I have always struggled with my period. I have a short cycle, a long bleed-time, and a heavy flow. I often get debilitating cramps that make it difficult to stand up. I’ve never worn a light-colored item of clothing while on my period that hasn’t gotten blood on it. Inconvenient and annoying are the first words that pop into my mind when I think about my period. The Fun Cup by Fun Factory hasn’t made my period more fun, but it has made it a little less inconvenient.
I wore the Diva Cup for about 12 years and the Keeper before that for maybe 3 years. I occasionally wear tampons if I start bleeding when I don’t have access to my cup right away, but I don’t like how they feel and with a flow as heavy as mine they often will get over-saturated in a short amount of time. I also use thin cotton flannel reusable pads on their own or sometimes in conjuncture with an insertable device on especially heavy days to catch overflow.
I was really excited when I won a Fun Cup Explore Kit from an internet giveaway contest. They are silicone and pretty colors and I was intrigued that they came in 2 sizes. The Diva Cup and Keeper were pretty much the same size and I wasn’t even aware until recently that a menstrual cup could be bigger. In addition, the turned out blunt nub on the bottom of the cups looked so much more comfortable than the tiny post on the Diva Cup which sometimes still poked me even after having cut it down. I had also read that Epiphora consulted with Fun Factory to make sure that their packaging and language was accessible. How exciting to have packaging materials that don’t insinuate that a menstrual cup is for delicate, petal pink flower lady parts!
The Explore Kit comes with 2 cups, one in size A (20ml) and the other in size B (30ml), as well as a small silver pouch to carry both cups in, a user manual, and a small booklet to answer any questions. The written materials are actually very well designed and are full of relevant information such as the best ways to pinch down the cup to prepare for insertion, how to clean them, and suggestions for sex acts that could be compatible with wearing a cup. The type is a bit tiny, especially in the user manual, but there is a pdf version that you can get on the Fun Factory website if you have a hard time with tiny typefaces in print. I also think it is genius that they include 2 cups in a pack. Keep one in your backpack and one in your bathroom at home! Share it with a friend! Leave a cup at a regular date’s house with your toothbrush!
I added my new menstrual cups to the dildo boil to fully clean them and then they were ready to roll. I run the cup under some water before I insert it because going in dry is sometimes uncomfortable. The booklet suggests a tiny bit of lube if you need it– just remember that because the cup is silicone, it would be best to use either a water based lube or a natural oil. At first I was concerned about making sure that the tiny tail dip was pointed in the correct direction, but after using it for a few cycles now I don’t think it makes that much difference for me. Or maybe it corrects itself once it gets pushed into my vaginal canal. Either way, there is no poking or jabbing and I can stand, move, and sit without the cup being perceivable.
One of the best design upgrades that the Fun Cup has over the Diva Cup is that the outside of the cup is smooth with only a slight lip on the top. If I am feeling especially sensitive around my vaginal opening (which is often the case when I am menstruating) the ridges on the outside of the Diva Cup scrape against me when I removing it and it is really annoying. I have not had any irritating sensation from the Fun Cup when removing it, which means that I use it for more days I am bleeding instead of only the bigger flow days. Also, the lip forms a better seal against my cervix leading to fewer leaks, even when the blood is moving fast and the cup fills to the top. This combo means that I use my cotton pads less during the day for leak protection and my vagina is grateful for that.
I thought that I would be using the larger size a lot more, but it turns out that the smaller cup, because the leaks aren’t happening, is just fine. Because my un-aroused vaginal canal is deeper than I thought, I can wear the size A cup and still comfortably penetrate myself while masturbating with a finger or a thin dildo such as the Njoy Fun Wand because there is no drag on the stainless steel that irritates my sensitive mucus membranes and it is very thin so when it is inserted it doesn’t disturb the cup. I like having sex while menstruating and I really don’t care about a mess, but being able to have a short jerk-off session without removing my cup or having to wipe up a huge blood puddle was pretty cool.
It is unclear if using the cups have had any effect on lessening my cramps. I have endometriosis and sometimes I will have a super bad day that makes it impossible to leave bed. On those days I just free bleed and try to manage the pain. On other days when I can still move easily, the Fun Cups have become my best option. Sometimes when I am putting the cup inside and it suctions to my cervix I get a brief cramp, but it never lasts for more than 20 or 30 seconds as the cup settles in. I think this might be because my cervix is already a bit sensitive and is like “hey, why are you touching me? oh. ok.” or at least this is how I think my cervix sounds.
Aesthetically, the bright colors are more fun, too. A cup to collect the blood is so amazing if you are interested in seeing how much blood your body gets rid of during a cycle. But a clear(ish) cup is not necessary for that; I can still tell how much blood is in the Fun Cup just by looking. I also sometimes like to collect my blood for various reasons (art, witchcraft, feeding my plants, kinky presents to lovers) and a cup makes it really easy to acquire. Just pull it out, dump the contents in a small jar, rinse it, and insert it back in!
At the end of my cycle I rinse the cups and add them to the next dildo boil. I love silicone as a material for sex toys and I love it for health products as well. It makes me feel good having a reusable product for my menstruation: One that doesn’t aggravate my pH levels or is uncomfortable. Thank you Fun Factory for taking the menstrual cup to the next level.
Follow sex toy companies on Twitter that are committed to body safe materials and ethical manufacturing such as Fun Factory and you might get the chance to win your own stuff!
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