My LadyCup Arrived! (FULL REVIEW)

I'm so excited because my LadyCup already arrived yesterday, all the way from Czech Republic... Just in time for my period! I was just so surprised because I only bought it a week ago! Anyway, their shipping rate (about 4.99) was a great deal. I dare you to go buy anything in the U.S. with shipping lower than $7.00 and watch how fast it gets to you. You'd be waiting until Christmas day! Anyway, they shipped it in very good protective packaging. It was one of those sturdy envelope looking packages with tons of bubble wrapping inside. The LadyCup itself came inside it's cute little storage bag, which was also inside a tightly sealed plastic bag. They also sent me a big sticker! Not sure where I would put that but it was a cute extra.
Now, the next few details are a bit personal, but not too icky. I just feel like I can be personal with you all since most of you already know almost every tidbit of my life. You guys are great followers, and thank you for that!


This is the one I got, but I bought the organic bag instead of the one shown here. You can't tell in the picture but it's such a pretty color, it kind of glows.

Opening the package took about three minutes, and some scissors, but I got it done! Once I got the darn thing out I kind of got a feel of the LadyCup. It was much more firm than I expected, and much smaller. Like I said, I read up big time on these things, and most people said that the LadyCup was the softest cup. I've felt the Lunette Selene and it was about the same, possibly softer. (I can't imagine what the other ones feel like!). However, this wasn't a problem in the end. When you feel toward the bottom of the cup the silicon material is much, much softer. This makes it easier during removal. What I didn't quite like was that the stem of the cup is hollow. Silicon stays free of bacteria, as I mentioned before, so I'm not sure why this hollow stem bothered me so much. I just ended up cutting most of it off, which doesn't make a difference for me at all on insertion or removal.

The cup itself is really very cute. If you've ever seen the Diva Cup before, you'll notice that it's more about quality than it is appearance. I'm not putting the Diva Cup down because it is one of the most popular cups, but it isn't the cutest. The great thing about the LadyCup is that if for some crazy reason, someone looked into your purse, bathroom drawer, etc. and found this cup, they probably wouldn't even ask what it was. It looks like it could be some sort of Barbie accessory, or some piece that goes to something else. The Diva Cup right away looks like something "medical-related" because of it's lack of color, and the fact that it says Diva cup on it (along with marks to measure your flow).

The "firmness" of this cup seems scary at first, but it actually comes in a lot of handy, as I noticed during my first test run. This cup pops open very, very easily which is something you want in a cup. If this doesn't happen, your cup wont create a seal which can lead to leaks and quite a bit of pain after a while. I had no trouble getting this cup to pop open because it did it all by itself.

It took some trial and error to get used to the cup. If you ask another woman who uses one, they will say that with almost every cup (whether you have used one before or not) you have a few issues at first. I was ready for the issues... but I didn't have as many as some women. If you've used a tampon then you really shouldn't have too much trouble. It's similar, but NOT the same. After about 4 horrible fails, I finally got it right.

You seriously can't feel the thing once it's inserted correctly. You can contract those muscles all you want but you cannot feel this thing at all... and that's great. I wanted to do a great review so I did as many uncomfortable things today as I could to see if I had a leak or if I was uncomfortable:

1. Yoga - I have been practicing yoga everyday now for the past two months, and I'm at the intermediate level. If you've ever done yoga, you know how much it will stretch your whole body. I did all 34 of my daily poses and I didn't feel the LadyCup at anytime during my practice, nor did I have any leaks.

2. Pilates - Pilates is similar to yoga, but more fast paced. Sometimes it can be considered an aerobic exercise depending on what you're doing. I did an aerobic pilates session, lasting 25 minutes exactly. Still didn't feel it, and no leaks.

3. Jogging - I had to watch my dog today because he's getting in all sorts of trouble, so I had to stay indoors, however... you can jog anywhere! I have ExerciseTV on demand, and there's a great instructor who shows you how. The 45 minute video starts off on a power-walk, and eventually you are jogging in your own living room! If you don't believe me, check it out! (It's actually something I really like to do, you seriously break a sweat). I still did not feel my LadyCup, and I didn't have a leak.

4. Doing the Splits?! - Never in my life have I been able to do the splits... until today. Just for you! Yes, it hurt my legs but I still didn't feel that cup, or have a leak!

5. Sleep - Have you ever tried to take a nap wearing a tampon or a pad? It's uncomfortable right? And worst of all, you wake up with a leak... Well, as you probably already guessed, I didn't have one!

So basically, girls (and guys?), the LadyCup is just my new best friend. I know a friend of mine who I was telling about the LadyCup told me that the whole thought of it just seemed gross. Well, I can't argue there, because that's how I felt at first. But as I like to say, you never know until you try. When I first decided to buy a menstrual cup I basically thought, "Hey, if it will save me $30+ a month, saves the earth, and is better for my body, why not?". Now I'm really glad that I tried the LadyCup! It's not gross like everyone thinks it is. Once you try a LadyCup, tampons and pads will look messy to you!

In all truthfulness, women, we all know that pads and tampons can create odors that aren't too pleasant. It's a nasty topic, but it's a part of life and we all have to deal with it. I've really never dealt with this problem to a bad extent, but I know girls who have it much worse. Many women think it's their bodies that create that odor, but it's actually the pads and tampons. There is no odor at all with the LadyCup. I am a clean freak so I emptied and cleaned the cup after 6 hours (which is half the time that it is safe to use it). But even at 6 hours with a pad or tampon there would be some sort of odor that is unpleasant. The reason why is what I had mentioned before. Medical Silicon has no room for bacteria to make a home unlike tampons and pads. If you have this problem, that's just another reason why I encourage you to try the menstrual cup!

Lastly, many women state these claims: no cramps with the menstrual cup and no feeling of "wetness". I have had horrible cramps since the first period I ever had, and I mean horrible. The kind where you just want to sleep through the whole week, but you can't because they're so bad you can't fall asleep. Many women (do some research if you don't believe me) say that their cramps are literally gone when they use a cup. Doctors think it might be because the cup sits lower inside the vagina than a tampon does, creating less pressure, but it hasn't been scientifically proven yet. I'm not too sure but it's very odd for me not to have cramps during the first 3 days of my period. It's never happened even once until now. As far as those uncomfortable feelings of "wetness" go, they don't even exist. It doesn't even feel like I'm on my period!

Overall, I (obviously) give the LadyCup 5 stars. It's cute, durable, safe, and it offers maximum protection without making you pay $30 a month for products that are bad for your body! Not to mention it's an easy way you can go green! You might still be skeptical, but if you go into trying it with an open mind, you wont be disappointed. I know that I'm not!