Hey guys!
This week I will be reviewing something that could get a
little gross… The Lena Menstrual Cup! As a soon to be nurse, there are very few
things that I find disgusting or taboo to talk about. If you are uncomfortable
about reading about menstruation and the female anatomy, then stop reading now!
For those of you who don’t know what a menstrual cup is, it’s
a tiny little cup that you insert into your vagina when you’re having your
period, and it catches the blood. You use it in place of pads and tampons. It’s
made from medical grade silicone, it’s reusable, and its environmentally as
well as economically friendly. I decided to buy a menstrual cup because I
wanted to make the switch to organic cotton pads and tampons… Little did I know
these cost up to 2x the amount that normal pads and tampons cost AND they are
hard to find in stores.
The Reason to Switch
A few years
ago, I read a heart breaking story about a girl who lost a leg from toxic shock
syndrome (TSS) . She got TSS from keeping in a tampon too long. Although this
is extremely rare, I feel it needs to
be addressed.
If you want to read the story about TSS here is the link.
Tampons and pads like Kotex, Playtex, and and Tampax contain
synthetic ingredients such as rayon, polyester, and polypropylene. These
chemicals are put together to form your tampons and pads. They are bleached,
and can contain pesticides, dyes, and
several other harmful chemicals/pollutants. Non-100% cotton tampons and pads are the perfect
petri dishes to grow bacteria due to their plastic consistencies and warm,
moist environment.
When you expose your vaginal walls to anything harmful, it
is easily absorbed into your bloodstream.
I’m not saying if you don’t use organic cotton pads or
tampons or a menstrual cup you’re going to get TSS; chances are you won’t and
you have absolutely nothing to worry about. It wouldn’t hurt to veer on the
side of caution and try out some alternative methods for that time of the
month.
Small LENA Menstrual
Cup Review
Price
$24.97 for one cup
(small or large). The primary reason I bought the Lena cup was because I found
it on Amazon Prime and it was one of the cheaper cups available. I thought that
it looked like one of the nicer cups on Amazon, it had great reviews, and
honestly the packaging was cute. You can only purchase this cup on Amazon. Compared to Natracare organic cotton tampons for $10 for 16 tampons, buying one menstrual cup can save you A LOT of $$!
How to use it & how I used it
This is where knowing your anatomy is essential. Please head
over to google and type in “female anatomy” if you are unfamiliar with what’s
going on down there.
First, you will need to get familiar with the type of folds.
There is the C-fold, seven fold, and punch down. For the Lena cup, personally I
use the C-fold. I find it easiest to maintain for the entire insertion. The
Lena cup is firm and hard to keep pinched closed, so the other folding methods may be
slightly more difficult. Practice these folds prior to inserting the cup.
Second, you will insert the cup. This will be tricky and even uncomfortable for the
first couple of times you try it. I suggest that you try a “dry run” before you
get your period, so you know what it is going to be like. I also suggest not
to trim the tail off until you are using it during your period. The “dry run”
is misleading because when the cup is actually in you for several hours it shifts up towards your cervix.
When you first insert it, it may be towards the opening of your vagina. I made the mistake
of cutting off the entire stem after testing out my cup. I am still able to get my cup out, but it can
be really hard at times.
To insert it, put it in the fold that you choose. You may
want to use water or coconut oil/ personal lubricant to make it easier to get in. Start
with your fingers towards the top of the cup. Make sure you spread your labia
minora open, because that can be quite painful if you’re not careful. Shimmy
your fingers slowly down the up simultaneously as you’re inserting the cup.
Once the cup is in (so none of it is sticking out of you—but the tail can stick
out), it should pop open and form a suction seal inside of you. To check and see if it
popped open, run your finger along the base of the cup to check for folds.
Wearing your cup should be comfortable. You shouldn’t feel
it and it shouldn’t be painful. If it is irritating or painful try re-inserting
it with some lubricant. Make sure you position your cup slightly pointing to
your tail bone (because your cervix tilts back).
Changing your menstrual cup is much much different than
changing a tampon. I purchased the small Lena cup which holds 25 ml of fluid.
The average “regular” sized tampon holds 5 ml of fluid. The Lena cup size small
holds 5x more fluid!! (AMAZING). So, you don’t need to change the cup every 2-3 hours or so like you would with a tampon or pad. You can wait up to 12 hours to
change the cup. Unless you have an extremely heavy flow, your cup shouldn’t be
full after 10-12 hours. This is great for sleeping, working, and traveling.
I had some concerns before I started using the cup:
Will I have to change the cup every 2-3 hours?
a.
