Naturcup

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

www.ladyfreedomstore.com

I emailed the Naturcup company and asked them if they could send me a sample of their product.  So they graciously agreed to send me one!   I would like to thank them very much for their kindness. 🙂

So this is what they sent me:

– 1 large (size II) Naturcup menstrual cup
– 1 cloth storage pouch (reminds me of the Mooncup pouch, very cute!)
– Naturcup box
– Folded instruction page
– 3-fold glossy finish information pamphlet

The Cup

Naturcup is from Spain.  They only recently began selling their product, they seem to have been working on marketing for quite some time.

When I examined the Naturcup, the material reminded me a lot of the Mpower, or the original Femmecup model.   Although the bottom half was thinner, which made it softer.  Meaning its more like a soft, flexible plastic, rather than a rubbery feel (although it is still made of medical silicone).  There were 4 suction release holes under the top rim, and they were the right size to where they would be easy to clean.

The cup is thicker/firmer in the top half.  The softest part I would say is just above the ball stem.  There are 3 measuring lines inside the cup (5, 10 and 15 ml).  The size of the cup is marked down inside the bottom of the cup.  It has 3 very subtle grim rings on the base, subtle enough to help a bit with removing, but not pronounced enough to bother you while wearing it.

Testing The Cup

Per the company’s instructions, I boiled my cup and gave it a test run.  My experiences are  probably related to the firmness of my body on the inside–  I normally have to do extra coaxing to make a softer cup pop open.  Not true for everyone, but for me, yes.  Especially a large.  Mediums and smalls are much easier for me.  It may also be because I have a very low cervix (I am short inside).  But I know plenty of women who really do prefer a softer cup, and it is the only kind they will use, so everyone is different…  I found the cup comfortable to insert, and to wear.  Easy to fold and hold.  It is a longer cup, so if you need some length because your cervix is higher, then this should be easier to reach.

For insertion of a softer cup, I normally use a C-fold.  But for the Naturcup, I actually found the “origami” fold to be much easier.  I inserted with the folded part facing down (this tends to help most cups pop open better).  I always make sure that one of the suction release holes is inside the fold crease.  This keeps it exposed to air longer, allowing the cup to pop open more thoroughly, since the inner folded crease is the last part of the cup to touch the skin.

The first time I tried insertion, it was just a “dry run”, meaning while I was not on my period.  But when my cycle finally arrived, I was able to try it out “for real”.  Many people, myself included, find that its easier to insert a cup during their period (everything seems to be more relaxed).  And I must say, everything was much easier during my period.

Normally, I have to insert a soft cup halfway, let it pop open, and then coax it up the rest of the way.  But with Naturcup, I actually found it better to insert the down-facing origami fold all the way, and then carefully rotate the cup until it opened all the way.

Since I have a low cervix, every cup will stay down very low in me.  But even still, the ball stem did not bother me.  I found the cup fairly easy to remove with the ball stem, because there is a little bit of length between the ball, and the bottom of the cup, so there was a place for my fingers to grip.  With this cup, it was easy to do a partial fold during removal, which some people need to do.

I can tell by looking at it, it has pretty good capacity.   It performed well on the heaviest day of my period too, the firmer rim and popping it open gave it a good seal. 🙂  Its another good option for people who can’t use cups that are “too short” because this one has enough length to let you grab it.

I’m glad to finally be able to give everyone a closer look at Naturcup.  A lot of people have been curious about it.  For right now, I have been told that they are only selling Naturcup in Spain, because they have not yet made their box and instructions in other languages.  Perhaps in the future they will be selling to other countries, we will have to wait and see…?

Measurements (these were given to me by the company, I will try to update my chart information as soon as I can)

Size 0, size I, size II
– length of the cup:   56mm, 65mm, 65mm
– length of the stem:   10mm, 10mm, 10mm
– diameter:   40mm, 43mm, 47mm

Capacity, I got from a LiveJourrnal member who emailed to company:

– capacity up to the air holes:  15ml, 22ml, 26ml
– capacity up to the rim:  16ml,  23ml,  27ml