A Virgin’s Guide to using Menstrual Cups

When you’re a virgin, or more accurately, sexually inexperienced, using menstrual cups might be intimidating for reasons that have nothing to do with sex. It’s just the fact that you’ve never inserted anything into your vagina and the very thought feels scary.

We get it.

Which is why, we’ve put together some things that should make your journey more comfortable.

Before your Period starts

• First, try and find the entrance to your cervix, before your period has started. It might take some time if you’re not super familiar with the area. Take your time. It might turn out to higher (or lower) than you might expect.
• Insert your finger. You can start with your pinky finger. Move it in and out slowly till you feel comfortable. It will help your body get used to the idea of something going in and out of your vagina.
• Move your finger inwards. If at any point you feel pain or discomfort, stop and try again later. The idea is to see how far up your finger goes.
• Explore your anatomy. See where your hymen is and if you can stretch it. Try inserting multiple fingers. You will likely find that your vagina is much more flexible than you gave it credit for being.

The cup shouldn’t seem so daunting now!

You can do these steps in whichever position you want. However, we recommend you do them lying down for Comfort Level Max.

Explore your anatomy. See where your hymen is and if you can stretch it. Try inserting multiple fingers. You will likely find that your vagina is much more flexible than you gave it credit for being.

When you’re on your Period

• Explore your anatomy some more. Blood is a natural lubricant and you might find that your hymen feels stretchier or that your cervix is higher or lower.
• Take your hiccup in one hand. Try out the different folds and see which one you feel like going forward with. The 7 Fold might be a good place to start.
• Use one hand to separate the labia and the other to insert the cup into the opening. It might feel like hitting a target blind, without touching it, but you’ll get better with practise. Promise.
• Push your cup in, towards the tailbone. Go in slowly and stop if you feel any discomfort. However, it shouldn’t hurt. It might feel unusual the first few times but that feeling will go away with time.
• Continue till you’re almost in but try putting the cup in and out a few times for your body to get used to the sensation.
• Once you feel like you’re getting it right, put the cup in and let it unfold. It might be tricky to know whether or not it’s open. Try running a finger at the base. If there are no dimples, it been the cup has opened up. Another trick you can try is to pull at it gently. If it shows resistance it means the vacuum has been created and the cup is in and secure.

Emptying the Cup

• Now that you’ve done most of the work, and the cup is doing its job, it is time to empty the cup. Stick a finger in, break the seal and pull the cup out. (Bear down, Twist and Pull) You can find more detailed instructions in the How To Use section. For the first few times, try and empty it in the shower or over the commode, since you might get too enthusiastic and get blood everywhere.

If you have a high cervix, you might not feel the cup immediately. The important thing is to NOT FREAK OUT! Squat and bear down. It is biologically impossible for your cup to get lost. Push and let gravity go the rest. The cup will move downwards from where you can remove it.

If your cups leaks but you know it has definitely opened up fully, you might not be pushing it in high enough. Try an experiment to get a better understand of how your cup and body work together.

Remember that moving from a pad to a cup is a significant shift. It doesn’t work for everyone on the first, or even third try. Since you’ve never had anything in your vagina before, it might feel awkward.  That’s natural. The way to move forward is in small steps. If you feel comfortable immediately, go full steam ahead. It at any point you feel uncomfortable, stop. Give yourself some time and come back to it. Remember, it is not okay for anyone to force something into your vagina – not even you.

Very soon you should be able to use your cup without any fuss – not even feeling it when it’s inside. <3

Note:

Using menstrual cups can be important – for your body, for your health and for the environment. But what’s also very important is sex positivity. We’d like to state that the hymen, or rather, the correlation between the hymen and that of a woman’s virginity is a social construct and not something we prescribe to. This article is primarily for those who are sexually inexperienced and are not sure of how to go forward with inserting an objects into the vagina.