Menstrual Cups & Pelvic Prolapse

We’ve had hundreds of questions in the last few days about the news that menstrual cups can cause pelvic organ prolapse. While we’ve got back to everyone individually, we thought it would be beneficial to put a post out about it.

If you haven’t seen the news here are a few of the articles that you’ve sent us:

• Menstrual cup misuse 'can cause pelvic organ prolapse' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51805689
• Taking Out Your Menstrual Cup Incorrectly Can Trigger Pelvic Organ Prolapse https://www.womenshealth.com.au/menstrual-cup-pelvic-organ-prolapse
• MENSTRUAL CUP MISUSE CAN ‘LEAD TO GREATER RISK OF PELVIC ORGAN PROLAPSE’, EXPERTS WARN https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/menstrual-cup-misuse-pelvic-prolapse-risk-a9394211.html

In short, this is all about how you remove your menstrual cup. Our handy (suuuper detailed, yet easy to digest) menstrual cup guide which ships with each of our cups goes through it – it even has a couple of diagrams in there to help illustrate the point.

Basically, as you know, menstrual cups create a vacuum seal to help prevent leakage and movement. The problem is, many users end up straining their pelvic floor muscles to push the cup down for removal – or even just trying to yank it out forcefully. Naturally, this can result in weakening the pelvic floor, meaning less support for your organs and a higher chance of prolapse. In many ways its quite instinctive to just try and yank it, especially if it works!

Our advice is the same as it’s always been – relax, break the seal, and remove it gently without dragging on your organs! Obviously still wash your hands and sit on the toilet or squat down, but the main thing is to relax so you’re not rushing and/or panicked when trying to break the seal. Either squeeze the base to do this, or insert your forefinger alongside the cup to release it. This video from Kate Lough on the BBC News website explains the whole process really well:

In summary:
Don’t panic, there’s no need to throw your cup out!
Don’t strain to get it out
Get up in there and break that seal!
Definitely go and see your GP if you think you may have a prolapse

As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or issues at all :)