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How To

Use a Menstrual Cup

1. Wash your hands. Take a few deep breaths and relax.

Find a comfortable position: squatting over the toilet or placing one leg on the toilet may work.

Add warm water or a lubricant to the rim of the
cup if you like. Fold the cup or “Punchdown”
folds are good for beginners. 

2. Using your other hand, hold open the folds of skin that cover your vagina.

3. Insert the cup into your vagina, aiming
toward your lower back.

4. Push the cup all the way in so that the stem (if there is one) is inside your vaginal opening, and the cup opens.

5. The cup must open completely in order to seal properly against your vaginal walls.

Run your finger around the cup to make sure you do not feel a gap.

If you do, pinch the base of the cup a few times to see if it will open. Tense muscles will make this harder, so take a breath and try again if you need to. Twisting the cup in a full circle may also be helpful.

6. You should not feel the cup at all once it is inserted properly. If you do, remove it and try again. Be patient. Learning to use a cup takes practice, sometimes for a few menstrual cycles. But once you get it, it will be easy.


Do not worry that you will lose the cup; your cervix sits at the top of the vagina, and it can not get past that point.

How to Remove a Menstrual Cup

1. Wash your hands. Better yet, jump in the shower, which will help you relax and will save you from worrying about any spills.

(After a little practice, you will be able to remove your cup over the toilet easily.)

2. With your forefinger and thumb, reach for the base of your menstrual cup. You may need to bear down a bit (using your muscles in the same way as if you were trying to poop) and use the stem to pull the cup down closer to where you can reach it.

Squeezing the base of the cup will help you
break the seal, which is key to having it slide out with the contents inside.
Slowly slide the cup out, keeping it upright.

3. Empty the blood into the toilet.

Wash your cup out and re-insert it or
follow the instructions for sterilizing your cup until your next cycle.

DISCLAIMER: The links below are to third-party websites that include instructions on how to use the free menstrual products you received from GHGP. If you click any of the links, you will leave the GHGP website. These linked websites are not under GHGP’s control, and GHGP is not responsible for the content found on these sites, including the accuracy of any product instructions. If you have any additional questions on how to use the products, please contact the applicable manufacturer directly.

Any menstrual products provided to you by GHGP are provided “as is” without any warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, including any warranty regarding quality, suitability, or fitness for a particular purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you expressly release GHGP from any liability arising from your use of the products.  If you have any issues with the products, please contact the manufacturer directly.

Manufacturers’ Resources

Playtex 

Menstrual Cups- Please refer to the manufacturers insert for safety and usage instructions. 

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