5 Myths About Menstrual Cups Debunked + Why You Really Need To Try One

Menstrual cups are safe, efficient, inexpensive, and healthy for your body (and the environment). So why aren't more people using them? We're willing to guess that the hesitation stems from a lack of understanding and familiarity. After all, these days tampons and pads dominate the period market and come in just about every shape, size, and iteration imaginable. By comparison, menstrual cups—reusable silicone cups that sit in the vagina and collect period blood—are shrouded in a bit of mystery.

Many people assume that menstrual cups will be tricky and painful to apply since they're larger than tampons. But did you know they're actually increasingly being used by younger generations? If an 11-year old girl can insert one, so can you! It just takes a bit of getting used to.

You'll likely have to practice for a cycle or two before you really get in the swing of things, but most cups come with detailed instruction manuals to guide you along the way. Just like with tampons, there are multiple positions and techniques for inserting cups. Remember how weird inserting your first tampon was, and how normal it feels now? Menstrual cups will become just as comfortable.

As the market for conscious, reusable, and healthy period products continues to grow, it’s safe to say that the menstrual cup option is starting to gain some serious traction.

Menstrual cups are designed to comfortably sit in the vaginal canal past the pelvic zone, but away from the cervix. Talk to nearly any consistent cup user and they'll tell you that once the cup is inserted correctly, it's easy to forget it's there altogether. This is because the body actually adjusts to the presence of the cup immediately upon insertion, and the vaginal walls keep the cup snug and in place, regardless of what physical activities you engage in.

Essentially, the most common reason why menstrual cups leak for first-time users is due to improper positioning. If the cup is inserted crooked, doesn’t fully ‘pop’ open, or it doesn’t seal to your vaginal walls, there is a chance for leakage—but with some practice and experimentation, these initial leakage issues all but disappear. Menstrual cups are designed to catch all of the blood directly from your cervix, so once you become an insertion pro, there will be no mess and you won’t have to touch any blood. Most cup users can wear their cups for 12 hours at a time, comfortably forgetting they are on their period for an entire day or a full night’s sleep!

Not to mention that unlike tampons, which dry out the vagina regardless of when they are inserted by absorbing all of the vaginal moisture and natural fluids (causing itchiness and dryness), you can actually insert your cup before your period begins to ensure it won't catch you off guard.

In every respect, menstrual cups are actually way safer than tampons. They collect blood instead of absorbing it, and therefore are far less likely to cause conditions like Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). They also don't expose the user to harmful bleaches and chemicals, found in most conventional tampons. Additionally, cups don't absorb the natural moisture of the vaginal environment, thereby helping to maintain healthy pH levels, which result in healthier intimate flora (sayonara yeast infections and BV!).

With that said, it's true that you want to be selective when choosing your cup, as not all cups are created equal. Cheap ones can be made from unregulated materials, so make sure to get one that's registered with and regulated by the FDA. A good cup can last you up to 10 years, so invest in a manufacturer that prioritizes safety and transparency, like LENA Cup.

Voted the best starter cup for first-time users for their functional, bell-shaped design and around-the-clock customer care and support, LENA cups are made from high-grade medical silicone that is free of BPA and latex. LENA, and its packaging, are manufactured and assembled within a 50-mile radius in California using only locally sourced and tested medical-grade materials. Every detail—down to its lovely packaging printed with vegetable-based inks and designed to open like a jewelry box—is both functional and sustainable.