What is a menstrual cup? Pros, Cons

What is a menstrual cup?

Silicone Menstrual Cup, also knows as Silicone Period Cup, Liquid Silicone Menstrual Cup, Female Period Cup, which is a feminine hygiene device that is inserted into the vagina during menstruation. The Menstrual Cup purpose is to collect menstrual fluid (blood from uterine lining) and prevent its leaking onto clothes. The LSR Menstrual cups are usually made of flexible medical grade liquid silicone and produced by LSR Liquid Silicone Rubber Injection Molding and shaped like a bell with a stem. The stem is used for insertion and removal. The bell-shaped cup seals against the vaginal wall just below the cervix. Every 4–12 hours (depending on the amount of flow), the cup is removed, emptied, rinsed, and reinserted. After each period, the cup should be boiled for at least 5 minutes and stored for use the next month.

Silicone Menstrual Cup Manufacturing Ways

Nowadays the Silicone Menstrual Cup are mainly manufactured with FDA Medical Grade Liquid Silicone, and produced by Liquid Silicone Injection Molding.

At earlier times, Menstrual Cups were mostly made by compression mold, while with the time going, people have higher requirements about quality and appearance, because for the menstrual cup made by compression molding, it is not so high transparency, and flashing & parting is big, which probably will effect the using experience.

Therefore, the designer & manufacturer choose to produce the period cup by Liquid Silicone Injection Molding. 

In this way, firstly, there will be minimum parting line, which is almost invisible, and also flashing will be quite small.

Secondly, mold life will be longer than compression mold, about 500Kpcs shots.

Thirdly, liquid silicone is Platinum Cured Silicone, which is safer than solid silicone. 

Fourthly, all these can provide a better user experience

Silicone Menstrual Cup Material Features 

LSR Menstrual Cup material is a inorganic nature, which is clean, plasticizer-free, tasteless, odorless, is resistant to bacteria growth, and will not stain or corrode other materials. It is relative to solid vulcanized silicone rubber.

Liquid Silicone Menstrual Cup material is a liquid Silicone Rubber, which has good mobility, faster vulcanization speed, safer and more environmental-friendly, can fully meet the requirements of medical grade.

Liquid Silicone Rubber Menstrual Cup material has excellent transparency, anti-tearing strength, resilience, anti-yellowing, thermal stability, water resistance, good air permeability, heat resistance and aging resistance and weather resistance, at the same time, moderate viscosity, easy to operate, can produce high transparency period cup.

LR 3038 Liquid Silicone Rubber TDS ELASOSIL.pdf

Silicone Menstrual Cup Pros

• Menstrual cups can be used for years. Instead of spending money on tampons or sanitary napkins each month, you can save some cash by using menstrual cups

• A Period Cup for up to 12 hours before it needs to be emptied. Compared to the average 4 to 8 hours for a tampon, that’s a fair amount of time saved.

• Unlike tampons, Diva cups don’t dry the vagina. This preserves the healthy bacteria that protect you from vaginal infections.

• Menstrual fluid develops an odor when exposed to air. Cups eliminate this issue.

• Most women report that they don’t even feel the cup when it’s in place.

• Reusable menstrual cups are environmentally friendly. The Women’s Environmental Network reports that each year more than 400 million poundsTrusted Source of sanitary pads, tampons, and tampon applicators end up in landfills.

Silicone Menstrual Cup Cons

• Silicone Menstrual Cup can cause irritation, It’s important to wash your hands before inserting your cup, to clean it well between uses, and to empty it two to three times a day.

• It can be tough to find the right fit. Cups come in different sizes depending on your age, flow, and whether you’ve had a child. Still, finding the perfect fit can be a challenge, more so if you have a tilted uterus or low cervix. It can take some trial and error, and you could have leaks in the meantime.

• Removal can get messy -- or embarrassing. Even if you find it easy to insert the cup, removing it can be tricky. In a sit or squat, you need to use your pelvic floor muscles to push the cup down, then reach up and grab the stem. Pinch the base to break the seal and angle the cup slightly back to keep it from spilling.

• If you’re in public, keep in mind you’ll need to wash out the cup in the restroom sink. (As an alternative, we suggest bringing a bottle of water with you into the stall and rinsing it out, then wiping clean with toilet paper.)