How to insert & remove your Menstrual Cup
Aug. 06, 2019 jess simms
Menstrual cups make periods so easy to manage. You can dance, swim, even skydive (why not?) with your cup in, meaning nothing will stop you from you doing you, even with Aunty Flow hanging around.
When you get your first menstrual cup out of the box, it can seem a little intimidating. “It’s huge! How the hell do I get this inside my vagina?!”. Trust us, size does not matter. We’ll teach you the best way to pop your menstrual cup in and taking it out.
Finding the right position
Depending on your anatomy, certain positions will work well for you when using your cup. Squatting down, sitting down or popping one leg on the toilet, can help your muscles open, making inserting the cup so much easier. Just keep practising with different positions until you find the right one.
BeYou says relax…
Before inserting your menstrual cup, you need to make sure you relax your vaginal muscles. This ensures it won’t be uncomfortable when you insert it. Take a couple of breaths and gently push your cup in. If you find it is causing you some discomfort, don’t panic. Applying some lube around the rim of the cup, as well as on yourself will help ease the cup in.
Which fold do you use to insert your cup?
There is a huge variety of folds you can use with your menstrual cup. The three folds mostly common used are the ‘C’ fold, Punchdown fold and the 7 Fold, and many more. But don't worry if that doesn't ring any bells yet! You'll get to know all the main menstrual cup folds along the way!
Inserting your cup
Now you’re all prepared to pop your cup way up in there. Firstly, fold the cup into the desired fold and then pinch both sides of the cup, keeping your thumb and finger as low as possible. Then choose the position you will be most comfortable with and guide the cup in with your free hand to the entrance of your vagina. Then wiggle the cup inside until it sits comfortably inside and has opened up.
Pop it like it’s hot
Menstrual cups work on the premise of catching your menstrual blood as it is excreted by the cervix. For this to work, the folded cup needs to unfold or pop open to collect your blood. If the cup is still folded when inside, it will leave a small gap for the blood to leak. No one wants that! To make sure your cup has unfolded, run a finger around the rim of the cup and try to feel for any folded edges.
To unfold the cup, you can rotate the cup around to encourage the side to open. Also, you can try pinching both sides of the base, as well as pulling it down slightly then pushing it back up. But doesn’t it move? In actual fact, no! The BeYou Menstrual Cup has tiny holes, which create a vacuum seal around the walls of your vagina. That means your cute cup buddy isn’t going anywhere.
Removing the cup
Again, relaxing is the key. The more you relax your muscles, the easier your cup will come away from your vaginal walls. If you’re feeling a bit nervous just take your time and don’t rush it. Many women use a squatting position to remove it, as it shortens the vaginal canal. Remember, there is no way your cup can get lost. It can’t swim up inside your womb. When removing your cup, bear down on your pelvic muscles and push down in small bursts. This makes the cup budge down lower towards the entrance of your vagina.
When you can grasp the bottom of your cup, try and insert a finger along the side of the cup to release the seal. Don’t panic if you can’t reach the base of the cup, gently pull the stem of the cup whilst pushing down with your muscles until you can feel it. You may hear the seal release, meaning your cup can now be easily removed.
And that’s it! The one piece of advice we will always give is practice, practice, PRACTICE! Don’t get disheartened if it doesn't work perfectly the first time. It may take a couple of cycles to adjust to using the menstrual cup.
If you have any more questions head to our FAQ page or DM us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Please let us know how you are getting on with your BeYou menstrual cup. Even if it’s your first cup or your 10th, we are so excited you have chosen BeYou and we hope you love it just as much as we do.
