First Time Using A Menstrual Cup & Punch Down Fold Demonstration

So this was my first time using a menstrual cup. I chose the Lily Cup original, size A. Most menstrual cups are available in two sizes. One size is slightly smaller for women who have not given birth or given birth by C section; the other size is for women who have given birth vaginally or have weak pelvic floor muscles. The Lily Cup came with everything pictured here (the cup, the drawstring bag, and user manual). 

I did a dry run the day before my period just to see if I could get the hang of it before I threw blood into the equation. It was definitely a little intimidating at first. With a tampon, there is really no messing about; you just stick the application in and push. However, with the cup, there was some messing about inside trying to get the cup all the way in and running my finger around its base to look for the formation of the seal. It was a little difficult to get all the way in until the stem was completely inside but just because I didn't want to let go of the base too low. As mentioned on many blogs and videos, there is a learning curve associated with the cup. I was, however, able to successfully insert and remove the cup on my first try.

The Lily Cup, itself, is very soft and made of medical grade silicone. One thing that I liked about it was that it has not rim that sticks out like some other cups do. It has a narrow stem with rings at its base so that you know when you have grabbed the stem. I will wait for at least a cycle before I decide to keep or cut the stem.  

Here is a demonstration of the popular punch down fold. For the Lily cup, you take the lower edge and push down with your finger until the cup curls in on itself. Then the longer, more narrow edge is inserted. 

Place finger on lower edge of cup.

Press down on edge of cup until it folds in on itself.

Pinch the fold and insert!

This is what the fold looks like from the top.

This is what the fold looks like from the front.

Insertion is done pointing toward the tailbone just like a tampon would be put in. The stem should rest completely inside you and should not be protruding at all. The cup is worn lower in the body than a tampon and should be inserted 0.6 inch past the vaginal opening. The best advice I can give for insertion is to try to relax everything down there are you do it. Tensing up only causes more resistance and possible discomfort on your part. To check if the cup is really in and a seal has formed, run your finger around the base of the cup to see if it has opened. Then give a little tug downward and if it resists, it should be open with the seal in place. 

Removal is relatively easy. To bring the cup lower in the vaginal canal, bear down like you are going to have a bowel movement. Your pelvic floor muscles will push the cup lower in the vagina until you can reach the stem. Once you can reach the stem, pinch the base in order to break the seal and angle the cup to prevent spillage. Dump the contents in the toilet, rinse the cup in the sink, and you can reinsert the cup. It is possible to wash the cup with mild soap (so as not to disrupt the pH of the vagina) and water. 

If in a public toilet, one can either dump the contents and wipe the cup out with a toilet paper or bring a water bottle and rinse the cup out over the toiled before reinserting. However, the cup can stay in for up to 10-12 hours without any risk of TSS. The cup works by collecting menstrual fluid instead of absorbing it, therefore there is no need to worry about pairing heaviness of flow with the cup.  

Today is my first full day wearing the cup and so far it has been comfortable. I can vaguely feel it just like how I can vaguely feel the pressure associated with having a tampon in. It did take some coaxing and tugging to make sure that the cup was completely in and open but probably just because it's my first time with hands on experience. No leakage but I'm still wearing a cloth pantyliner just in case.

UPDATE:

     So I've had practice with my menstrual cups for the past two or three months. Each time they are getting easier to use. There is definitely a learning curve to using these and you have to be comfortable with your own body. However, once you get the hang of putting in and taking out a menstrual cup, it is amazing. You can hardly tell you're on your period because there's no blood for up to 12 hours! Honestly, no tampon can beat that. I've slept with the cup and swam with the cup in without any leakage. There can be some slight spotting right after you put in the cup due to the blood that is already past the rim of the cup when you inserted it so I'm seriously considering investing in a couple more cloth pad panty liners and light flow pads just so that I have a little back up and for the end of my cycle. 

References: http://www.intimina.com/en/lily_cups