Lena Sensitive Menstrual Cup Large – Reusable Period Cup for Heavy Flow – Soft, BPA-Free, Medical-Grade Silicone, Comfortable, Leak-Free Protection (Up to 12 Hours), Clear

This one converted me! – Comfortable, reliable, easy to use, reasonable price, high quality, good reputation
I am new to menstrual cups, and it took me a few tries to figure out what would work for me. This cup (Lena Sensitive – size Large) has been GREAT for my extra heavy days and overnight! Really, it has just been wonderful overall. I finally got through a whole period using just a menstrual cup, and it was so freeing! I am now a full convert and cannot see ever going back to to tampons.The problems I had with other larger capacity cups: they either leaked or were hard to get out or both; there was an uncomfortable “pop” action when putting in or taking out; when I would lay down to go to bed, I felt like I had to pee. I was nervous about getting a “softer” cup, since I thought it might be a leaking concern. Also, because I don’t really have technique down, I did not want to have an issue with placing it and getting in open. Turns out, this cup is just the perfect one for me! I have no trouble placing it and getting it open OR taking it out, it has not leaked at all (overnight or during my 8-hour workday on my very heavy days), and I have not once had that phantom feeling of needing to urinate. I have found this to be a comfortable, reliable, easy to use cup.Since I believe, as many have said, that getting to the right cup is based on a lot of personal factors, I am (over)sharing some here:- high cervix that may drop a bit at the start of my period- adult woman who has not given birth- one medium day (previously used regular-super tampons), two very heavy days (super plus), two lighter days (regular, pantyliners, or combo)– not athletic in a general sense, but rather strong pelvic floor muscles

I liked the small better, but this large will be perfect for after I have children!
I first learned about menstrual cups when I saw that the period subscription box I was using offered Softcups. I was intrigued by the concept, so I gave them a try…and I loved them! This led me to look into reusable cups. Softcups are shaped and function very differently than reusable cups, so I did quite a bit of research before settling on Lena cups. The main cup that comes to mind when people mention menstrual cups is the Diva cup; however, I learned that Diva cups are some of the largest menstrual cups available, and that they’re not a great fit for everyone. The cup has to be small enough to properly expand and lightly suction to the walls of your vagina. If it’s too large, it won’t seal and can collapse, which causes leaks and is also uncomfortable. Since I wasn’t really sure how to measure myself, I didn’t want to risk wasting a good bit of money on a cup that might be too big. So, I spent hours researching for some of the smallest cups I could find. I compared the width of the rim and the length of the body (not including the stem) of so many brands. It was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be since many brands don’t list the measurements. It’s great that most brands have a large and a small option, but one brand’s small can be larger than another brand’s large, which is maddening! For example, the small Diva is 43mm wide and 53mm long, while the large Lena cup is smaller at 45mm wide and 50.7mm long. The small Lena is 41mm wide and 46mm long, so it is significantly smaller than the small Diva. I believe the small Lena is a much better size for first-time users, unless you are absolutely certain that your cervix sits high during menstruation and can use a longer cup. Other things to consider when choosing a cup are what it’s made of, where it was made, and what safety standards it meets. Lena cups are made of medical grade silicone, are made in the USA, and are FDA-registered, so I was confident that it was safe to use.Now, for what I love about my SMALL Lena cup (details for this large at the bottom, but this list still mostly applies to it):• No more leaks!!! I’ve never had a leak during the day or even overnight, and I can actually wear nice underwear with confidence knowing that they won’t be ruined. It holds so much more than the tampons I was using. When I first starting using this cup, I emptied it every few hours (like I did with tampons), and it was nowhere close to being full. I can safely go all day without having to empty the cup.• No more dealing with my period in a public restroom! I only have to empty it when I wake up and right before bed, which is the best thing ever! I can’t even express how much I love not having to deal with it during the day. Public bathrooms are already not ideal, so not having to worry about changing a tampon is a huge plus! On heavy days (which are rare), I might have to empty it once during the day, but I literally have never needed to empty it in a public restroom in the 17 months that I’ve been using this cup…compared to changing tampons every few hours. If I do need to empty it in a public restroom, it’s nice that I don’t need to carry anything with me, and it’s no messier than changing a tampon.• Better for my vagina! Tampons don’t discriminate when they’re absorbing, so they can really dry you out (and anyone who has ever pulled out a dry tampon knows how freaking painful that it is!). That messes with pretty much everything up there, especially the good bacteria and your pH level. They also increase your risk of developing toxic shock syndrome (TSS) because they absorb and trap any bad bacteria. Cups don’t mess with any of that. Since they don’t absorb anything, your vagina remains unchanged, so there’s no bounce-back time after your period where it needs to rebuild the supply of good bacteria and get back to a healthy pH level. Your risk of developing TSS is also much, much lower, so menstrual cups are safer to use over longer periods of time.• Better for the environment and my wallet! I love that there’s no trash (wrapper, applicator, the tampon itself) each time I use my cup. When you think about the thousands of tampons you’d use throughout your life, that’s a lot of waste that won’t end up in a landfill. And for the price of a few boxes of tampons, you’ll get years of use out of a cup (as long as you take care of it). I’m saving a ton of money by not buying tampons every month, and I’m reducing the amount of waste I produce, so that’s a win-win.I really don’t have any negatives for my small cup. It has some minor staining after 17 months of use, which is completely normal and will happen with any cup you buy. I’m sure a dilute hydrogen peroxide soak will make it look brand new again. I recently bought some backup Lena cups, so I’ve included pictures of the new ones (a small pink compared to this large clear). I was curious to try the large, since the small works so well. It did fully open, but it was harder to remove because there was more suction and it was just a bigger cup to remove. I probably could have worn it with no problems once I got used to it. However, I will continue to use my smalls, and I will just keep the large for after I have children. I also showed what the rim of the large looks like for two different folds (the C/U fold and the origami fold) so you can see approximately what size it’ll be for inserting it. Keep in mind there are many different ways to fold a cup, and it’s completely up to personal preference.If you’ve read through this mini-essay of a review, I hope it helped! The condensed version is that I cannot recommend Lena cups enough! They have truly changed everything about my period experience, and I no longer dread when it arrives. Do your research, look up tips, watch YouTube videos, and give them a try!!