No. Unlike a tampon the Lena menstrual cup hold
5x more fluids. The average menstrual period contains 35 ml of fluids, and the
cup holds 25 ml of fluids. So, if you’re changing it once every 12 hours you can
imagine your cup shouldn’t even be half way full (if you have a normal flow).
You should be fine changing your cup every 6-12 hours.
Wouldn’t the blood spill everywhere when I was
trying to take the cup out?
a.
No! Believe it or not, your cup probably won’t
even be half way full by the time you take it out. I change mine every 6-10
hours and have never had the cup over half way full (even on my heavy day). You
may think it is tricky to pinch the cup and pull it out and not get blood
everywhere—but trust me, you won’t have a problem. When I first received the
Lena cup I was shocked at how small it was, I couldn’t believe that that would
hold much blood. But you don’t realize how little blood tampons hold until you
use a menstrual cup. Also, menstrual blood is rather thick. It is more the consistency of dish soap, so it won't splash out like water would.
What if I had to change the cup in public?
a.
Since you only need to change your cup a minimum
every 12 hours, you shouldn’t really need to change it in public. If you plan your
day accordingly you shouldn’t need a change in the middle of your outing. If
you were to need to change it in public, try and find a restroom with a sink in
the stall. You only need to wash the cup with warm water and mild soap (hand
soap) and then reinsert it. If you don’t have water and soap, try a wet wipe (not
suggested, but just in case of emergency).
Taking the cup out shouldn’t be too difficult. If you left
the tail on, you can pull gently on it to get the cup to move down. If you can
reach the base of the cup pinch it and pull gently down. If you are having
trouble getting the cup out (if you cut off the entire tail & the cup is
high in you... like me haha) you may have to reach around the back side of you and try to grab
it that way. You may have to reposition your fingers as the cup is wider at the
top. I suggest you have a tissue ready incase some fluids are being difficult.
This process shouldn’t hurt!
Wash the cup out with warm water and soap. Make sure the air
holes around the top of the cup don’t get clogged. Once, the cup is washed you
can reinsert it!
Color
This cup is clear pink, and right now only comes in clear pink. Some menstrual cups stain brown/red from your blood, but this one
has maintained it color.
How well I thought the product worked
I don’t think I will ever switch back to pads and tampons! I
really enjoyed the ease of using the Lena cup. I thought it was easy to use,
comfortable, and gave me freedom. I was able to change my cup up to 12
hours after insertion. It’s so convenient !I didn’t have to worry about leaks
what so ever, even on my heavy days. It wasn’t painful to insert or remove. I
never had any problems with spilling on removal.
I wouldn’t suggest this product to a young girl just starting
to learn about her body and starting to menstruate. It is somewhat tricky to
insert/remove if you aren’t confident in your anatomy.
I would suggest the small size for anyone young, petite, and
pre-vaginal birth. Although, I think that the small sized cup should work for anyone
due to its suctioning abilities.
I have not tried the large sized cup and do not intend it
because the small size works well for me.
The Good
Convenient, holds a lot, one time purchase, safe, reusable, adorable
packaging, affordable, and reliable.
The Bad/The Ugly
The only negative thing I have to say about using a
menstrual cup is that you will probably have to use a thin panty liner along
with it. I found that I secreted a tiny amount of “dried” looking blood when my
cup was in. I think that this is because when inserting my cup, it didn’t cover
my entire vagina so some preexisting blood was on my vagina walls and came out.
The cup does catch 99.9% of the blood, but preexisting blood may escape. (Idk
if that makes sense, but this was not a cup malfunction)
Tips & Tricks
- No! Just use warm water and antibacterial hand soap
- Trim your finger nails... trust me, just do it.
- Practice folds & do a “dry run"
- Wear a 100% organic cotton panty liner when using the cup
- Check to see if your cup has opened after insertion
- If you have a “porous” sink do not pour your blood into the sink, try pouring it into a ceramic/marble/glass sink or toilet. It will stain plastic based sinks.
Check out LENA here.
Check out the panty liners I use.
I am looking forward to trying Natracare panty liners and Me
Luna Shorty menstrual cup soon!
Thanks for reading!
-K
Everything expressed in this blog is my personal experience or opinion based on research I have chosen to believe. I am not a medical professional. Should you seek medical advice about using a menstrual cup, contact a physician.
ALL INSTRUCTIONAL PICTURES WERE TAKEN FROM LENACUP.COM
ALL INSTRUCTIONAL PICTURES WERE TAKEN FROM LENACUP.COM