Dutchess Menstrual Cup - Large (A) - Set of 2 Reusable Soft Silicone Period Cups, Easy to Clean Feminine Menstruation Alternative - Free from Phthalate, Latex, BPA & Dioxin (Pink & Purple)

After an extremely scary, excruciatingly painful and majorly embarrassing situation thanks to a mooncup I purchased, I swore off menstrual cups for good. Then it struck me that I don’t judge all people based on a bad experience with one, I don’t judge all smartphones based on an awful windows one I had, so why was I judging all cups on that one experience?This time around I was better informed. When I purchased my original cup I had no idea there were so many out there on the market, so I researched, and I researched good. I read reviews from all over the web. I read the good stories, the bad stories and the downright terrifying stories. That’s how I found myself clicking ‘buy’ next to the Duchess cup - the fact there were 2 in the pack for the same price I had previously paid for just one, did put me off slightly but I was not to be detered (I figured cheaper meant poorer quality - thankfully I was reassured when they arrived).I’m guessing they put some kind of dye in when they make them for you get one pink and one purple in the box (which was battered to bits when it arrived). I’m not 100% certain that is a good thing as such (surely as raw as possible would be better for something we are inserting into our bodies?). They arrived the day my period started so I threw myself in right at the deep end - they were left in sterilising fluid for 6 hours before they were used - I know it says to just boil them for 3 minutes but that doesn’t seem anywhere near enough time to ensure they are germ free and safe to use.Because they are softer than the previous cup I used I did find them a little bit fiddly to fold (they tend to bend in on themselves a lot more than you want or need them too) but I found the way that worked for me and away we went. The instructions say they need to sit low, and boy did it sit low (to begin with). So low in fact it was slightly uncomfortable, especially when sitting down; I could feel it just resting there, below my under carriage. This also made me think if I moved at an odd angle it could end up shifting the cup and I would find myself with a leaking situation, but it sealed and that’s the important thing. Twisting it to make sure it has unfolded and is secure within you is not as easy as it sounds. I found I had to hold the base of the bell itself and not the stem in order to get it to spin round. The noises this makes are something I can’t explain but you will surely experience for yourself - not so sure I would like to have to spin in it a public restroom.Normally I have no beginning build up, or end wind down. I start at one speed, I stop just as abruptly; this month was no different, except that instead of changing a Lillets Ultra tampon and 2 Always nighttime towels every hour, I risked the cup for 4 hours - it never failed me, so I pushed it to the limits the next time to 6 hours; it still never failed me. A couple of times it felt as though it was leaking, but I think that was down to the silicon it’s made of moving about when I moved.When it came to that first night I was extremely apprehensive for that is when I had my issues with the previous cup, however I hit the pillow at midnight, woke up at 6 and all was well. No leaks, no pain, no ruined bed linen or mattress; better still no visit to a nurse friend to help me remove it (those people who say one can’t get lost have obviously never had one twist itself about to become stuck - lost no, but stuck, most definitely). Day 2 I decided to try longer than 6 hours (that for me is a brave thing). By the 5th hour I needed to pee and that’s when I had a moment of complete and utter blind panic. That little pink bell shaped silicon mold was not sitting in the same position it had for the previous 24 hours. Like the previous cup it had made it’s way further up my canal. However, this was not to be a problem for I never leaked and it made that wipe after peeing so much easier. I finally went 8 hours. Yes I had to push down to get it to drop low enough to grab the little stem for retrieval, thankfully it didn’t move beyond my reach or twist itself.Extracting when it is sitting so high can be on the painful side though, especially if those kegels are holding it all in place properly. I found I had to slide my finger up the side of it pushing the side in to release it, before pulling it out at a slight angle (this is not the cup to use if you have an issue with or are squeamish about touching yourself internally - I’ve learned more about my inner workings thanks to this cup than I ever knew before). I did find the more I used it, the higher it began to sit (it’s a weird feeling as it makes it way from sitting low, to practically sucking on your cervix). The higher it sat though, the harder it was to extract and by the end of day 3 I just couldn’t cope with pulling that thing out of me any more, and finished my remaining days the old fashioned way with tampons and towels. I think there’s only so many times you can forcibly pull something, that wants to stick to your insides, out of you. It all got a little bit sore on the canal walls.I won’t give up yet though. While I will worry every single time one rises upwards and inwards rather than sitting as low as the makers believe they should sit (because of that one bad experience previously) and whilst it was most uncomfortable to remove after a few days, it did exactly what I hoped it would do and saved me a small fortune just during that one period on tampons and pads, so that in itself is a good enough reason for me to try again next month.

