Monday I didn’t post. The reason is that I’m in an inconvenient and awkward situation. Actually I am for a couple of days already and I’m starting to feel rather hopeless. Monday evening I even shed tears of frustration.

Reaching for my cup

It all started with the menstrual cup which I decided to use last Sunday. I bought it a little while ago as I thought this is a good and healthy alternative and so many women are using it and wished they should have done so earlier. The menstrual cup is a little bell shaped cup made of TPE (a type of rubber) that has to be inserted into the vagina during the menstruation and catches the menstrual blood. It supposed to have many advantages compared to other menstrual care products (see below).

It lay in my cupboard for a month or so and I thought Sunday was the day to try it. To insert the cup was rather easy and I was quite surprised, but little did I know what was ahead of me later that day when I wanted to remove the menstrual cup to empty and clean it. Probably I inserted it too deep, because removing it seems impossible. I tried everything the last two days and watched all the youtube videos there are to be found on this topic, but from all the suggestions nothing could save me from this damn cup! I won’t go into too much detail..but really I’m sooo tired of it..reaching and reaching for it in my vagina for so many hours and without result. Maybe it’s inconvenient to read and strange that I write this down..

Writing it down helps me stay calm.

Squats

The lucky thing is I can feel it now, I couldn’t even feel it before! The cup moved itself even more upwards. Thanks to squatting and this girl  it dropped more down-wards. For this I’m more at ease, but I can’t get the seal broken with my fingers (the cup is sealed to the walls of the vagina once it has been inserted). The cup is still too deep. For sure the damn thing must go out of my body, it’s already there too long. Luckily there seems to be no risk of infection and I don’t feel pain. The problem is the strong suction that makes it difficult to remove combined with firm pelvic muscles, high cervix, not enough flexibility of the cup and therefore it isn’t the right one for me (I have the MeLuna cup classic, size M). Also it’s all very tight within and of course stress makes it all worse (long live coconut oil 😉 )

Why the menstrual cup?

In my desperate need to resolve this problem I have watched and read so much about the menstrual cup the last days. I think I would have never tried it if I had known this removal issue (it seems I’m not the only one), despite all the positive feedback of so many other women that I have read on the internet. The reasons why I bought it are: the menstrual cup is healthier for the female body than tampons, it increases comfort during menstruation, it’s waste free and therefore eco-friendly (it’s re-usable) and cheaper (the cup is between 20-30 euros, but further you don’t have any expenses for the coming 5 years).

Panic

I was panicking and sometimes I still feel waves of frustration and panic coming. Maybe I have to go to the hospital to have the damn thing removed…God, I hope not. I must do this. My man is so sweet and supportive, he said he wants to help me if I want him to. He must really love me to be in my bloody mess 😉

I think of my good friends who are mothers, my own mother and sister. Baby heads passed through, so what’s my problem?

My problem is that this sucking thing in a too tight environment has to go out.

This is all so embarrassing. I can’t stop thinking of how relieved I will be when this is over.

We will have a good laugh about it, for sure.

After I wrote these words yesterday afternoon I tried several times again. I still couldn’t grab the menstrual cup to drag it out despite my calm. Now this is a lesson in patience or what?!

Rescued 

So my man came to the rescue yesterday evening as I saw no other option and thanks to him I’m released. Obviously, I never ever could have done it myself. The firm cup was so stuck. If I were all by myself, no doubt I had to see a doctor to help me.

We laughed when he managed to get it out, the bloody thing on a towel and said: “It’s a boy!”

Hahaa, I was so relieved and I still am! Thanks to my private gynaecologist 🙂

As a result I do know now there are several brands, sizes and types of the menstrual cup. Not every cup is suitable for each body. I wasn’t aware of this when I bought it from a friendly woman in the plastic free, ecological store here that sells the MeLuna cup Classic which was way too firm for me. I need a softer, more flexible one. Might I decide to try it again, I will do further research to see which brand/type is best for me. I still see the advantages of the menstrual cup, but for now, I’m cured.

 

Con Amor,

Eva