Whoop.de.doo is a heartthrob of mine – I love their products (which is abundantly clear from all my reviews). And when the news came out that Anička Marešová was going to make a menstrual cup, I was thrilled. And when the option to pre-order the cup appeared on hithit.com, I ordered it right away.
Only, at the time I ordered the cup (and when it arrived), I was pregnant. So the cup sat on the shelf for a while, waiting patiently. The first testing occurred about two months after I gave birth (which surprised me quite a bit).
So here we go…
I have to admit that the first testing was not entirely pleasant. The insertion was fine – I rolled the cup into my “C” and simply inserted it. The silicone is pleasantly soft, so rolling and insertion is really easy. Inside my body, the cup unfolds to its original shape while creating a vacuum inside. Up to this point I have been supremely satisfied. It’s just that when I put the cup in, it pushed. So I took it out and reinserted it. It was still pushing. I tried three times, but there was no improvement.
When things don’t go well…
I’m not the kind of person who gives up after the first setback. Especially if you’re convinced it’s not the product’s fault. Let’s be honest, my body didn’t use the cup for almost a year (try not wearing a bra for a year, I’m sure you won’t be comfortable putting it back on either – freedom is freedom and you get used to it really fast). Plus, I wasn’t completely healed in such a short time after giving birth and I think that had an effect too.
Anyway, I gave the cup another chance. And to make a long story short, I felt the cup for my entire first postpartum period (3 whole days). The first two days it was quite uncomfortable, but by the last day I was just aware of it – no pressure or pain. This confirmed my thought that my body just needed to get used to the cup.
Period number two…
I had to wait another three months for my next period (and therefore another test). After the cup was inserted, I again felt a slight pressure, but this time it passed within minutes. I didn’t feel anything at all. And if my head hadn’t been stressed to keep an eye on the cup, I probably would have forgotten about it. Of course, since I was bleeding pretty heavily and had no idea how long it would take to fill this cup, I went to the shower (just in case) about every hour… it was completely unnecessary, but my head wouldn’t let me talk myself out of it.
Throughout my second postpartum period (this time it was 5 days), I was unnecessarily stressed and went to the shower way too often. Even though I knew that even at night the cup would make it (which was about 7 hours).
Further testing…
Again, I had to wait a while before using the cup again. And this time it was without the slightest problem – no pressure. Even my head forgot about the cup 😀 Which is good news. I even found that with heavier bleeding (the first two days) I had to change the cup about every 3 hours, and with lighter bleeding (the next two days) I changed the cup after 4 – 6 hours (it would have lasted longer, but when I had a chance to take a shower, I went). The last day I only soiled, so even on this day, if there is room to shower, you go even if the cup is almost empty.
Hygiene first and foremost…
Even with the cup, hygiene is very important – for me personally, this has worked best: I take the cup out, wash it with water, spray with disinfectant, then take a shower (meanwhile the disinfectant is working – I have no idea if it works that way, but it makes me feel good). After the shower, I wash the cup again with water and insert it.
When I’m not at home and don’t have access to a shower, I use wet wipes and baby soother disinfectant. I know most of my friends who use the cup carry water with them to rinse the cup, but I always forget about the water… unlike the wipes and disinfectant, I always have those on hand 😀
When my period is over, I boil the cup and store it.
From a hygiene point of view, I like that the Whoop.de.doo packet has rather large holes (I’m talking about the holes that make the cup re-inflate in the body). The size makes it easy to clean, and I’ve yet to have any unquantifiable residue left in them – sounds gross, but that’s exactly what I dealt with with my previous cup. The cleanup was insane.
On the other hand, I feel that because of the size of the holes, the cup doesn’t create as much vacuum (compared to just the previous one). It made me a little nervous at first, but it doesn’t affect the functionality – the cup holds and doesn’t leak (aside from one incident where I forgot to change it in time in the morning).
Best for last…
Of course, the best thing about the whole cup is the ball at the bottom. It fits well in the hand and makes the cup great to handle and safe to dispense. Plus, you don’t have to shorten the bead in any way (like other models), so you don’t get any unnecessarily sharp edges that could be uncomfortable. Thank you for the ball!
Of course, not to be all praise here, I did run into one problem. I would appreciate it if the cotton pouch had some sort of inner waterproof layer. I understand that it’s primarily for days when the cup is not in use (so it doesn’t rain on it, for example), but if it were waterproof, it would have a lot more uses – imagine being out and needing to change your cup, only instead of cleaning the cup in the toilet, you have a second one. So you introduce a clean cup and put the used one (printed with just paper, for example) in a bag and disinfect it at home (with disinfectant or boiling).
Such a pouch might not even be included with the cup. I’d buy it separately as an accessory – you buy a cup (or two) and throw in Whoop.de.doo disinfectant and a pouch. And you’re good for a few years 🙂
Cup and sport…
You don’t have to worry about playing sports during your period (if you want to). I go swimming with the Whoop.de.doo cup on a regular basis and no accidents have ever happened. And when my little fart allows it, I plan to test the cup on the pole when I’m hanging upside down at lunch – then I’ll let you know, of course.
A few numbers for the record…
Whoop.de.doo cup is sold in two sizes: Classic with a diameter of 45 mm and Light with a diameter of 42 mm. You can also get a Duopack, which has a combination of the Classic and Light cups – this set is great if you want to alternate between the large cup for heavier bleeding and the small cup for light-er bleeding during your period (I plan to do this when my period gets a little more stable again).
Otherwise, the general rule of thumb is that after childbirth and after about age 30, it’s preferable to use the larger cup. I would add the strength of the bleeding – if a woman hasn’t given birth yet and is maybe 20 and knows she has very heavy periods, I would reach for a larger size too.
What about the cup and virginity?
This is something girls have to work out for themselves (or in consultation with their doctor). I broached the subject with my gynecologist out of curiosity. I was told that from a health standpoint, there is no problem – however, the smaller cup is recommended here. But the cup may or may not damage the hymen, so it’s up to the lady in question to decide if she wants to risk it. For example, I’m definitely going to address this with my daughter, because the cup seems like a lesser evil than tam-pons or pads 🙂
What can I say in conclusion?
For me, the Whoop.de.doo cup is a very hilarious piece that I can recommend to others with a clear conscience – and I do 😀 It’s sleek, functional and comfortable to wear (it might make you feel a little pressure in the beginning, but it’s really just a matter of habit). Plus, thanks to the pretty packaging (themed tube, which we’re used to at Whoop.de.doo), you can easily give the cup to a lady as a gift:)
So if you’re thinking of getting a cup, definitely go for it. Even though I have different cups at home, I always reach for the Whoop.de.doo one – it’s the most comfortable for me, the silicone is nice and ideally soft, and I like the red colour. And I already have one cup, but I’m definitely going to buy an-other one so I can rotate them.
