By Vasudha Katju
I had never heard of menstrual cups until six months ago, but I haven’t stopped hearing about them since. People are using them, talking about them, writing about them. Of all the reasons to switch from pads to a cup, the two which resonated with me were the financial and environmental. Added to this were the discussions about comfort, reduced chances of infections, ease of use.
Everything I’ve read about the cup is overwhelmingly positive. I’m writing about it for another reason though. My experience with the cup has on the whole been good, but the fact is, however you choose to handle your period, you are going to need some sort of infrastructure. So here I present to you – (some other) things to consider before buying a cup.
1. Buy the right size. Cups are cheaper than pads in the long run. In the short run, if you buy a cup because it’s the cheapest option, because it’s what your best friend is using, because it’s your favorite colour, and it does not fit: you will have to buy another. Which is not a smart move if you embarked on this whole thing to save money. And using the wrong size is not really an option (it’ll leak, won’t open properly, might cause cramping if you have a low cervix.)
2. Sterilizing. Many cups need to be sterilized by boiling. This generally will have to be done in a kitchen, on the stove, and you will have to watch it to make sure it does not melt. Some can be boiled in a microwave, if one is available. The other option is to use sterilizing tablets. The reason I raise this point is that sometimes women express hesitation in boiling their hygiene products in full view of the household. Now, if the stove is good enough for your dal, it’s good enough for your cup. But to be realistic, if this is going to be a problem, figure out what you are going to do before you buy the cup. You need to sterilize it before you use it. Also, if you are uncomfortable using the same vessel to make tea and also boil the cup, you will need a dedicated vessel.
3. So much water. I have read that the risk of infection from a properly-maintained cup is minimal and that the risk of infection is primarily from your hands. So you need to wash them. Before inserting the cup. Before removing it. After removing and re-inserting. There is a lot of hand-washing involved in this process. The cup also needs to be washed during your period, ideally with potable water. Some suggest using hot water. Not to mention the water needed to boil it. So if water is in short supply or not particularly clean – you might have a problem.
4. A clean surface: Sterilizing the cup seems pretty pointless unless you have a clean surface on which to keep it till you insert it. This is not a problem for me in my bathroom at home. But if I were relying on public toilets, or if I had less control over the cleanliness of my surroundings, I would need to figure something out before buying the cup.
5. Other paraphernalia. The cup itself is a one-time buy. If you treat it properly, you should be able to use it for several years. (Presuming you don’t need a different size.) But you still need things. Fuel for sterilizing, or else sterilizing tablets. Toilet paper. Something to clean the suction holes. Vinegar and/or baking soda, again to clean it. Soap to wash your hands. Scent-free mild soap to wash the cup. Perhaps some lubricant. You might not need all of these. Nothing is expensive on its own. All are used a little at a time. But it all adds up.
I don’t mean to dissuade anyone from using the cup. I certainly plan to continue using mine. But “remove-wash-reinsert and you’re good to go” is only part of the story. It’s a device that requires maintenance, and you need to consider that before buying it.
Members of a Facebook community to which I belong, which discusses menstruation, occasionally ask how to use the cup while travelling, at work, in trains. These are all places where you do not have the conveniences and resources of home: the bathroom, the kitchen, running water, privacy, clean surroundings. It’s when you have all of this that using the cup is truly convenient. When you don’t, using the cup can be awkward.
These are also issues you need to think about before recommending that someone use a cup. The continued use of disposable menstrual products is being seen as a problem that we have to address collectively. But in advocating alternatives to disposable products, we can’t forget that their use requires the access to resources. So if women should use cups and not pads, they should also have greater supplies of clean water. And any message about the use of cups is incomplete without a message about greater access to resources in general, and those related to hygiene in particular.
Vasudha Katju is a research scholar at JNU studying contemporary women’s activism.
October 28, 2015 at 10:15 am
Hi Vasudha,
Thanks for your article, but I have to point out some misconceptions in your article. I use the Lunette cup and find it to be less resource-intensive than pads:
1. Some of the things you mention as necessary for using a cup are also necessary when using pads and tampons: these include washing your hands before and after removal and insertion (soap and clean water).
2. Cups only need to be boiled for three minutes and that is only at the end of your period (before storing it). During your period you don’t have to sterilise it.
3. Also, washing the cup with water isn’t necessary if you don’t have access to water. If you’re on the train, just squat, pull out cup, empty it, wipe it down with tissue and reinsert. Wash hands. It feels gross but it isn’t unhygienic to do this (unless you’re using a used tissue!).
4. It also doesn’t require that much water. I prefer cleaning it out while I’m in the shower. Also, Having used the cup in a place with a place that had mug-and-bucket bathroom, it only takes one or two mugs of water.
5. The “Something to clean suction” is a toothpick or blunt safety pin. Seriously, that’s it. In fact, the Lunette cup recommends simply forcing water through the holes to clean them.
6. You don’t need fuel for boiling the water AND mild soap for the cup AND vinegar. You only need to boil it. Once a month. Soap and vinegar are not necessary– in fact, vinegar should NOT be used because it might break down the cup, same with oil-based soaps and lubricants.
TLDR: All you need is water, soap and tissue paper (only needed if you’re travelling)
Cups aren’t perfect but having used them while travelling, while hiking and during normal busy days at work, they are ideal for me. There is a bit of a steep learning curve with them and also, liek you mentioned, size can be an issue. One way to find the right size is to simply put your finger in your vagina and feel for the cervix. Depending on how low or high it is, you can find the right size for you.
October 28, 2015 at 10:48 am
theladiesfinger This is information I needed. Thank you.
October 28, 2015 at 10:53 am
AngellicAribam you are welcome. And here is an earlier, longer piece, in case you missed it. http://theladiesfinger.com/why-i-heart-my-menstrual-cup/
October 28, 2015 at 2:38 pm
There is point to think but then I read the piece of article below which contradicts yours. I have never used Cups but I will soon give it a try to know the experience was. Great article. 🙂
October 28, 2015 at 3:01 pm
great article. I am using a cup for past few months. i didn’t get the right size the first time and had to buy another one. I hope i read this article before i bought my first cup.
May 11, 2016 at 2:47 am
here is a gem
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/may/09/break-period-taboo-lindy-west-book-shrill
October 11, 2017 at 6:43 pm
thanks, hxtrra. For some reason, I see many people touting the idea that, “you need access to so many resources if you’re using a menstrual cup”, and that definitely rubs me the wrong way. People who have no access to important resources like water also tend to have no access to disposable menstrual products, either. Only 12% of Indian women use disposable commercial products, and the lucky few of those that don’t tend to use cloth. If they have no access to cloth, they use even worse things, like sand, ashes and straw. The ones who use cloth have an even worse time cleaning than they would a menstrual cup.
Basically, what I am saying is that access to water is far more common in India than access to sanitary napkins are, and a menstrual cup would fit in surprisingly well in a rural household, especially compared to sanitary napkins, where, even if you can afford them, the question of, “where do I throw these away?” is a very common one (this is from personal experience. I used to spend summers in my extremely rural village in north bihar, and it turns out that menstrual cups are far more convenient in these areas than sanitary napkins are, haha)