I never heard of mestural cups until I recently came across a video on Youtube. At first I did wonder how this might work, but after seeing lots of positive reviews, I decided to give it a go. The reason for considering using it was that after I had an IUS fitted recently, I've been suffering from constant spotting/discharge and bleeding, which is a common side effect of using the IUS (I do hope it'll get better later, fingers crossed). As the bleeding/heavy discharge is very unpredictable, I had to wear a pad or tampon almost everyday for the past 2 months, which was very uncomfortable. I did have hesitation before buying the menstrual cup, because I heard that it has to be used with caution with intrauterine contraception devices, in case the suction is too strong that it'll drag the IUS out. Because I'm at a point where constant spotting/bleeding has become a real issue, I finally made the purchase.I'm 34 years old, with no children, I bought the large size A, because according to description, although I haven't delivered vaginally, size A is still recommended for women over 30 years old. After cleaning the 2 cups for the first time, I immediately started using one of them. It's fairly easy to do, just fold it as shown in the instruction leaflet and insert into the vagina, similar to inserting a tampon. I presume that it'll then quickly restore to its full shape inside my body. Once it's in, I can't really feel it, so it's quite comfortable to wear. I was worried that it might leak, but it didn't leak at all, so I'm very satisfied with its performance. With regards to my worry about its suction and IUS, it appears that there're 2 tiny holes near the rim of the cup to release pressure. Personally I didn't find it difficult to remove, although you do need a little bit force compared with tampon. I touched my IUS threads with fingers before, it's quite higher up in the cervix, and I'm quite confident that the menstrual cup sits much lower than that, as the sensation would have been different if the cup had touched my cervix. Because everyone's body is different, other ladies using IUS may need to check whether the cup is suitable for their body, but personally I didn't find any problem.Emptying the cup is easy, then I just washed it with soap and water before reinserting it. The instruciton says that it's better to sterilize it by soaking it in boiling water for 3 minutes. What I did was this: I used an empty glass jar (large enough to hold the cup), put the washed cup inside, boil some water and soak the cup in this hot water. At the same time, I use the other spare cup. Therefore, I think the set of 2 cups are very useful. It's easy to do this while at home, but I can imaging that changing/washing the cup in public toilets can be a real problem, as sometimes there's no soap or water available in public toilets, and you can't really discreetly wash it (unless there's a wash basin inside the cubicle). Personally, because my bleeding/spotting is very light, I don't have to do this in public toilets, I can always change it at home, so this isn't an issue for me. Also you have to be aware that it's not just blood you're catching inside the cup, there's also discharge/dead tissue you get from the cervix/uterus, so if you're not comfortable seeing/washing these, then the cup may not be for you.Although I'm not a sporty person myself, I always wondered how sportswomen and dancers alike would manage their periods without leakage. Out of interest, I did some search online before, and found that most women use tampons for that purpose. Before I had the IUS, I had quite heavy periods and on the heavier days, a tampon would get completely soaked in 2 hours, so I have to always use a pad to prevent such leakage. Every time I saw dancers on TV, I always wondered what might happen if they had problems with heavy periods, as they might not get the opportunity to change the tampon very often during performance and wearing a pad is not realistic. I now find that menstrual cups can be a perfect solution for such activities, as it holds the menstrual flow for many hours without any leakage or discomfort. In fact you can almost forget about your period when using it. Of course, don't forget to remove it at the end of your period, as I saw some horror stories online where people forgot to remove it, and it smelt terribly after the blood stayed in the cup for many days.The instruction does say that you should only use these for periods rather than any other time of the month. I understand the reason behind this, but as I suffer from constant spotting at the moment, I think I may have to wear it quite frequently before coming off it, otherwise it's back to the tampon/pads method again. The doctor did say this is a common side effect of IUS but I'll double check with them later and hopefully the situation will improve soon.I would say this is a very innovative and useful product, it really gives me peace of mind especially when going out. My underwear is clean when using the cup, as there's no leakage. For the past 2 months I've spent a lot on disposable sanitary products, but I can now reuse the cup over and over again, so it really saves money as well. I strongly recommend this to other ladies.

Once upon a time, a naive maid decided she’d do her part for the environment by investing in a menstrual cup. She’d no longer have to suffer chaffed lips and she’d reduce her carbon footprint in one swift tap of the Amazon buy it now button! Praise to Prime, the very next day she ventured off to the private chambers of the loo to embark on her eco-friendly Quest. Once she got the Holy Grail shaped thingy in place and not realising her own inner strength of her girly bits, it shot up her love tunnel like a rat up a drainpipe. It’s at this point in our story that our poor heroine discovered a) she has a very high cervix and b) very short fingers. Trying to quell the raising panic she frantically fished about and managed to pinch hold of the blighter’s tail.... only to discover it had suction latched onto her cervix like a new born calf ... and wasn’t letting go. Attempting to pull it only stretched the tail to near breaking point whilst at the same time feeling like this was gonna turn into an instant hysterectomy. Our Heroine is a little frantic at this point so decided to change her battle plan. In a squatting position she proceeded to ‘bear down!?’ (Having never given birth she was unclear if this was right) and tried to expel the thing in a birthing fashion whilst simultaneously trying to pull it out by its tail. After what seemed like a very long and bloody battel, a soft and squishy POP signalled our Heroines victory! She expelled the Demon, wins the battle with her internal bits still where they should be. The End. X x Look out for Vol 2 ‘Never Surrender!’Ordered Size A which was too big. Well made and once in I couldn’t feel it. Getting it was was more problematic. Going to try again with a different make. One which has a smaller diameter and is longer and maybe softer.