Weird questions?

Hi everyone,

Although I intend to get a cup there's a couple of questions I'd like to ask... not that I'm not going to try it anyway, but just to be aware!

Is it actually possible to wear a cup without any extra protection (such as pads), and not have any staining problems? From what I have read there should be no leaking issues as long as you empty it enough, but say when you're emptying it (and obviously still bleeding), does it not make it messy on the side and underside of the cup and therefore, make a mess? Or is this something you can get round with?

Also, some days I have a really heavy flow, having to change pads and tampons really often (this is one of the reasons I first became interested in the cup), is it ok to wear cups without any additional protection even then as long as you keep emptying it often?

Thanks!
Purplelover

Hi and welcome to the boards.

For several cycles now I have not used any backup, but I have noticed that the first couple of days (my heaviest) I tend to wear some of my darker or not so nice underwear. Unless I forget to empty my cup right before bed I don't recall having any big issues. The worst that happens if you empty your cup and there are no leaks is what we call "residual slobber", I find that this isn't much and normally more of a darker discharge stain than a menstrual stain. There are tips on avoiding the slobber, including running a finger around the cup (stirring) after insertion, allowing the cup to open lower down and then kegaling it up, and just wiping/cleaning up really well after insertion.

Once you learn how often to empty your cup and deal with the residual slobber, I don't see any reason that you would need to wear any backup protection. Some people still feel a bit cleaner if they use a pantyliner (and a lot of cup users use cloth liners), and some just wear dark underwear to hide any slight staining that might happen.

Edit*** The greater capacity of a cup is one reason why a lot of women have switched over. Not only does a cup hold more than a tampon, but there's doubt that a tampon actually holds and prevents leaks with the amount it says it does. Most women find that they can go longer between emptying the cup than they would have in changing tampons, but a few still have to empty every hour or two. The comfort between a cup and a tampon is something that I have trouble describing, but after wearing a cup for two days I never (ever) want to use a tampon again even if I had to empty my cup more often than I would have had to change a tampon.

Cups do hold more than tampons, and even many pads. So they are great for heavy flow. If yoru flow is super heavy, there are cups with extra-high capacity.

As for cleanliness... You would be surprised just how clean using a cup can be. True, while you are first learning to use it, you might be a little clumsy. But when you master it, you can leanr to take it out with little or no mess at all. I certainly can.

As Kammioderin mentioned, there is some "residual slobber", some blood left behind on the outisde of the cup. But most of the time, there is so little of it, you really don't notice it. And you can also develop tricks to greatly reduce it, and even totally eliminate it.

Even with tampons, I remember having residual blood. Especially with the applicator brands, because the tampon would go in up high, and the residual blood would be down low. The way I stpped that was, switched to non-applicator tampons. When I inserted, I only wet in 3/4 of the way, then I would stop to let it absorb the redidual blood. Then I would insert the rest of the way.

Same deal with cups-- because of the shape and material, the cup's rim (especially in a C fold) can "sueegee" most of the residual blood up. The it will drain into the cup after the cup pops open. Or you can allow the cup to pop open while it is half or 3/4 inside, and gently nudge it up the rest fo the way. This will also squeegee up the residual blood.

I wore a pad for protection for a while with my cup, until I was totally confident. But for a year and a half now, I have not used a pad at all. Some women just prefer to continue wearing one, but its all up to you.

If you insert the cup at a good angle, if you have the right size, shape, and capacity cup for your needs, and if your doctor says your anatomy is fairly normal, then the cup should not leak at all. For most people it doesn't-- myself included.

Hope this helps