Hi, Welcome - we’re so pleased you’ve joined the Hello Cup gang 💥
There are 6 straightforward steps to using your Hello Cup for the first time. Have a read, maybe print off this blog, and get ready for a “game changer” menstrual cup experience.
Step 1 - Wash your lovely new Hello Cup.Use a mild soap, preferably without fragrance (it can irritate your vagina and we don’t need that!)
Lather it up in your hands and rinse thoroughly in cold water.
Step 2 - Sterilize your cup.
We recommend boiling your cup in a full pot of boiling water for 3-5 min. Use a timer! We hear disaster stories from time to time, and you don’t want to be one of them! Alternatively, you can use ¼ of a Milton tablet in a glass of cold water for 15-20 min.
After sterilising, make sure your cup is completely dry before you store it in the cotton bag ready for its first use. This is why we here at The Hello Cup choose to boil our cups - as it means it is basically dry as soon as it is out of the water! Nice and easy.
For extra protection, we also recommend using our Hello Go Sterilizing Spray just before inserting your cup. To sterilize your cup with Hello Go, simply rinse or wipe your cup clean. Spray Hello Go onto your menstrual cup and allow to dry before inserting (but we're getting to that bit!)
Step 3 - Practice the fold.Don’t wait for your period to arrive or rely on the fold you may have done with a previous menstrual cup! We like to do things differently at Hello Cup, but that is not why we want you to practice the Shallow Punchdown Fold. The internal rim and firmer TPE of your Hello Cup demand the shallow fold! Make sure your fold touches the bottom of the letters on the side of the cup. It might help to check this video to learn how. Trust us - you’ll be glad you decided to practice it!
Step 4 - Try before your period.
There are 3 parts to this step - the fold, body position and insertion angle.
Just as you can practice the fold in advance, you can try inserting your cup without the potential mess! This is the best plan if you are worried about your Hello Cup success. If you are a teen or first time cup user, it's ok if you feel a little uncomfortable the first few times you try your cup. Try to relax, or give yourself a break and come back to try later on if needed.
Once you have the cup folded and ready to insert you may want to think about how you would like to position your body to insert the cup. Consider trying: sitting on the loo leaning back, squatting, putting one leg up, trying in the shower (this is a favourite with many of our users - they are often more relaxed and the cup can be easily inserted when wet. Lots of great reasons to try!)
As you scoop your cup up and in, angle the cup back towards your spine as the vagina is on more of an angle than straight up. Let go of the fold once you can feel your fingers just inside the entrance to your vagina and use the toggle to wiggle your cup up a little into a comfortable position. You don’t want to try and push the cup as far as possible - it works best with the toggle sitting about 1cm inside the entrance to the vagina.
No need to check the rim to see if it is open because usually shallow fold+angle inserted = open cup!
While you are learning to master your cup - you may want to back it up with a Hello Cup Liner. You can also try your cup when you are at home and revert to period protection you previously used when you go out - making the learning stages so much less stressful!
Try a few different positions out - you may find that the easiest option is the reverse of how you insert! It’s important to relax your pelvic floor muscles when you remove your cup (pelvic and vaginal muscles tend to tighten when the body is anxious or stressed!) – so if you are at all worried, try deep breathing for a couple of minutes before you try. We suggest that you try breathing in deeply through your nose while you count to 4 slowly and then out through your mouth while you also count to 4. Try this for a couple of minutes (also very useful in step 4 when you are practising inserting your cup).
When you’re ready, squeeze the base of the cup at the grip rings to release any suction and pull your cup down.
Empty your cup as needed (before you go out or if it has been in a couple of hours is a good guide while you are getting used to it), don’t leave it longer than 12 hours though. When you empty your cup, you can wipe it with toilet paper or rinse with cold water and then reinsert.
Step 6 - Wash/sterilize/store.Once your period is finished, wash and sterilise your cup (make sure it is completely dry) then store it in the drawstring cotton bag until next month. Easy!
...And there you have it, 6 fan(ny)tastic steps for success!
For most of you, this will be all the information that you need to get your cup life nailed. But, if you’re not feeling the love for you Hello Cup straight away, don’t give up! It can take a few months to learn about your body and master the cup! You can drop us a line at any stage at hello@thehellocup.com and we’ll get a cup expert to help you out xx
