Welcome! We’re so pleased you’ve joined the Hello Cup gang.
There are 6 straightforward steps to using your Hello Cup for the first time. Have a read and get ready for a game changer menstrual cup experience.
Step 1 - Wash your lovely new Hello Cup.
Step 1 - Wash your lovely new Hello Cup.
- Use a mild soap, preferably without fragrance (it can irritate your vagina). Lather it up in your hands and rinse thoroughly in cold water.
- We recommend boiling your cup in a full pot of boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Use a timer. We hear disaster stories from time to time and you don’t want to be one of them.
- Alternatively, you can use ¼ of a Milton tablet in a glass of cold water for 15-20 minutes.
- After sterilising, make sure your cup is completely dry before you store it in the cotton bag ready for its first use. We here at The Hello Cup choose to boil our cups - as it means it is basically dry as soon as it is out of the water.
- For extra protection, we also recommend using our Hello Go Sterilising Spray just before inserting your cup. To sterilise your cup with Hello Go, rinse or wipe your cup clean. Spray Hello Go onto your menstrual cup and allow to dry before inserting.
Step 3 - Practice the fold.
- Don’t wait for your period to arrive or rely on the fold you may have done with a previous menstrual cup. We like to do things differently at Hello Cup, but that is not why we want you to practice the Shallow Punchdown Fold. The internal rim and firmer TPE of your Hello Cup demands this type of fold.
- Make sure your fold doesn't go below the bottom of the 'Hello' letters on the side of the menstrual cup. It might help to check this video to learn how. Trust us - you’ll be glad you decided to practice it.
Step 4 - Try before your period.
- There are 3 parts to this step - the fold, body position and insertion angle.
- Just as you can practice the fold in advance, you can try inserting your cup before your period arrives, too. This is the best plan if you are worried about your Hello Cup success. If you are a teen or first time cup user, it's ok if you feel a little uncomfortable the first few times you try your cup. Try to relax, or give yourself a break and come back to try later on if needed.
- Once you have the cup folded and ready to insert you may want to think about how you would like to position your body to insert the cup. Consider trying: sitting on the loo leaning back, squatting, putting one leg up, trying in the shower (this is a favourite with many of our users - they are often more relaxed and the cup can be easily inserted when wet).
- As you scoop your menstrual cup up and in, angle the cup back towards your spine - as the vagina is on more of an angle, rather than straight up.
- Then, let go of the fold once you can feel your fingers just inside the entrance to your vagina.
- Finally, use the Hello Cup toggle to wiggle your cup up a little into a comfortable position. You don’t want to try and push the cup as far as possible - it works best with the toggle sitting about 1cm inside the entrance to the vagina.
- There is no need to check the rim to see if your Hello Cup is open, because usually a Shallow Punchdown Fold + the correct angle = an open menstrual cup!
- While you are learning to master your menstrual cup - you may wish to back it up with a Hello Cup Liner.
- You can also try your menstrual cup when you are at home and revert to period protection you previously used when you go out. This may help make the learning stages less stressful.
- To remove your Hello Cup, try a few different positions out. You may find that the easiest option is the reverse of how you insert.
- It’s important to relax your pelvic floor muscles when you remove your menstrual cup. This is because pelvic and vaginal muscles tend to tighten when the body is anxious or stressed. So, if you are at all worried, try deep breathing for a couple of minutes before you try. We suggest that you try breathing in deeply through your nose, while you count to four slowly - and then out through your mouth while you also count to four. Try this for a couple of minutes. This breathing technique is also useful in step 4 when you are practising inserting your menstrual cup.
- When you’re ready, feel for your cup, then gently squeeze the base of the Hello Cup at the grip rings. This will release the suction - and you'll feel this happen as you squeeze. Then, once the suction is released, gently pull your cup down.
- Empty your menstrual cup as needed. Before you go out, or every couple of hours, is a good starting point. Don’t leave your menstrual cup in for longer than 12 hours, though.
- When you empty your Hello Cup, you can wipe it with toilet paper or rinse with cold water. If you have Hello Go, you can use this for extra cleanliness. Then, reinsert.
Step 6 - Wash / Sterilise / Store.
- Once your period is finished, wash and sterilise your Hello Cup.
- Then, make sure it is completely dry before storing it in the drawstring cotton bag until next month.
...And there you have it, 6 fan(ny)tastic steps for success! If you’re not feeling the love for your Hello Cup straight away, don’t give up - It can take a few months to learn about your body and master cup life.
You can drop us a line at any stage on hello@thehellocup.com and we’ll get a cup expert to help you out.
Most importantly, welcome to the gang!
Team Hello Cup x
