Review: Mooncup

Like many people, I’ve heard about menstrual cups but have always been too scared to try them as they seem completely different to every other sanitary product I’ve ever used. I came close to buying a cup a few months ago, but standing in the aisle in Boots faced with the choice of something new and something familiar, I wimped out and went back to the same product I’ve bought each cycle. However, this pledge gave me the kick in the right direction I needed, so I took the plunge and headed back to Boots to buy the Mooncup.

So, here is review of my experiences with the Mooncup as a first-time user, Enjoy!

What did I buy:

- Mooncup size B from boots for £21.99

- Pan from Trago for £4.25

- Bamboo tooth brush from The Natural Store £2.00

Initial thoughts: “Wow, that’s bigger than I expected!”.

Yes, originally, I thought how am I ever going to fit that up there, even when its folded up its still larger than a tampon, but I reread the instructions so many times over, that I thought I should just go for it, how hard can it really be?

Trial:

First, you must clean the cup before using it. To do this (following the instructions provided) I boiled the cup for 7 minutes, in my newly purchased pan - designated solely for this purpose.

After letting the cup cool, I tried inserting and taking out the cup before my period had started. I wanted to understand how to do it before blood was added into the whole process. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, and after testing it out for comfort I realised I needed to cut the stem (Mooncup provide instructions for doing so). After testing it out, I felt more confident that this wasn’t going to be as daunting as I originally thought.

After testing the cup, I had boiled it again, and placed it back into the cotton bag they provide, ready for when it was needed.

Now for the real test:

The time of the month had arrived for me, and I was actually kind of excited for my period so I could try the cup out, as I had read so many blogs saying how menstrual cups had revolutionised their period for them. Okay, so I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, but they do say it takes 3-6 cycles to get comfortable with the product, so who knows, by the end of the year I might agree with them.

I used the cup each day of my period and experienced no leakages, no discomfort, and no dropping of the cup down the loo! However, for the first two nights, I used a pad because I didn’t feel confident enough yet with it to go the whole night, and I didn’t want my first experience of using it to be so terrifying that I was put off forever. So, don’t worry if when you first start using it, you use a combination of more than one product – you will still be reducing your consumption of single use products, even if you only use it one day of your period each cycle! But after the first two days I felt confident enough to test it during the night, and it was completely fine, so next cycle I think I will try it both day and night.

One thing that this menstrual cup has changed, is my familiarity with my own body. You are going to get messy, and learn how much blood actually comes out of you, these are just facts that go along with the whole process of using a cup. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you will become more in tune with what’s normal for your body and what’s not.

Verdict: I’m converted!

Overall, the process was less life altering then I thought it would be – but in a good way! Yes, the cleaning of the cup in between emptying is slightly weird at first, but there are so many benefits of using a cup. For example, it can be left in for as long as 8 hours (other brands quote different lengths of time), and after the one-off cost for the cup and a pan, that’s it you are sorted for the next 10 years!

The menstrual cup is really helping me to get closer to a zero-waste lifestyle, and it’s an area of my lifestyle that I never really considered to be so damaging to both me and the planet but this campaign has really opened my eyes.