spilled the blood out, I could easily wash it away. It was quite a surprise to see the blood and everything. But you will get used to it. Later, I removed it while sitting on the toilet in the same leg positions that I inserted it in.

Never ever think that you will have to go to a doctor to remove it. It is your body and you are in control! You will figure it out!

Cleaning:

 

Menstrual cups causes no infections to you since it creates a seal so the blood won't come in contact with air. 

After each removal to empty the cup, I washed it well with soap and water. Use a soap with less or no fragrance. I used the bar soap from Dettol (the pink skincare one). It caused me no irritation. 

After the fourth day I washed it with soap and popped it in boiling water for 5 minutes, dried it and stored it in the pouch that it came in.

The final words:

Overall my experience was pretty good with it. I will definitely keep using it in future. I wish the cup could hold more liquid because it is quite a hassle to remove, empty, wash and insert it back every 4 - 5 hours. It may be due to my heavy flow as well. I am still skeptical about taking menstrual cups outside of my house. 

I definitely felt less guilty for not having to throw away a bunch of plastics and pads this time. 

I would rate it 4 out of 5. Deducted the 1 marks for too much work. But I think it will get better with practice.

The site for PeeSafe menstrual cups: PeeSafe Menstrual Cup

The site for Foreveryng : Foeveryng

Relevant YouTube channel: Put A Cup In It

Feel free to comment if you have any inquiries. Tell me if I should make a video on it!