Mooncup UK / MCUK

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

www.zanashop.com

Ah, this is where it all started!  The MoonCup U.K.  (MCUK) was actually the first menstrual cup I had ever heard of, or seen (courtesy of Lucy’s video on YouTube). It was December, 2008 and after watching an “old west” movie, I started to wonder– what did women use for their period a long time ago?  What did thy use in cultures where they wore animal skins, and did not have cloth-like rags?  I started doing searches on the subject, and found the “Museum Of Menstruation” online. There, while browsing around, I kept seeing the term “menstrual cup”, and I wondered what on earth that was!   So I did a Google search on that phrase alone. That’s when I found the LiveJournal discussion forum about menstrual cups, and a video by YouTube member “Scottishboomerang” about MoonCup UK.  I was very stand-off-ish at first, but eventually I decided that I wanted to try one of these items. Since then, I have started my own YouTube channel devoted to them, and acquired many different brands to review and promote to the world!

Here is a promotion video the Mooncup UK company has released, featuring a song about loving your lower body.  They sent me the link, and I think its rather upbeat, entertaining and catchy:

http://www.youtube.com/user/mooncupltd

And now on to my MoonCup UK review…

I emailed the MCUK company, and asked them for a sample for their newer model.  I already had a sample of their older model, but I wanted to be able to show the new design changes to everyone.  Normally, they do not give out samples, because it’s a 5 to 10 year customer loss every time they do, and most of the samples end up going to waste.  But they agreed that in y case, it would not be going to waste (and that’s true, it certainly will not).  Mostly because it will be used for the purpose of helping to educate thousands of people about this brand, and I am very happy to do so.

Since the sample of the old model I had was a small size, I asked for the new model sample to be a size large.   Normally, I prefer to use only small or medium sized cups, because larges usually tend to be a bit too wide for me.  Of course, I can fully insert a large, and get it to pop open.  Larges will work for me, without leaks.  But I personally find smalls more comfortable for my own body.  I’ve never had a child, and my flow is only average, to slightly heavy.

However, again I went for the large, because their sizing has remained the same, and I wanted to be able to show the difference between large and small sizes (you can see it in the video).

So of course I always test a cup out, when I do a review.  I check out the look, the feel, the design, the firmness/softness, insertion, removal, comfort while wearing it, etc.

The Cup

With the new MCUK, the first thing I noticed was that the silicone was more clear than the old model.  It was a little bit softer too.  The holes were now slanted a bit (lower on the outside, higher inside, for more capacity.

Also, I noticed something unique– the holes began facing downward, underneath the second rim.  For me, this made the suction easier to break during removal.

For insertion, I almost always use the C-fold (the only exception is with very stiff cups, in which case it’s the punch-down fold).  And to make popping open easier, I always insert with the folded crease facing back / down, because it seems that the back wall of the vagina offers more freedom to a cup to pop open that the front wall.   Many other people have reported the same experience too, so I’ve made a regular practice of it.  Particularly with softer cups.

MCUK popped open just fine for me.  I always let a cup pop open a little early, and then coax it up the rest of the way, because cups just seem to pop open more easily when they are about halfway in– again, something others have noticed as well.

The cup created a good suction.  I wore it for a while, just to test the comfort.  I like the softness of the new model, it is pretty comfortable!  If I were making this my full time regular cup, I would most likely trim the stem off.  But I do that with any cup that I intend to use regularly.  I have a very low cervix during my cycle, so for me, the shorter the better.  But other people with a higher cervix may need some of the stem, or even all of it.  So as I say with any cup– DO NOT trim the stem, until after you have worn it for a while, and you know where the cup likes to sit most of the time.  And then trim only a little bit at a time.  Never trim more than what is necessary, you always want to make sure you can reach your cup for removal.

Also, the stem now has grips rings all the way to the end.  This I like because for people who need all of the stem, they now have grips down the entire length of it.

As for removal, I found that the softness made it easier to remove than the original model.  I tend to do a partial fold on a cup, just before I get the rim out, and the softness makes that much easier, particularly with the rim.  Because the holes face downward, and are directly under the second rim, I found that pinching the base of the cup made enough of an air channel to break the suction.  Well, that combined with gently rocking the cup from side to side, and I coaxed it down.  That did the trick!  I could feel the seal breaking as I “walked” it down.  Then I just partially folded the rim a bit, and eased the cup out, one edge of the rim at a time.  I usually ease the rim out from the side, since the urethra at the front is really sensitive.

The Pouch

With this one, the pouch material felt a little thinner, like the fabric could “breathe” more, that the old cup/pouch.  I actually think that is a plus, because it seems easier to open.  Still made of un-dyed cotton though, I believe, which gives it that nice classing “beige” look.

Instructions

Before, the instructions were actually like a little book.  Now, they come in a folding pamphlet, in English and also I believe Spanish?  The old book-like instructions had several languages.  But I think probably the U.S. marketed MCUK is sticking with just the 2 most popular languages in the USA.  I’m not sure if the European version offers other languages, I will have to ask.

All in all, I am extremely pleased with the changes made by the company.  And I cannot say how happy I am that their product is now available in the USA.  It used to be unavailable here, because of an American company had given their product the same name.  But now with the new MCUK label (a nickname given to their cup by forum members), American customers can purchase the company’s products again.

Thank you to the MCUK company for providing me with this generous sample, I am so happy to take part in promotional efforts.  I will be working on updating the measurement charts, and the photo library in my forum, as soon as I can.