Saturday, December 15, 2012

Instead Softcup


I have been using a menstrual cup for many years and have been fairly happy with the one I use. I have a job that at times makes getting to a bathroom regularly a challenge…and as all women know, we need to use a bathroom pretty often during our periods if we use pads or tampons. I also run long distances and the thought of dealing with my period needs in a porta potty was not attractive to me. So for these reasons I had switched from tampons to a menstrual cup. I have to say, that small change definitely made my life infinitely easier to deal with during my periods. I now can go 8-12 hours without having to deal with my menstrual cycle needs (depending on how heavy my cycle is that day). I will also add that the comfort of using a menstrual cup far exceeds using pads or tampons, and there is very rarely any sort of leakage or “accidents” that happen with the use of a menstrual cup.


While I have been using one brand of menstrual cup for many years, there are some drawbacks to the one I have been using. The brand I have been using is a “re-usable” type that you wash each time you empty it. I have found that this can be troublesome when I am in a public place or even in a porta potty. So the thought of finding a disposable type to use during those times appeals to me.

I decided to try Instead Softcup. My first reaction upon opening the box is that I liked how the product was individually packaged. I found the instructions included to be very straight forward and easy to understand. I felt that inserting the menstrual cup to be quite easy and comfortable upon insertion. I really could not feel the menstrual cup while it was inserted.  I like that this menstrual cup is more shallow than my regular brand, which at times can be uncomfortable. However the “shallowness” of this product makes it more difficult to remove the menstrual cup when the time comes. I followed the inserts advice of “bearing down” a bit and found that solve the problem immediately. Removal of the Softcup was not messy or gross. In fact I find using a menstrual cup makes me feel cleaner than pads or tampons during my period. If blood is something that bothers you, I suggest just having a wad of toilet paper ready to put in the cup upon removal to soak up the blood and then you can wrap the cup in paper and toss it as you would a pad.

Being as I am a seasoned menstrual cup user, I may have advantage to trying a new product, because I know it can take some time to become used to a menstrual cup and not give up on it after just one try. If you are new to this experience, don’t give up after just one try. Give it time and try it several times. I recommend trying to place a menstrual cup before your period even starts, just so you practice doing it before you try to do it when you are already uncomfortable with your period. The first time you try to use a menstrual cup during your period, try to pick a point in your period where your flow is light, this will also help you get used to using this product.

I cannot recommend the use of a menstrual cup enough. I have found the use of one to be very liberating to me. I have heavy periods and that really was problematic for me when using pads and tampons. The switch to a menstrual cup has allowed me the freedom of being able to go long periods of time without having to deal with my period needs. I loved using the Instead Softcup. Previous attempts I had made to use other disposable menstrual cups many years ago, left me uncomfortable and unhappy. This product shows how far things have come in designing disposable menstrual cups. The Softcup is packaged well, simple to use and comfortable no matter what activity you are doing. I will be using the Softcup in the future.

Click Here for More information about Instead Softcup