Your first time using the menstrual period cup isn’t too different from any other first time: expectation, nerves and questions. After the first failed attempt at inserting the menstrual cup, we can often feel frustrated, stupid or a bit useless, but we should feel quite the opposite because we are just learning. Like with other first times, the main thing is to be relaxed so that all goes smoothly, and this will make things slightly easier.
Familiarise yourself with the menstrual cup
When you buy your menstrual period cup, don’t wait until you get your period to open it. Pick up your enna cycle and look at it, touch it and feel what it’s like. Practise folding it, and you can try using your hands and fists first if you want. Read the instructions, pick up the applicator and enna box. Once you know the cup inside out, you can practise inserting the menstrual cup a few days before you get your period. This will allow you to practise a bit and you will feel less insecure when the time comes to use it.
It is important that you are relaxed when you insert the menstrual cup into your vagina, because if you are tense, your muscles will be strained and it will be more difficult to insert the cup. You can wet it with water or intimate gel so that it slips in more easily.
There are 3 ways to fold the menstrual cup
Before starting, wash your hands properly (and wash the applicator if you are planning on using it).
- Choose the position you find most comfortable to insert it: sitting down on the toilet with your legs wide open, crouching or with one leg on the toilet.
- Fold the cup in the way you find most practical and insert it into the vagina at a 45º angle towards the anus.
- Once it is inside, lightly tap the base of the cup or slide it out a bit so that the top ring opens up and a vacuum is created in the enna cycle.
If you are going to use the enna cycle applicator, we recommend using the V-fold.
- Place the menstrual period cup in the applicator through the non-folded area.
- Insert the applicator until you reach the mark where your fingers are. Everything should be inserted so that the cup is placed properly.
- Remove the applicator carefully in order for the cup to open up inside in the correct place.
What happens if I can’t remove the cup?
Just like when you insert the cup, you should be relaxed when you take the cup out too, or your muscles will clench around it and you won’t be able to break the vacuum. Wash your hands and follow the thread of your enna cycle to find the base, hold onto it with your thumb and first finger, then pull. We recommend doing this in the washbasin or the shower. The blood will remain stored in the cup, but as you might be nervous the first few times, it’s likely you will spill some blood when removing the cup. Over time you will become an expert.
The cup might move upwards slightly overnight, but don’t panic! This is normal. All you have to do is use your muscles to push so that it goes back down a bit.
If this still doesn’t work, crouch down so that your buttocks are leaning on your ankles. Arch your back to allow the vaginal walls to open up and therefore make the vaginal canal shorter. This will make it easier for you to reach the base of the menstrual period cup. Insert your fingers into the vaginal canal until you find the cup extension (the small balls) and pull slightly until you find the base of the cup.
Now all you have to do is hold the base properly with two fingers and pull slowly.
If you’ve tried products such as tampons, you will have surely had a similar feeling so try and remember the first time you used them. For this reason, don’t worry if you still can’t master the art of the cup 100% in your first period. We recommend waiting 4 cycles before deciding whether this is your size or not. If you think you need a different size after this time, you can change your enna cycle with the size change guarantee so you can continue to make sure that your periods are toxin-free.
