SochCup is a menstrual cup made from biocompatible silicone and is one of the best menstrual cups in India. It comes in three sizes – S, L and XL. Before you buy a cup for yourself, you might be wondering how to use menstrual cup for the first time.
Q. How to use menstrual cup?
So, you have just received your SochCup in the mail and you are excited to use it. Here’s what we suggest you do!
- Firstly, take a minute to admire the quality and build of SochCup before you get hold of the instruction manual. It seriously is the BEST cup available in the Indian market currently and is made of top-quality biocompatible silicone.
- Give the user guide a thorough read. Why just once? Read it twice! Most of your questions will be answered in our user guide.
- Pay particular attention to the images provided as these will be useful when you are finally going to use your SochCup.
- Also, you can watch a few videos on YouTube on channels like Priyanka N Jain that answer basic menstrual cup questions.
- Next, before your period comes, ensure that you sterilize your menstrual cup so that you have it ready beforehand. Boil your SochCup in a pot of water for 3–5 minutes. Set a timer for no longer than 5 minutes and do not leave the boiling pot unattended. After boiling, allow the boiling water to reach room temperature before removing your cup.
- Air-dry it and store it in the pouch that it came in. DO NOT put it in an airtight container.
Q. Can I wear my SochCup when I am anticipating my period?
This is a question we get asked often. Generally, the answer is a resounding YES. However, if it’s your first time trying a menstrual cup, then please avoid wearing it before your period arrives fully. Your menstrual blood acts as a natural lubricant and makes it easier for beginners to insert the cup.
Q. My period has arrived!
Great! Now’s your turn to take out SochCup from your pouch and make sure you have access to a bathroom. Rinse the cup once with regular water. Then, squat or put one leg on the toilet seat. This opens up the vaginal entrance. Now, take your SochCup and fold it – you can use the C-Fold, Punch-Down Fold, or any other fold.
Stay relaxed and insert SochCup as deep as it can go; you should feel a mild tug once it sits in its place. Yes, the entire cup should go inside. You can pinch the bottom of the cup to ensure that it’s fully popped open.
If it’s your first time using a cup and you are stepping out, feel free to top it up with a pad just for some mental peace. Now, wait for a good 3-4 hours to let the cup fill up. DO NOT, and I repeat, DO NOT keep taking the cup out to check if it’s filled. The reason for this is a full cup makes it super easy to remove while an empty cup makes it super difficult to remove, especially when you are trying it for the first time.
Q. Can I cut the stem?
Depending on where your cervix is, the stem may be sitting outside the vaginal entrance for some people. However, use your SochCup for at least a couple of cycles before you decide to cut the stem off. Once you have used the cup for 1-2 days, you can check that no part of the stem is outside your vagina as this may cause discomfort. It is not uncommon for the stem to protrude and it has been designed so it can be trimmed if you find it too long. If the stem is too long, remove and clean your SochCup before using scissors to trim it. Only trim a small amount at a time. Disinfect your SochCup and scissors after trimming the stem.
Q. So, I have the cup inside me. What do I do now?
Once you have the SochCup in, just go about your day as you would. If you feel discomfort, try adjusting the position of the cup by turning it left, right, etc. You can also push it a little deeper if it does go. If you have some spots of blood on your underwear, adjusting the position may help. Once you’ve had the cup in for a good 3-4 hours (or longer), you can check once to remove and see.
Q. How do I take the cup out?
Here’s our nifty guide for you to take your cup out:
- First and foremost, you need to relax. Relaxing will help loosen the vaginal muscles, which will eventually help you take the cup out. In order to relax, you may want to take a few deep breaths, you may want to play your favorite music, or do anything that calms you.
- Squat. Seriously. Squatting opens up the vagina and provides you access to the SochCup. Alternatively, you can also hike one leg up and put it on the toilet seat.
- Now, take your thumb and index finger and pinch the bottom of the cup. Do not use the stem to pull the cup out. The stem is only for you to help locate the cup (especially women who have a high cervix). Pinching the bottom of the SochCup helps release the suction that the cup forms with the vaginal walls.
- Now, push with your vaginal muscles as if you were giving birth and pull the cup out carefully and empty the contents of the cup into the sink/commode.
- Give the SochCup a good and thorough rinse with plain water and pop it back in. You’re good to go!
- If you have trouble taking the SochCup out, take a break and try it out after some more time.
If you need some more tips before you give the SochCup a go, here you go:
- SochCup will not and cannot get “lost inside you”. The cup cannot go past the cervix. The cervix is at the other end of the vaginal canal and opens into the uterus.
- You need not take out the SochCup every single time that you pee because the openings for urine and period blood are entirely different. While urine comes out of the urethral opening, period blood comes out of the vagina.
- Fascinating but true: keeping the mouth opening relaxes the vaginal opening and helps with the removal of the SochCup.
If you still have any further doubts, feel free to ping us on the whatsapp icon. For clean and care instructions for SochCup, watch out for our next article.
