You can leave your cup in for up to 12 hours, depending on how heavy your period is. The cup can hold a lot more blood than a regular tampon so you can typically change it less.

If you’re new to cups, or a previous tampon user, you may not know how much you actually bleed as it's quite hard to tell how much they have absorbed. 

In the beginning it may be good to remove and empty more often, and have a look before you empty. Soon enough you will get to know how much you bleed and gauge how long you can leave it until then.

No, your menstrual cup cannot get lost inside you. It cannot migrate past the cervix at the top of your vagina.

If you can't reach it, try not to panic. If you are stressed then you will be tense, your vagina is a muscle so will also tense up. Take a few deep belly breaths and try again. Sometimes it's a good idea to have a break and do something else for a while then go back to it. 

Trying a different position may also help, deep squat or lying on your back with your knees towards your chest. We recommend removing it in the shower as we are often more relaxed then. 

Continue deep breaths breathing in through your nose and blowing out through your mouth, this helps to relax your pelvic floor muscles. You can bear down gently (but no more than as if you were passing a soft bowel motion) if you need to in order to reach the toggle and then gently wiggle it down slightly until you can reach the base.

No. The cup should not hurt. Once it is inserted in the correct position you shouldn't feel it at all. 

Insertion may be a little uncomfortable initially whilst you learn more about your body and the best insertion technique/fold to use, but it should never be painful.

If you experience severe pain that isn't normal to you please remove the cup and seek medical advise.

No.

During your cycle, rinse your cup when you empty it, if you’re somewhere without access to a basin then don't worry! Just give it a little wipe with toilet paper (or some people like to have a little bottle of water to rinse it with) and reinsert and wash it next time. When you wash it, rinse the cup out and clean with a mild soap, we often do it in the shower as part of our shower routine…easy! 

Once you have finished your period, give the cup a wash and then sterilise it before storing away for next time. You can sterilise it by boiling it in a saucepan for a few minutes, making sure that the cup is not resting on the bottom of the pan as the heat may damage the silicone. 

TOP TIP

When washing your cup with soap, fill it with soapy water and place your palm over the top to make a seal, invert and squeeze the cup so that the soapy water comes out of the suction holes at the top, this will keep them clean.

Yes you absolutely can. Going for a wee or a poo while you have your Sea and Flo cup in is absolutely fine. Many people find it a lot more comfortable to do so than when using a tampon.

If you're passing a large bowel motion then your cup may move down slightly, you may be more comfortable removing it in that case. 

Yes you can, if you are comfortable doing so.

You may be concerned about the hymen, but there is a lot of misinformation about the hymen and virginity out there.

The hymen is NOT a complete seal covering the opening of the vagina that is only punctured during the first experience of intercourse/vaginal penetration.

Almost all hymens have a hole in the middle, or multiple holes and some partially cover. In fact very few completely cover the vaginal opening at all. 

Some disappear by the time you hit the teenage years, some will tear easily as a result of exercise, sports or tampon use, and some people are simply born without them. 

So the hymen should not be a barrier (literally) to using a cup or tampon.

There have been very few reports of TSS from menstrual cup users, there is always a risk, however it is significantly lower in those using menstrual cups than tampons.

Your cup can stay in for up to 12 hours, which is great. But 12 hours is a long time, so if you tend to forget to change the cup or using it towards the end of your period when your symptoms may have subsided, it may be a good idea to set a reminder on your phone to remove morning and night. 

Our cups can last up to 10 years.

This does depend how you look after it. Once its clean, allow it to air dy before storing it in a breathable pouch between use, out of direct sunlight.

If your menstrual cup is torn, split, cracking or visibly damaged in anyway, please discontiue use and replace.

The silicone may become sticky, or harden, this is also a sign to discontue use and replace.

Yes, you can definitely use a cup, although you need to be cautious when removing the cup that you are not grabbing at the IUD strings. As always, make sure you release the seal before removing, and you may find it better to release the seal by pinching the base of the cup to avoid the strings. Check your strings regularly, if you have any concerns or feel like your strings are out of place contact your healthcare provider.

It's far less messy than people imagine! In the beginning then yes maybe, while you get used to handling the cup it can be hard to make sure you remove it holding it upright. This is why we recommend trying it out in the shower initially. But once you have done it a few times its really not messy at all.

Because our Sea + Flo menstrual cups hold so much more than tampons and pads, And because you can keep the cup in for up to 12 hours, the likelihood of you needing to empty in a toilet without a basin is greatly reduced, most people find that they can wait until they are home, or until they get to a more suitable bathroom, before needing to empty theirs. 

If you find that you do need to empty your cup without a washing facility there are a couple of solutions. You can wipe the cup clean with some toilet paper and re-insert, or some people like to carry a little water bottle to rinse it out with before re-inserting. Both of these are fine to do, you can just wash it more thoroughly next time.

Our Sea + Flo Menstrual cups are made from FDA approved Medical Grade Silicone.

FDA approved means they meet the food and drug administration requirements:"The FDA approval of a medical product means the product’s safety and effectiveness have been reviewed by the FDA" "it means the agency has determined the product is safe for its intended use."

Our manufacturer also holds ISO (International Organizational Standards) 13485 and ISO 9001 which is a formal recognition that a company's Quality Management System meets the rigorous requirements of the medical device industry and standards that sets out the requirements for a quality management system.

Some menstrual cups are made from TPE (thermoplastic elastomer). We have both used these cups and found that they were firmer and less comfortable to insert and remove.

We also wanted to avoid the use of plastics in our products so opted for silicone.

Everthing you get from Sea + Flo is 100% plastic free!

Our menstrual cups are sleek black and we love this.

Anyone that has used another brand or colour will tell you that eventually the menstrual cups stain, which is not so pretty.

So, since we're promising longevity of our product we want to make sure it looks good through its lifetime as well.

Black, sleek, and stain free!