You have to guess what it is. A funnel? A suction cup? Pacifier? No, a menstrual cup (or menstrual cup). It is simply an amazing alternative to tampons and sanitary napkins.
Indeed, this flexible silicone cup is placed inside the vagina and collects the blood of menstruation. It is emptied twice a day on average depending on the abundance of periods. According to testimonies, we do not feel his presence.
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It is therefore made of silicone, there are two sizes, no leak according to the manufacturer, and it can serve 10 years. The principle is therefore very simple although surprising. And for the promoters of this cup, it would be very ecological since it avoids tampons and other towels that we throw away.
Are there any risks of infections? No, if you boil the cup after use
The menstrual cup, although little known, can be a good solution to manage the heavy periods of women affected by a hemostasis disorder. It also makes it possible to measure blood loss during episodes of menorrhagia.
Doctors are unanimous: to measure menorrhagia, we answer small questionnaires, we stick our noses in our sanitary napkins, we weigh them, we compare the shape of the stain. Suddenly, to measure the treatments administered during menorrhagia, we answer the same questionnaires, we stick our noses in our sanitary napkins before and after treatment, and in the end we conclude that we do not have a precise and reliable method to measure all this. And we didn’t advance an inch.
However, there is a solution: the menstrual cup. Of course, this is not a topic that we put on the table every day. Of course, it took me a good dose of courage to broach such an intimate, almost taboo subject, at the last AFH national congress in Rouen, in front of the hematologists and the whole audience on Saturday afternoon. But after seeing similar presentations at the World Congress and the European Congress in 2012, it was time to lift the veil.
What is a menstrual cup?
It is a transparent or colored, bell-shaped receptacle, in most cases made of medical silicone, terminated with a rod, which allows the collection of the user’s period blood. It is placed in the vagina. The first menstrual cup was marketed in 1932.
What do the medical staff think?
Gynecologists see it as just another method of managing periods, if the user is comfortable. On the dermatology side, silicone is very low allergenic. Hematology side… not a single piece of information on the horizon. At the Rouen congress, after my intervention, we was able to talk about it with a doctor, who was very interested in the method, precisely because she did not know it at all and wanted to know more. If you want to adopt the menstrual cup, we can only advise you to discuss this with your doctor. In the worst case, you will teach him something.
