Lena Sensitive Menstrual Cup - Reusable, Soft Silicone, Light & Heavy Flow, Beginner Use - Ideal Alternative to Tampons, Pads, Period Underwear - Period Solution - Small - Coral

Good cup but makes it really hard to pee or have a bowel movement

This review will be lengthy and detailed. If you're unable to discuss menstrual processes, please discontinue reading.Packaging: It comes in an easy to open box, with a cloth pouch to keep the cup dust free. I store it in the pouch inside the box.Instructions: They are included in a booklet and very plainly written. The explanations are also thorough and the recommendations for how to fold and insert the cup into the vaginal canal are very useful. Read through the booklet before use, as there are some tips and suggestions that I found extremely helpful. You might as well. Keep in mind that if you vary slightly from what the book explains, that is fine. All bodies are different, and you may need to adjust your method accordingly.Product: The cup is made of soft silicone. It's flexible and very sturdy. You will see a series of small holes at the top under the lip of the cup; those are for suction. You may assume the strength of the material will feel uncomfortable, but it is most definitely not. The bottom of the cup has an elongated nib used to position and pull the cup forward. It's also useful for insertion, to guide the cup into the most comfortable and best position to catch your flow. It is no longer than an average tampon and the width of the opening is not large.First Use: I washed the cup thoroughly with hot water and anti bacterial soap. The silicone bends and flexes incredibly well and I spent some time trying the flexibility before insertion. The booklet recommends trying the cup before your period to determine the best method for insertion, the depth and also to let one test out how to fit the cup without the mess of blood everywhere. I did this and was able to work with the "7 fold" the best.Use with Menstrual Cycle: Again, I washed the cup thoroughly with hot water and antibacterial soap and folded it into the shape of a 7, inserted with a leg propped up. I was luckily in the shower, so this was an extremely convenient time to start my period. Once inside, I had to insert a finger to move the fold over and then the nib to move the entire cup into place. It conformed to walls of my canal nicely and the flex of the silicone meant I could leave the nib out a bit and it is not uncomfortable. I slept through the entire night with no leaks. The booklet recommends removal for cleaning and dumping the blood no more than every 12 hours, which is perfect for me. Removal goes as such - relaxed muscle, find nib and move side to side, push muscles as one would expect to have to do during the birthing process, find the ribbed butt of the cup, SQUEEZE (I put that in caps because if you don't pinch the bottom of the cup, you are not going to be able to remove the cup at all and that could potentially tear the vaginal tissue so please remember to squeeze) and pull "bottom first" meaning you want to pull it out so that your blood will flow into the toilet. I noticed a ring of tissue around the rim, which is to be expected as discharge during period is quite normal. Please note that your blood should not have the usual period smell, but rather a slightly metallic odor and your blood may be black or a very dark red as the cells die quickly. Clean with soap and hot water, ensuring a thorough rinse and then insert as you had the first time. You're solid for 12 hours.Observations: I am 36, no kids. My vaginal canal is still rather small, and I found the larger size to be slightly uncomfortable, causing a very mild pressure in my abdomen. I cannot say for certain that this is due to the cup, as I generally get that feeling during my period, however. The product is not difficult to use, but relaxing and concentration are a must. I chose not to cup the nib at all, as I find it very useful when removing. The cup cleans easily as water and blood tend to bead right off. I have experienced no other discomfort, and am very happy to be pad and tampon free.Pros: There is no uncomfortable "period" feeling as with pads or tampons. I do not worry about odor, or soaking through a tampon, bleeding through my pants or ruining my underwear. I also don't have the uncomfortable tampon fit, which is wonderful! no panty liner, which is also great. The nib does not stick out at all and I basically don't feel anything unusual. I sincerely wish I purchased this ages ago. Do yourself a favor and purchase a cup, if not this exact brand. There is a customer service line, and they have a website with some amazing feedback and reviews.Con: I bought the large, and while it is a tad too big, I was concerned about the seal not working and this seemed ideal. I have a condition wherein my bladder lining is inflamed, causing me to feel the urge to urinate all the time. The cup makes it slightly worse, but it's not unbearable. And that's nothing against the cup itself, but my own condition.I will not be using pads or tampons again if I can help it.

I consider myself somewhat of a cup nerd/ cup expert as I’ve been using cups since I was 13 and now I’m almost 20. In my opinion, they are the best menstrual product. Unfortunately, I’ve been having severe chronic pelvic pain recently due to problems with a hypertonic pelvic floor, and my previous Goldilocks cup (DivaCup) made my pain worse. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to use cups anymore... until I found the Put A Cup In It (PACII) quiz! I can’t believe in all my years of using and trying new cups I’d overlooked this quiz. I seriously recommend that anyone who is in the market for a cup take the quiz whether you’re looking for your first cup, you’re a cup expert looking for something new to try, and especially if you are having issues with the cup(s) you’ve been using.The PACII site also has a guide explaining the different firmnesses of cups. The DivaCup is listed as having average firmness, while the normal Lena cup is listed as firm-average and the Lena Sensitive was listed as being soft-average. A firmer cup can put more pressure on the bladder, so if you’re having issues with that I’d recommend checking out that guide in addition to taking the quiz.One of the cups recommended to me by the quiz was the Lena Sensitive Large. Since it is specifically made for people with bad cramps and pelvic floor issues I decided to try it and I’m so glad I did!The cup comes in small cardboard box with really nice storage pouch that has a nice pattern on it, which I personally prefer over the pink DivaCup storage bag. The bag isn’t the biggest deal, but I still appreciate it. It also comes with a user guide which is easy to read and understand. What I love about the user guide is that unlike some with other cups, it is inclusive and never mentions “women” as the only ones who menstruate, which I really appreciate as I am non-binary. I checked out Lena’s website as well and I didn’t see anything about the word “women” being used to describe people who menstruate. That’s a huge deal to me and really appreciate it. I hope other brands can learn from this and make the language in their advertising more inclusive and accurate as well.Onto the actual cup itself: It is made of nice high quality silicone (it is the actual Lena brand, this cup is not a fake or knockoff like some cups on Amazon) Insertion was easy and smooth, and it popped open easily. (I was a little worried about that since some softer cups sometimes don’t pop open easily) It usually pops all the way open upon insertion, if it doesn’t open all the way all I had to do was press on the base of the cup to get it to open up completely. The suction isn’t the strongest compared to other cups I’ve used but I didn’t really have issues with leaks so it worked out fine. Removal was also smooth and easy. I simply pinched the cup at the base, and folded it to get it out as I would with any other cup. Like I mentioned before, I’ve been using cups for a long time and I’ve tried a lot of them, so most of them are really easy for me to use, but this cup went in extremely smoothly for me, more so than any other cup I’ve tried, so I think this cup would also be a good choice for a beginner. This cup has a capacity of 30 ml, which is comparable to most other large size cups, and is way more capacity than the average menstruator would need. My flow is pretty light so I can’t fully attest to that, but it probably would be good for someone with a very heavy flow. Best of all, I had no issues with this cup making my pain worse!Overall, I’d really recommend this cup to someone with pelvic floor issues, or even someone who just has issues with cups irritating their bladder. I’d still recommend that everyone take the PACII quiz before buying though!

I've tried a few different cups over the years. I always come back to this one. It's the best fit for comfort and doesn't leak for me at all.

Starting the menstrual cup adventure was a total win for my body and the planet, and let me tell you, Lena Sensitive Menstrual Cups were the ultimate game-changer in this new chapter!