Dutchess Menstrual Cup - Reusable, Soft, Medical-Grade Silicone Period Cups - Easy to Clean Tampon and Pad Alternative, Pink & Purple, Small, Pack of 2

It's only been a few days and I'm already praising these and will never buy another box of tampons ever again. I've wanted to try these for the past decade, and now I'm mad I waited so long. The money you'll save alone and of course the environmental benefits are just two points on a long list of great things about these cups.First off, I was worried because I did a few 'dry runs' right before it started, so I could find a fold style I liked before the action happened- and it did not go well. It was uncomfortable, and it took many tries to pop open. When the real test came though, I had zero issue and a triangle fold worked perfectly, every time. If the 'C' fold does not work for you like it didn't for me, there are many more fold styles to try with smaller insertion points. If you're having trouble, do yourself a favor and dedicate a little time to researching tips and fold styles, it made all the difference for me.I also expected this to be a lot messier to deal with than it actually is, so far tampons are actually worse in that regard, for me at least. You just loosen the suction, dump in the toilet, rinse and re-insert. No having to use tons of TP to clean yourself up. There is also no smell, no wet strings, and I've had zero leaks. I can move and sleep in any position and not feel a thing.Ladies, don't hesitate like I did for so long. I had many concerns and worries, and this is possibly one of the greatest decisions I've ever made. It will take some practice, but once you find what works for you, it's quick and simple. Personal comfort is very important to me, and other than cramping, I can finally say my period is no longer a burden to me.

First a couple important things about me: 1) I'm a 33 year old female with no childbirth experience (I mention this because I'm always confused by the description. I'm over 25 so maybe I should buy the bigger size? But I don't have any kids, so maybe the smaller is better for me?), 2) I'm an experienced cup user, and 3) I'm a heavy bleeder.The Red Monkey on my back is a monthly blight to all that I consider good and wonderful in my life. Managing this monkey is a always a trial and requires some creative problem solving and a ridiculous ability to manage my schedule and ensure that I have access to a private lavatory for quick changes as needed, at all times. My cycle tends to last for 5 days with the first 2 days being unbearably heavy, the third day being confused as to whether it would like to stop or not (so my period almost stops, then resumes a few hours later with another heavy flow), day 4 is a medium flow, and day 5 is a light flow until it tapers off into blessed nothingness. Then because of all of the crazy heavy bleeding and my constant tampon usage, I then follow my period up with diluted hydrogen peroxide washes for the entirety of the following week, just to re-balance my overtaxed system.I explained all of the above because tampon usage has become an art-form for me as I try to decrease my risk for TSS (or toxic shock syndrome for those that aren't in the know). For the first 2 days of my cycle, I use Ultra tampons (by Playtex, not Tampax, because they fit me better and have less problems with leakage) that are changed every 3 to 4 hours. I also wear Ultra thin Infinity pads as my backup for the entire length of my cycle. Over night on these days, I'll wear my tampon for 6 hours before changing it when i wake up in the morning, and there will always have been leakage to my Infinity pads. On the next day, I either wear Ultras or alternate with Super Plus tampons that I change every 4 to 6 hours, depending on how heavy my blood flow is. By the last day, I start with Supers, then downgrade to a Regular, and finally a Lite by the end of the day for overnight wear, or I'll stick with a Regular and skip wearing a pad. Suffice to say that my cycle requires a lot of management.Enter the Dutchess cup. My prior experience with menstrual cups include using The Keeper, the Diva Cup, and Instead soft cups when I was in my early 20s. When I was younger, I didn't use Dutchess, but rather those other brands. I loved menstrual cups at first, but then because of my super heavy flow, I stopped using them and went with tampons. I'm a nurse and I wasn't comfortable cleaning my cup in a public stall with toilet paper every few hours. And there was no way I could wash out my cup at a link of sinks without grossing everyone out. So I opted to use the disposable cups. They work well in theory, but I changed them just as frequently and they were prone to leaks, so I didn't feel comfortable using them over my Diva Cup or the Keeper. Reaching the limit with my frustration, I switched over to Tampons and haven't looked back.Now, I'm several years older and about to get a Mirena IUD. While I'm transitioning over to being free of the monkey for the next 5 years, I imagine I'll still be bleeding sporadically, but nowhere near as heavily as I do now. For that reason, I've begun using the keeper again. For my last few regular periods, I've found myself rotating my Dutchess cups every 4 hours on days one and two, with leakage only when I surpass that time interval. But otherwise, going to the bathroom between hasn't been a problem (and no messy gross strings to grab, and no feeling like it's being pushed out by my muscles when I pee or poo, like i experienced with the Diva Cup). Also, no hard rubber nub poking my delicate flesh, like with the Keeper. Instead, just legitimate comfort- you really can't feel it- for hours. Emptying is easy- just bear down, pull the tab a bit, get a grip on the base apex, squeeze and twist to release suction, then gently pull out and empty into the toilet. The hardest part of this whole process is the cleaning. In a private bathroom, I'll rinse in the sink and wash with soap and water. In a multi-stall lavatory, I'll clean with wipes and toilet paper, then wrap in toilet paper and put away in my bag until I have a private moment to clean it. Soap and water to clean is sufficient until my period ends, where i then boil them for a few minutes, dry them on a towel, and put them away until next month.As an added bonus feature, these include little measuring ticks to let you know whether you've got a half ounce or full ounce of blood in the cup. If you look before you pour, you can at least get a rough estimate of how much blood you are losing over the course of your cycle. I use the P Tracker Lite app in the App Market to note the amounts in notes for each day of my cycle. It might be a weird thing to know, but I'm pretty anemic, and my doctors appreciate that little detail when I describe my behaviors and experiences to them. It's a pretty big detail that helps substantiate my claims to help determine treatments.I can't speak of the durability of these as I've only had it for a couple of months, but my Diva Cup got pretty discolored within a few months of usage- but it was also just a transparent white color. This are at least lovely shades of pink and lavender, so hopefully the discoloration will be less obvious. I'll update in a few months to note any breakdown or wear on these. In the meantime, I can say that I'm pretty happy about not having to go through a multitude of tampons anymore. I like that I only have to really worry about my time intervals with regards to when I change these. I've worn mine for up to 12 hours without any issues. I do always use back-up pads on days 1 thru 3, often on 4, and rarely on 5. But I've felt more confident going without pads on days 4 and 5 when wearing my Dutchess Cups, and I haven't had issues with leakage on those days.My recommendation would be to pay attention to your cycle and your anatomy. Size B Dutchess Cups work well for me. I wish they could hold a little more blood, but the size and contour work so well that I really can't complain. If you empty this at the appropriate intervals, you shouldn't have issues with leakage. Insert appropriately (fold-method) and twist for proper placement, then you're good to go. Empty every few hours and wear a backup pad while you're learning how frequently you'll need to empty this. If it's uncomfortable, pull it out fold in half lengthwise, and try again. I pretty much fold in half, and insert this with my middle finger, just about as far as it will go. I then let it pop open, and pinch the bottom twisting it a few times, then poke around with my middle finger to make sure I don't feel any gaps. I then give it a gentle final tug, wipe a few times to clean up any residue (using the Cottennelle flushable wet wipes), then stand up to make sure I can't feel it, then go on my way. I highly recommend giving this a try, even if other cups didn't work for you. Again, I do think that oddly enough, different cups may work better with different anatomies. This worked for me, but I did try out several to get to this happy place. Good luck!!!