I must admit that when my friend told me about these cups I was very sceptical at first. I haven’t had any kids and I was usually a pad and tampon user so when my friend described the cups to me it sounded painful, odd and gross so I didn’t buy into it at first. That is until I read similar reviews online about it saying that this was the best purchase that they had ever done. They also have other massive benefits compared to what I was using at the time such as; they are much better for the environment and your body and they save you a chunk of money as you can keep them for 10 years and don’t have to keep on buying new ones after a few months. So after reading everything I had a change in heart and thought I would give it a go and WOW! Thank god I did.Yes the first try was very odd and at some point difficult/uncomfortable because it’s a new experience and you are trying to adapt to it. You do have to find ‘the right fold’ for you – the box does come with it’s own leaflet of diagrams but I actually found mine by having a look at some different ones on YouTube tutorial videos and trying them all out until one suited me. Yes sometimes leakage would happen which is to be expected – I made the smart decision to wear a pad until I did feel comfortable with how it was doing and I got it right, which I definitely I would advise first time users to do but once I got the hang of it I was very impressed with how it was doing and now no leakages happen- I have no worries with using it whilst going to the gym and doing all of my regular workouts and swimming. It is easy to clean and doesn’t smell like certain tampons and pads do after a few hours and it comes in it’s own little bag so you don’t have to stuff loads of tampons or pads into your bag – especially on if you are going on holiday or whilst you’re at work.However, it was removing part that concerned me deeply after hearing certain horror stories and reviews online – my advice, don’t listen to them because that’s them and not your body and it’s all about practice. Yes at first scrambling around can feel uncomfortable and removing it feels horrible and at one point I thought ‘that’s it I’m going to A and E with the most embarrassing thing stuck’ but I just took the advice of others online by relaxing, not forcing it and doing it my own way. Removing it still now and then can still feel like a struggle but it’s bound to as it takes time getting used to it and I’m ok with knowing that as i just think of the benefits it has done for me.I have now turned into that friend who is recommending it to friends and family but I am glad that I changed my mind and made the switch as it’s made life so much easier!!!!

this is my first cup ever and its been ok so far. it is comfortable but can get painful sometimes when not inserted correctly. even when inserted correctly i noticed my cramps were a bit worse sometimes but it varies. overall though it is a fantastic item and so discreet. i love the small printed cotton bag it comes with. i had very minimal leaks and only wore pantyliners with it and had no problems. very good buy.