My First Experience With A Menstrual Cup!

Our very own Nice Kirumu, FHM Program Facilitator (Tanzania) writes about her first experiences with a menstrual cup!

The first time I heard about a menstrual cup was when I was volunteering with Anza International here in Moshi. At first, I thought it was like a real cup! I was surprised because I’ve never imagine of something like that could be used as for menstrual management, and I hoped that one day I would be able to use it.

A few months later I joined the Femme International team to work as the FHM Program Coordinator. The organization provides Feminine Health Management education to the school girls and sustainable menstrual management tools for them to use during their menstrual cycle. One of the products they provide are menstrual cups as one of the sustainable way of menstrual management. It has been seen that many girls especially those who live in poor families in rural areas, will miss school during their menstrual cycle because they cannot afford to purchase sanitary napkins each month. Hence, they use other materials such as pieces of old cloth, cotton, leaves or even stay at home until their period is over.

As part of the Femme staff, I had the opportunity to try a menstrual cup to learn how it felt! My supervisors were excited to see that I wanted to try the cup, they taught me how to use it and told me that it is a wonderful idea and I will enjoy it. So when my period came, I washed my hands take it, carefully fold it and insert it. It was hard and hurt little bit, but after few minutes I succeeded to insert it perfectly! For a few hours I wasn’t sure if it would come out, or maybe it might get full and start leak. I was surprised to see that I couldn’t get any kind of stains on my pants, or on the clothes! I stayed with it for 12 hours and in the evening when I went to bath I take it out slowly, poured the blood out, rinsed it with clean water and inserted it again!

I was feeling good because it’s very simple and I don’t have to use pads anymore!

Since it worked well on me, I am no longer using pads or tissues. I’m feeling free and I can do anything in my period including swimming, without worrying. I can help anyone who wants to know about it by explain about it. The good thing is the lifetime of the Ruby Cup: one cup can be used up to ten years therefore you don’t have to exchange it with new one from time to time.

I advise girls and women that these cups are very useful, especially to the poor girls and women who cannot afford to purchase the sanitary napkins. Even for those who can purchase sanitary napkins I advise them to start using the menstrual cups because it can help you to save money, abstain from getting fungus and infections, being free to do all kind of work and mostly is to enable young girls to attend school when they are in menstrual cycle without any problems and hence reach their goals in the future!

Verynice African Kirumu

November 19, 2014/by Sabrina