Katherine PageIf you want to know more about my decision to try the menstrual cup, read the following post.
Day 1- After buying my cup, I disinfected it by placing it in boiling water for a few minutes. I have to admit that when I saw the size of the cup I was a little intimidated. It was larger than I imagined and the material is sturdy and rubbery. I wondered how I would get it small enough to comfortably place it where it needed to go. I also second guess if this really was safe to be putting it up my yoni. It is so different than a tampon. Where a tampon is slender and soft, this is bulky and hard.
This reminded me how hard it can be to change and how scary becoming more aware can be. I slightly envy those that are still oblivious to the state of things. I didn’t grow up in a house where we discussed whether or not products were safe for us. My mother’s generation just trusted and assumed that if a product was on a shelf to buy, it was safe. Shit, my mother made microwavable meals for us for dinner.
It has been a huge awakening for me to start changing the relationship I have with stuff. This whole Menstrual Cup is bringing up way more than I thought it would..
I never questioned placing tampons inside of me, but after being introduced to the cup, I started to wonder. Check out this article to see what is actually in tampons. Think Round-up scary…
Which made me think, “what else do I just blindly?”
Then it hit me…. “Well you are blindly going to put this contraption into you and you don’t know if it is truly better for you.” Yes, I did some research. Yes, I listened to some podcasts. But, how do I REALLY know it is better?”
This is one of Rerooting Circles goals. To become better acquainted with our own inner intuition. What better way to strengthen my relationship with my intuition than to use my Yoni or womb.
But I did one last Ecosia to be sure. Here are the two articles that stood out:
“Menstrual Cup Dangers: 3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Make The Switch”. Read it for yourself but know that it isn’t what you think.
“What are Menstrual Cups Made Out Of”– which suggests to read the materials that your cup is made out of because some are better than others.
So back to my cup I go. I looked on the box to find out what it was made out of and where. On the front of the box it is said “silicone 100% médical” and “Fabriquée à Cavaillon en France”. Double good.
I noticed that when I am unsure of things I am so quick to pick up my phone and search for the answer. It is a horrific habit on so many levels. More on that soon.
Okay Okay Okay… back to day 1 of my first Cup experience.
I was excited to see the first signs of my faithful old friend show up today. Though I wished I would have understood the directions better (they are in French). I got myself into a little conundrum putting it in and taking it out.
Luckily the pictures on the box were pretty clear. Fold the circle in and pinch it a little till it forms a triangle shape. I wouldn’t say it was very comfortable getting it in but I imagine that it just takes some practice (as did tampons).
The trickiest part was working with the size of the cup. I think I should have gone with the smaller size for it to be more comfortable. Hmmm, will I need to buy more of these. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of minimizing waste?
Pulling the cup out was not easy. It has a few “beads” at the end, see below. But my fingers are weak and even opening jelly can is difficult. I usually have to ask my husband for help. So pulling on a short knob was actually painful and took a lot of focus and patience. There were a few times I wondered if I was going to need to call my husband in for help.
Goodness. That would be a sign of true love!
I found a method of tugging the beads down a little and then use my other hand to pull them down a little more. I shifted between squating and sitting on the toilet. I also wondered if it was normal for the beads to be so high up inside me. This just didn’t seem practical. Once I got two beads out of my yoni, I could hold on to the string a little easier. I think hooked one finger on my other hand on the top of the cup to pull it out the rest of the way.
Luckily there wasn’t much blood because the cup would come out sideways. I then just dumped the blood in the toilet and rinsed it off in the sink next to me and reinserted it. This didn’t feel ideal and the whole process took about 6 minutes. Which is 5.30 minutes longer than it does with a tampon.
You will want to wash your hands right away and it is recommended to wash the cup before reinserting it. I do wonder how I will do this when I am gushing blood in a few days.
Another unique thing about France is the toilet rooms. There are usually sinks right next to you. I imagine doing this in the U.S., even at home or at work, to be a little trickier.
I found myself thinking about the cup a lot during the day, which lead me to pulling it out and reinserting it 4 times throughout the day. On the box it says it is holds 8 hours worth of blood but I was checking it every 4. Which is the pattern I have with tampons. The fact that I can have a heavy flow influences this greatly.
This was an interesting awareness. My period started when I was about 14, so for 26 years (minus the months of pregnancy and breastfeeding) I have had a routine of caring for my period that has been so ingrained into my psyche. I do this and then I do that and then this…. and I am anxious the whole week. Hmm. Is there a possibility that the cup could change that relationship. Was I willing to be open to that.
I am not sure if I felt relax enough today to connect with my intuition on that idea. Maybe tomorrow will be different.
