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Hey Dr Sue — What’s A Period Cup And Should I Use It?
A period cup, sometimes called a menstrual cup, is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a small flexible cup that’s put inside the vagina and catches period blood.
Some cups are made of silicone while others are made of rubber. If you’re allergic or sensitive to latex definitely make sure to steer clear of the rubber ones!
These cups can either be reusable or disposable depending on what brand you buy.
The cups may come in different sizes. Not sure which size to get? You can always talk to your health care provider. Don’t want to do that? Some websites, like DivaCup, have an online quiz you can take to help you find the best size.
Should you use it is not a question I can answer for you, but let me give you some pros and cons to using them and then you can decide for yourself.
Pros
- They can stay in longer than tampons and catch more blood than a pad.
- For reusable ones, they’ll be cheaper than having to constantly buy pads and tampons, and the cups are FSA/HSA eligible (flexible spending account/health saving account).