I've gotten a couple of e-mail requests about the Instead Softcups menstrual cup and my opinion of those types of disposable cups. I figured that if multiple people were interested in my opinion of these then perhaps it would be beneficial to post about the Instead Softcups here as well.
The Instead Softcups have been out in stores for awhile. In high school, my best friend had discovered these while shopping in CVS Pharmacy and had raved about how great they were. So, when I turned 17 or so I decided to make a purchase of a box of these nifty cups as well. After all, I had not even heard of menstrual cups before so it was a little exciting to find this gem.
My first couple of experiences with the Instead cups were horrible. I inserted one, per the instructions, one night before bed. Insertion was strange since I couldn't seem to get the cup to stay behind my pubic bone like the pamphlet wanted. The cup rim kept popping back out and wouldn't stay put. It was a little frustrating.
When I woke up I was sore inside and had leaked onto my back-up pad. The soreness I thought was perhaps from my trying to hook the lip of the rim behind my public bone so much the night before. I waddled down to our bathroom and attempted to remove the cup. It was a pretty painful, messy experience.
I attempted to use the Instead Softcups for that entire period. I won't lie, I shed some tears upon each removal. The pain was very sharp. It was too painful and too messy to continue. I trashed the rest of my box of these gadgets and vowed that I would stick to my reliable, disposable pads. (Boy, I've come a long way!)
A few years later I ran into the Instead Softcups again while in the local pharmacy. I was in need of some pads and thought that I should give these cups a shot again. I made the purchase and went on my merry way. While my second time with using these cups was definitely not as painful, it was still messy since the cups still didn't seem to stay in place and would cause a great deal of leakage. Again, I trashed the box after a cycle worth of trying and made the vow to never go back to these dreadful things.
I've since been in communication with the Instead Softcups customer service. It was advised that these cups are one-size-fits-most but not all. I am a minority, it seems, in that my vaginal area is smaller than typical. This means the cup is simply too large for me, and this explains both the painful removal and the movement of the cup. They recommended I find another menstrual product.
Now that I've learned about reusable cups and pads, I definitely never recommend Instead Softcups. I never had a pleasant experience with those cups and I think if women generally tried that brand before seeking out a reusable cup then they would be discouraged from looking for something that actually works well. I have read many stories about women raving about the Instead Softcups, but it really needs to be said that they absolutely are not for everyone and could result in a very negative experience.
So, save your money, trouble, and the environment by skipping the Instead Softcups and going for another brand of cup or reusable pads.
I purchased a box of Instead Softcups about three months ago. I am a 46 year old mother to four teenagers, three of which are females. I thought I'd save money on feminine products, so I gave the Softcups a try. I was really disappointed because I had trouble inserting the product. It leaked only after a couple of hours, which I thought was not supposed to happen with this product. To me, it was the same experience I have when using a tampon, only WAY messier! It was totally gross and messy when removing this product. So, I basically paid about $10 for a box of 12 '"tampons", which are sitting in my closet as I type this. I've gone back to my regular tampons with a backup pad as usual. Don't waste your money on this product.
ReplyDeleteI purchased the Instead a few weeks ago, since I left my regular menstrual cup at home. Definitely a waste of money. I can only remember ONE time that it didn't leak. I ended up buying conventional pads.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually trying these right now (hence the late comment) and it's going a lot better than my first experience a couple months ago. I was getting aggravated yesterday because I was beginning to see them as similar tampons too, but then I learned a neat (but a little gross) trick. Instead of removing it as you would a tampon, bear down like you're going number two, while you are still on the toilet. The cup will shift and (mostly) empty! Then check to make sure it shifts back into place behind your pubic bone, clean up, and you're good for another couple of hours. You can wear these for up to 12 hours consecutively, before even having to pull them out and rinse them.
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