In May 2019 I wrote about how I tried the Eva Cup for the first time, you can read that post here. It is now almost two years later and I am so happy with my decision to switch from tampons to the menstrual cup. If you are thinking about making the switch, I hope my experience can help you decide which alternative period product is best for you!
There are a lot of different brands of the Menstrual Cup around. I personally have only tried the Eva Cup. I have traveled with my cup a few times and navigated daily life for 20 periods. There are many Pros and also a few cons that I have observed. I want to share them in case they answer some of the questions you might have about making the switch.
Here are some of the pros of the menstrual cup that I have found:
First and foremost, they are a better alternative to tampons and pads because they do not create waste and trash that harm our environment. They also save you money, one Eva Cup is a one time purchase of $25.00 (Which is supposed to last for 10 years). For me, I always had to buy two boxes of tampons a month costing around $7.00 each, added up for the year that would be over $160.00. So in 10 years when I need to replace my menstrual cup I will have invested $50.00 (If the price has not changed) rather than over $1600.00 in tampons.
Another major pro to the menstrual cup is that at night I have fewer leaking incidents. You know those nights when you have a heavier flow, and you wake up looking like you were in the middle of a murder scene in your sleep! Then you have the fun task of cleaning sheets and clothes first thing in the morning. For me, I always have a pretty heavy flow the first couple days of my cycle, before I made the switch I felt like I was always terrified of overflow and was constantly having to wash clothes due to leakage. Since making the switch I can count only 2 or 3 instances where I did not get a good seal on my cup and ended up leaking.
The biggest pro for me though is that I feel so much cleaner during my period, and find it much easier to go to the bathroom in between having to change my cup.
Traveling with the cup has both pros and cons. The pros of traveling while wearing the menstrual cup are since you can go 12 hours without removing it you can plan around your travel schedule, (barring any emergencies) so that you won’t have to try and navigate public bathrooms to change your tampons, and you don’t have to carry any extra products saving you precious room in your suitcase and/or carry on. The cons of traveling with the menstrual cup are that you can find it difficult to keep your cup empty and sanitize. One example is if you are staying in a hotel room and do not have a sink inside the bathroom you will have to find a different way to sanitize your cup after emptying it. I personally went on a girl’s trip and ended up starting my period on the first day of the trip. It was a little awkward to navigate around emptying and sanitizing my cup. (This was one of my first big leakage issues with the cup due to my own rushing) Obviously, this is less of an issue if you are alone in your room, or staying with your spouse who is used to your menstrual cycle needs. Another Con would be if you are on a long road trip you may very well have to figure out where and when you are going to empty and sanitize the cup along the way.
There are a few cons that I still experience but they are small when compared to the pros.
One Con is how up close and personal I have to get to my ladybits. It is not always comfortable, but considering I had two children with a room full of strangers getting up close and personal with my ladybits, at least with this I can be alone in my bathroom! (Even if those same children are banging on the door)
Another con for me is that I still experience cramping pretty regularly. One of the claims of most menstrual cup brands is that they lessen cramping or take cramping away completely, and unfortunately, I have not found that to be true for myself.
The last con that I have experienced is if my period happens to take me by surprise I have to scramble until I can sanitize the cup for use. I boil mine at the beginning and end of my period each time. Luckily I have never had a time where I started my period in a place that I couldn’t get home quickly. But if you were at work or somewhere that you could not leave you would want to have an alternative product available to hold you over until you got home. It is for this reason alone I have looked into the Thinx underwear as an option, but I can not make myself spend the money on them.