The content of this podcast is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as,

nor should it be considered a substitute for professional medical advice.

Sweatty and hisiss, sweaty and Piss, Manapause makes me sweaty and Pist.

Hello everyone, this is Karen Nickel, nurse practitioner in for a sweaty and pissed, menopause and more.

And I am here today with a listener question about menstrual discs. The listener asked specifically about minstrel discs

versus cups, but I'm going to talk about both of those today and these are options

to use during your minstrel cycle in place of a pad or a tampon.

And first I just want to talk about what a menstrual cup is.

I'm going to speak of the cups first. Women are becoming more aware of this

eco-friendly alternative to pads and tampons, but what are they exactly? The small flexible cup is made of silicone or latex rubber.

Most of the cups are silicone.

There is one cup available that is made of rubber called the Keeper Cup.

Instead of absorbing your flow like a tampon or pad, it catches and collects it.

It looks like a little rubber bell with a stem coming out of the top of the bell.

Some cups have a ball or ring instead of the stem. The advantage of the stem is that if the stem is too long it can be trimmed down.

To use a minstrel cup, you tightly fold the cup and insert it like a tampon without an applicator. You just insert it into the vagina.

Some cups are softer than others so they are easier to fold, but one thing to remember

is if you choose a soft cup, it can collapse more easily once placed in the vagina so you may have more leakage around the cup.

If you used correctly, you shouldn't feel the cup. If used correctly you shouldn't feel the cup. It's similar to putting in a

diaphragm for birth control or a birth control ring in the vagina if you've ever used either one of those.

Your cup will spring open as you insert it

and rest against the walls of your vagina

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