Period vs. Menstrual Cup丨What is menstrual Cup? Heres How It Works & why you Need It Over Pads?

Period vs. Menstrual Cup丨What is menstrual Cup? Heres How It Works & why you Need It Over Pads?

It's very common in every girl's life, dealing with periods, sanitary pads, sanitary napkins, or tampons in every month, but this time choose the best thing which is suitable for your health.

 Menstruation is a monthly process of women, of discharging blood & mucosal membrane from the uterus through vagina it is commonly known as a period. the menstruation cycle occurs due to hormonal changes. Mainly there is two type of hormones present in women – estrogen & progesterone, the rise, and fall of this hormones are responsible for menstruation cycle. The first period starts in the age of 14-15^th years and stops after 44-52 years of age. it lasts for 3-5 days depends on several conditions. Menstruation is one of the most important phases in women life, some people take is casual. If proper precautions are not taken women faces a lot of problems in which some are known & some are not. So, stop taking it casually  & follow precautions. In India   80% of women suffer from various symptoms prior to menstruation, sometimes these interfere with the normal life.

 The Precautions should be taken during the period listed below

                 1)        Proper hygiene should be maintained. It will be your first priority.

                 2)         It is necessary to change your sanitary napkin in an interval of 2-6 hrs.

                 3)         Avoid fast foods and spicy foods.

                 4)         Better to avoid alcohol & smoking

                 5)        Avoid sexual intercourse.

                 6)        Maintain a healthy diet especially having lots of protein & vitamins.

                 7)        Do meditation to avoid mood spoiling.

                 8)         Take proper rest & avoid heavy work.

What Is Menstruation Cup?

Now coming to the point Menstruation cup is a firm, flexible cup-shaped, colorless, translucent devise, put in the vagina to collect the menstruation flow. It is re-usable, one-time investment, made of silicon. It lasts for 3-4 years. You can use it next time by cleaning it. There is a stem below it, which is used to insert it and to remove it in the same process. After completion of your period, you have to boil it in water for at least  4-5 minutes, to avoid infections, as during period the vagina is more vulnerable to bacterial infections.

It mainly comes in two sizes a smaller & larger size. The smaller size is suitable for the women who are below 30 or who have not given birth vaginally and larger size for the women who are above 30 or have given birth vaginally. The average menstrual cup have a capacity of 20ml, some cups have 37-42 ml and some have 10-12ml capacity, use it according to your flow.

Why Is It Necessary For all Women:

Menstruation cup is a feminine hygiene product. Unlike the sanitary napkins & tampons it collects the discharge rather than soaking it, so there is no way of linking, irritation.  It is safe and no health-related issue have been found. It is bio-degradable, environment-friendly. As reduces solid hazards, unlike sanitary napkins and tampons which takes to decompose in a short time.

Menstruation cup is reusable, you can use it up to 5-6 hrs according to your discharge rate. So this is a one-time investment process. It is comfortable, easy to use. if you go outside during your menstruation cycle, there will be no tension of changing it & disposing of it. You have to carry just a hand wash and you can clean it in any public washroom in case necessary.

ADVANTAGES:

v  As menstrual cup inserted into the vagina, the discharge is collected in it and don’t leak if properly interested. as many women face issues of leakage with using sanitary napkins or tampons etc.

v  As it collects the discharge in the vagina, in liquid form thus reduces odors. It is durable and using this there is no headache of disposing of it every month, unlike sanitary pads or tampons.

v  If any user wants to know the amount of discharge throughout the month for medical purposes, it will be the best choice for her. Even some cups comes with measuring marks on it.

v  Holds more blood than pads & tampons.

Although menstrual cup has loads of advantages it also comes with few Disadvantages. These areas mentioned below:

DISADVANTAGES:

v  It requires a lot of water, wipes, handwashes to clean it.

v  During interesting or removing proper handwashing need, to avoid bacterial infections.

v  It comes with many sizes you have to choose the right one, otherwise, you will face a risk of leakage.

v  Removing menstrual cup is little difficult & messy, as the discharge can spill during removal.

HOW TO PUT IT:

If you have ever used tampons, you should not face any difficulties. It very easy to insert a menstrual cup just follow the steps below:

1.     Firstly wash your hand and nails properly.

2.     Apply a water-based lubricant on the rim of the cup.

3.     Fold the cup into C-fold or other fold that is good for you, hold it with one hand with the rim facing up.

4.     Insert the folded cup into your, with the rim up.

5.     When the folded cup in your vagina it will pop up automatically, just rotate it will be opened into your vagina, creating a liquid-tight seal that stops leakages.

6.     If you have properly inserted it, You should n’t feel it into your vagina. if it is not properly fitted rotate the cup again.

HOW TO PUT OUT:

      1.     Wash your hand

2.     Pull the stem of cup downward gently until you reach and grip the base of the cup.

3.     Pinch the base the and remove the tight seal and pull it out gently.

4.     You have to push the cup to reach the base of your cup.

5.     When your cup is removed wash & clean it with soap or you can use wet wipes if there is a shortage of water.

6.     And reinsert it into your vagina with the same process. Remove it after 4-6 hrs of intervals.

7.     You can remove it manually or there is menstrual disc use to remove it, like a diaphragm in shaped, with a soft outer ring and a center. Generally made of rubber or polymer blend.

AVAILABLE BRANDS OF MENSTRUAL CUP :

Though it is not so popular in India in the countries it is getting more popularity and a few companies of menstrual cups are Moon cup, Keeper cup, Diva cup, Lena cup and Lily cup, Ruby cups, Yuuki cup, Eva cup etc. The lifetime cost of a menstrual cup would be between US$200 to US$1000, where a woman spends for pads and tampons is approximately US$3000 in her lifetime.

So this is the end of this article if you find this article helpful do let me know in the comments. Thank You.