Mpower

NEWS:  I now sell menstrual cups at my online store:

www.zanashop.com

I purchased this cup from www.femininewear.co.uk.  Currently, they do not carry this cup because Glenda (the owner of Mpower) is working on changing the design, which I will explain at the end of the review.

I haven’t been able to find much in the way of photos or reviews on this brand, so I took much pleasure in putting up this review myself, and making the video for it.  I also appreciate the efforts the founder of this company has been putting out to make menstrual cups available to more women in South Africa, and elsewhere.  So I hope the new design will be ready soon.

With this order, I received:

*  The Mpower box (lovely, by the way)
* 1 Mpower cup
*  Denim storage bag with a ribbon drawstring
*  Clear and colorful information leaflet
*  Bi-lingual usage/instruction pamphlet.

The Cup:

If I had to compare the (original) Mpower cup to any other, I would say definitively the large Lunette.  Its about the same size, if not slightly larger.  Stiffness is about the same.  Although the Mpower cup actually holds slightly more liquid.  So if you have a super heavy flow, or its hard for you to get a cup to pop open, this brand will definitely help.

The stem is just like Lunette’s, but slightly more squared at the end.  Also, the bottom of the cup is more “rounded” and had 3 very subtle grip rings– meaning subtle enough to where they are not really detectable when worn up inside, but still helpful for grip.

Holes– there are 4.  And by far the largest I have seen, so if keeping the holes clean is a chore for you, larger holes are a good thing.  Rinsing it out under the sink, I noticed that I really didn’t even need to put any effort into flushing the holes out– the water would naturally clear them.

As for the material– Its different from Lunette– more clear, and quite honestly the same kind used to make the old Femmecup (there’s a new one now), or the Naturcup I believe.  I was told by Glenda that more hardener was added to this cup’s material, so it would be easier to pop open.  For those of you who have never handled the old Femmecup, the difference is, its basically not as “rubbery” as other brands.  Its closer to a soft, flexible plastic, actually.  When I place Mpower side-by-side with the old Femmecup, the material looks and feels very much alike.  But of course, Mpower is stiffer, as I mentioned.  Mostly due to the thickness, particularly around the middle.  So definitely no nonsense, when it comes to popping open and staying rounded up inside.

When I tested the cup out, I did use the punch-down fold, since it is a wider cup.  But as I expected, it popped open quite easily.  I did feel the stem, but that can be trimmed, so no problem there (however, I won’t be trimming mine, because I want to keep it in good shape for photos and videos).  Otherwise, it was comfortable.  I’ve made mention a few times that I prefer small sized cups…  However, because I’m married and have been sexually active for the past 5 years, I can get away with using larger cups on a heavy day.  Mpower is one of the larger cups, so it would be ideal for someone who needs lots of extra capacity.

It is, however, shorter than even the small Diva (in the body at least).  So you won’t have to sacrifice a shorter length for better capacity.  The rim is just a hair wider than large Lunette, although the difference is almost unnoticeable.

The Pouch:

Its very durable, basically made of denim.  Definitely won’t be falling apart anytime soon, and its VERY roomy.  I’ve heard some women say that they want a thicker, tougher material to store their cup in, to better protect it from all the items in their drawer or purse…  So if that’s you, this pouch is something you might like.  Although — as a friendly suggestion to the company from someone who loves to sew– I would say bring the seam of the drawstring ribbon’s sleeve up a bit higher to form a more snug fit around the ribbon, and possibly use a wider or more textured ribbon.  This may help the bag to catch on the robin better, and stay closed, as the material’s stiffness tends to want to slip open with the satiny ribbon.

The Box:

I REALLY like this box, it is so pretty!  Lovely designs on the top and front, with a “beige-white and gold” color theme.  All around the bottom, there’s a nice rainbow-glitter pattern.  The logo is kind of exotic-looking, in a very good way.

Information leaflet & Instruction Pamphlet:

Very clear, direct, and easy to understand.  In the leaflet, they took care to point out all the financial, environmental and health benefits of a menstrual cup, offering clear, life-like photos of the product and its box.  As well as contact information and links to the Mpower website.

The usage instruction pamphlet is black and white print, and 3 fold.  Bilingual, with English on one side and (I believe) Africaans on the other?  In the center, there is a clear picture diagram of how to fold and store the cup, as well as detailed writing, describing insertion, removal, and cleaning.  As well as some additional product information.

My Personal Opinion:

I’m happy that I got to try this cup out.  For a while it was not available in the USA, but finally I got my hands on one.   Currently, there is an issue of design similarities between Mpower and Lunette.  So I’ve been told that Mpower will be changing their cup design in the near future.  If or when that happens, I will do my best to get the new design, and show it to everyone.   🙂