what I thinx about the cup: menstrual cup review part one

November 30, 2017


***WARNING*** If you don’t care to read about someone’s monthly menstrual cycle and lady parts don’t proceed any further. This is my review on using the cup and period panties for the first time.

So… Aunt Flo came and went, and I got to take my cup and Thinx out for a spin. I was mentally preparing myself for the weeks leading up to it. In my head, I would say, “Okay, you popped out four kids, you could get this cup in and out.” Over and over again. Also, I watched lots of YouTube videos and read all the things to prep myself, but I would still get the heeby jeebies imagining a cup up there. Then, the day finally arrived (and she came 3 days early!). And let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is to put in, and that’s what I was most afraid of. What caught me off guard was taking it out! I thought it would be as easy as a tampon, but yeah, nope. It takes a little more maneuvering than that (and can be messy at first), but by day 3, I think I got a system down.

After one cycle, do I believe in the cup? Yes! I had light spotting, so Gabe told me that maybe I didn’t go high enough (even though I’ve never met her, I feel like she should be my best friend with all the personal cup questions and fears I was relaying to her via instagram). And since it was my first time, I’m definitely still familiarizing myself with it and my (inside) parts. On day one, I couldn’t feel the cup, but thought I did, but I think it was because I was thinking so much about it. I panicked a bit when it came time to take it out; this part takes patience and skill. By the way, the C-fold doesn’t work for me and I found the punch down fold the best way to get it in. On day two, I couldn’t feel the cup at all, and I felt so much cleaner, and loved that I didn’t have to change it that often (or worry about chemicals all up in me). For day one and two, I had to get in awkward position to take the cup out (one leg on the tub). It’s weird. Day three… it felt natural going in and coming out, and all this was done over the toilet. Easy peasy! I mentioned the light spotting, so I think it has to do with placement, but other than that, it almost felt like Aunt Flo wasn’t even here. If you’re thinking about it, give it a try. After having kids, I no longer got menstrual cramps, but some say that using a cup somehow lessens them. After one cycle, I’m already a fan and I’m looking forward to it getting easier with time. I’ve been preaching the cup gospel to all my friends and trying to convince them to at least try it. (Most cup vendors, like Blossom, say love it or your money back, which is not a bad deal.)

Now, let’s talk about Thinx. First night of my cycle, I wore the cup to sleep and regular underwear. No issues. I was impressed, though still weirded out knowing I had a cup inside me. Second night of my cycle, I was brave and did the period panties alone (I got this hip hugger one). Lo and behold, there were no incidents to note the following morning. Night three, did traditional pad and panties route because I was feeling lazy, and it was a big mistake. Let’s just say things got messy. Then, for part of day 3 (during the day), I wore Thinx out and about while doing errands for a few hours, and again, no problem.

My cycle lasts for 3 heavy days and then about 4 light days, so after the 3 heavy days, I was done with the cup and switched solely to Thinx. I ordered 3 pairs to start with, so I used them for days 4-7 (I soaked them in cold water and hand-washed them). Now, we were on vacation during this time and doing a lot of outdoor things. I was nervous because I was solely relying on these period panties to hold me in. It’s kind of weird and I was skeptical, but I’m happy to report, it did its job. Mostly. My only complaint is that I think sizing might be slightly off (for me, maybe I didn’t measure right), so I’m going to try a smaller size and see how that does. The size I got (small) didn’t feel as secure on while doing all the outdoor things.

I know you might be skeptical, but I say it’s worth the try. When I first started seeing the ads for Thinx awhile back, I thought it was a joke. Underwear that soaks it all up sounds kind of weird and gross. Like it was some silly, fake product SNL would make a skit for. Similar to the menstrual cup companies, Thinx says that within 60 days, if you aren’t satisfied, no questions asked, you’ll get your full refund. It’s what pushed me to try it. No harm with that kind of guarantee, right?! You better thinx about giving it a try.

If you order Thinx through this link, you get $10 off and I get $10 credit. I wish I had looked into finding someone online with a $10 off link to share prior to placing my order.

Resources if you’re thinking about it:

This post on New Age Nesting is what convinced me to try and prepare for it.

– A quiz to help you determine which menstrual cup is right for you. Take it here. I bought the Blossom cup before I found out about this quiz. According to the quiz, I should use a Lena cup, but I’ll keep using my Blossom cup for now. I have no problems with it.

– Article on cups for heavy periods.

– Of course, YouTube has a ton of videos explaining how it all works.

– A few tips and personal experiences in the comment section of this post where I first mention it.

If you read this whole thing, thanks for coming here to get up close and personal with me! 🙂 So, would you try out Thinx or the cup?

8 comments on “what I thinx about the cup: menstrual cup review part one”

  • becky says:

    funnily enough, the c-fold works best for me! whenever i do the punch down fold, i have a tendency for the cup to not expand all the way 🙁 i think light spotting is natural because the cup is somewhere in the middle of your vagina, and there’s still blood on the walls of where it’s not catching your period stuff if that makes any sense?

    can i ask if thinx gets messy, or is it just kind of like having a built-in pad without the pad feel? i was thinking of getting a pair or two for my heavier days to use with the cup at night. i’m super paranoid about the cup leaking in the middle of the night and waking up to a pool of blood, lol.

  • Rubyellen says:

    I couldn’t do the c-fold! What do you wear since the lightspotting is normal? A liner?

    Thinx is not messy, but you do see the mess after you soak it in cold water to clean. It’s weird in that you’re afraid it’s not going to hold you because it’s just underwear. It is similar to a built in pad, without the pad feel. I tried the cup with thinx on the first night and it was great. I was nervous, and debating sleeping on top of a towel (lol), but I was feeling wild and just went for it sans towel. I definitely think you’ll like the thinx mixed with the cup.

  • Erin lucy says:

    Thanks so much for this post Ruby! Ive been to-ing and fro-ing about the cup and Thinx panties for such a long time. I started to think ahead to when my daughter needs to start this time of her life and I want her to have an easier and better solution than I’ve had all my life. You’ve definitely inspired me. The cup scares me quite a bit because since childbirth I find tampons tricky but it’s got to be better than pads! Thanks again life coach

    • Rubyellen says:

      This is exactly why I wanted to try both. I have 4 who will have to deal with this and wanted to see if there will be anything that will ease this time for them. I wish Thinx was around when I was growing through puberty.

      The cup scared me a lot too, but it was surprisingly easy to put in, I think in part because of childbirth. I use a tampon when I leave the house, but all the chemicals it has always scares me. And pads are just uncomfortable. I’m excited to get better at this cup thing.

  • S says:

    Great info! Thank you for sharing this personal info! I also have been looking into both. We did cloth diapers for our kiddos so it can’t be that bad!

  • Vanessa says:

    Thank you so much for sharing your experience!! I think it’s so important to talk about these things and I love that you don’t shy away from it. I’ve been curious about the cup since college and pretty skeptical about thinx but maybe it’s time I give them a try!

  • Yey! Yeah sometimes it hurts to get a cup out if it isn’t filled. I have had that issue a few times over the past couple of years, but it doesn’t happen all that often. I have heard of thinx but haven’t bought any. I never sleep with the cup on but I also don’t bleed when I sleep (I know, weird). I get 4 overly heavy days and 2 hardly bleed days. Much better than when I had my period for 11 long heavy painful days before I had kids (they fixed my cycle to being less)! I love using reusable pads! Anyway, so glad that you enjoyed your first time as a cup user!

  • alan slimm says:

    Cupcakes are my kids favorites and my wife loves to bake them by herself.

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