After extensive research on menstrual cups, I settled on the Dutchess brand. I did this because other reviewers stated they were more flexible than other brands and because it was economically more practical to buy two for the price of one of the other brands.The pros:-Extremely flexible. I opted for a more flexible fit so that insertion and removal would be easier. I also didn't want a firm "plastic" feel and figured that the softer silicon used in these Dutchess cups would be more comfortable. I was correct in assuming this.-It is simple to insert and remove these cups. I have tried both cups included in this package, and they are identical save for their color.-The "stem" on the bottom is short. It's the perfect length for pulling the cup out without "poking".-The cups hold plenty. Not to get into gory details, but they'll last you a full day. Easily. They'd last longer than a full day, I'd assume, but I don't leave them in more than 14 hours.-These are economically practical. Two of these for the price of one DivaCup, and they last fifteen years according to the packaging. I see no reason they wouldn't last longer than the fifteen years, as they are a flexible but sturdy product. It would be difficult to break them down, so to speak.-Cheaper and more convenient than buying pads and tampons-Less landfill waste (if you're into that)Cons:-There is writing on the inside of the cup to indicate the amount of fluid it holds. If you like keeping track of the amount of fluid in the cup, this might be a good feature for you. However, it takes an extra 12 seconds or so to scrub out the raised numbers on the inside of the cup when you are washing it out.-These would, theoretically, require more privacy and time than a public restroom if you had to change them at work or in public. So far, I have had no problem wearing these for 14 hours, though, so I can't truly complain about this.All in all, these are a wonderful purchase, and the pro's far outweigh the con's. As far as I'm concerned, the cons are not even so much of a burden as to lessen my rating. I have had no leakage or messes, no problem inserting or removing, and no worries about my period since I started using these. I would make this purchase again, but these were a sound investment that will save me literally thousands of dollars in the long run...I can't see the need to replace these for a very, very long time! I hope everyone can benefit from this review and feel comfortable in making the switch to the Dutchess cup!