My Comparisons and Ratings – Stems & Wearing

This is part of my comparison chart for the menstrual cups I have tried.
See here for the chart and links to the other individual sections explained.

Stems

Even though you can cut the stem to the most comfortable length, I’ve tried these with the stems as they are when they are shipped to you.

Diva – Small stem, but still a little uncomfortable
Femmecup – Original was as uncomfortable as Mooncup’s stem.  New stem is a smaller solid ‘stick’, and much more comfortable
Fleurcup – The most comfortable stem style
Keeper – Longest stem but slightly less uncomfortable than Mooncup’s stem… still uncomfortable though.
Lady Cup – Softer than the other tube stems, so not as uncomfortable, though I would trim the longer stem on the small cup.
Lunette – The most comfortable stem style
MeLuna – Comes in 3 choices of stem!
Miacup – The most comfortable stem style
Mooncup – Most uncomfortable of all the stems, but once chopped halfway is about even with Diva’s stem..
MPower – The most comfortable stem style, however the silicone on the stem is literally falling off
Yuuki – The version I have is like a filled tube. More comfortable than the other tube stems (except Lady Cup) – However they have now changed to a tube stem, so I presume it would be as for the tube stems.

I can wear the tab stem cups, and the original Yuuki and Lady Cup without the stem trimmed, and I would have to trim the others. I actually prefer the longer stem so I can use it to pull the cup down, so I don’t like the shorter Diva stem as much as I do the longer ones….. however the Mooncup stem was very uncomfortable unless cut in half. I also like the solid (tab) stems better as it can’t fill with gunk, and its more flexible/softer – and has ridges for gripping.  Ladycup stems are so soft the tube squishes flat when grasped, so I found it just as comfortable as the tab stem, but I find the tab stem feels more “solid”.  Yuuki stem at first I could feel, but then as it settled further up and I got used to it, I stopped being able to feel it at all – it doesn’t seem to poke, perhaps because the end is rounded and the tube stems have a flat end.

MeLuna offers various options for stem, however I found the (original) ball stem to be too slippery to work properly (though very comfortable, couldn’t feel it). The (original) ring stem was great though, providing enough grip without being protrusive. The new “stick” stem was not uncomfortable physically, but I could feel it which was annoying (especially while walking). Until it had been in for an hour or so…and then it settled into a better position or I got used to it.

So tab stems get a point for a better stem all round – more flexible, easier to grip, can’t fill with gunk and flat for a much lower profile with no poking.  MPower would receive 1 point for having a tab stem, but would lose 1 point for the fact it’s defective (See the individual MPower listing here) – which is disgraceful.  MeLuna gets 2 points for giving women the option of the different types of stem, and the inovation of a ball, ring or no stem!… even though I personally prefer to have a decent stem to be able to hold.

 

Wearing

In actual wearing (once they are in) they all felt exactly the same…(except the stem poking issue)…. Though I had a little leakage (slight spotting) with the Diva, but it was the small size, and having a hole in it may have effected it (though the mooncup didn’t leak and the Diva hole was up high in the rim so I hadn’t worn it long enough to fill to there). I can wear my Lunette and let it fill past the rim, but I couldn’t try that with the Diva or Mooncup as they have holes punched into them…so I couldn’t test that obviously. I did get leakage with the large size Lady Cup when it was filled past the holes, but only slightly (and I occasionally get that with Lunette when it’s filled past the brim). I haven’t tested the other cups filling past the airholes.   The sample Keeper with half its side missing I didn’t bother trying during my period at all. So I won’t rate this for any of the cups, because some of the cups are samples with holes punched in, some are small and some are large, so I can’t accurately tell which performs better, and they all feel the same once they are in.

My Comparisons and Ratings – Insertion & Removal

This is part of my comparison chart for the menstrual cups I have tried.
See here for the chart and links to the other individual sections explained.

Insertion (Ease)

This is looking at how easy the cups are to insert, how easily they fold into the “c” fold and how easy it is to keep them folded.

Diva - Slightly easier to keep folded than Lunette.
Keeper - Couldn’t test accurately
Femmecup – Slightly easier to keep folded than Mooncup or Lunette
Fleurcup - Slightly easier to keep folded than Lunette.
Lady Cup – Most flexible silicone. Easier to keep folded than other cups. Easier to insert
Lunette – Slightly harder to keep folded.
MeLuna – Old style are probably the stiffest (least flexible) of the cups, harder to keep folded (but also smaller than the other cups).  Newer style “soft” cups are soft and easy to keep folded
Miacup – Nice flexible silicone, easy to keep folded
Mooncup UK – Slightly easier to keep folded than Lunette.
MPower - Slightly easier to keep folded than Mooncup or Lunette
Yuuki – Nice flexible silicone, easy to insert

While not really very much difference, I found some cups were easier to keep folded and insert. The Lady Cup is the cup easiest to keep folded because of the lack of ridges and softer/more flexible silicone. The old style MeLuna was the stiffest cup, so harder to keep folded.  The newer “soft” cups are soft and easy to keep folded and the smooth outside makes them easy to insert.  Lunette seems to need more pressure to keep it folded than some of the other cups.  The other cups fell somewhere between.

So Score half a point to the cups that are slightly easier to keep folded and 1 point to the cups that are easiest to keep folded and most comfortable to insert. The Keeper I have with half of one side missing was not able to be folded up properly (as the top folded but the gaping hole made the bottom of the cup not able to fold – leaving a pointy bit sticking up, so was not easy to insert, remove or keep folded, so I can’t mark a score for it.

Insertion (Opening Up)

This was not scored on the table, but I have my comments here.  Using the same folding method (“c”), and the same insertion positions (essentially trying to keep everything the same), how easily the cups opened for me.  Keeping in mind that issues with the cup opening properly first time, can be due to many factors.  Often I’ve found a cup will open up fine one time, and not the next time.  Also some of the cups I have are small sizes, some are large. For the record -  I am a woman just over 30, who has been pregnant but not given birth vaginally (and does regular kegals). So this is one reason I didnt score this on the chart.

Diva – A few more issues opening up than the other cups (small size)
Femmecup - No problems opening up.
Fleurcup – No problems opening up.
Keeper - Couldn’t test accurately
Lady Cup – Occasional problems opening up with large size, small size opens fine
Lunette – Occasionally slight problems opening up.
MeLuna - New “soft” version has no problems opening up
Miacup – Slight problems opening up.
Mooncup UK – No problems opening up (either size).
MPower - Couldn’t get it to fully open up, in the 2 tests I did.  Not sure why
Yuuki - No problems opening up (tested small size)

With insertion I found MPower and Diva to have more problems opening up. but I only tried them twice (Diva is the small size). So I needed to press against the vaginal wall to allow the cup space to fully open properly (after turning it and “Stirring” failed). Mpower didn’t even open fully with me pressing against the vaginal wall to give it room to open.  I’m not sure why.  Miacup required a little “stirring” to get it to open, but was easier than Diva.  I find the Lunette usually pops open with no problems, but occasionally needs me to push against the vaginal wall also. Lady Cup can have a few issues depending on the position I am in (because it is very flexible, so doesn’t have as much desire to pop open as the stiffer cups). Yuuki popped open without problems. For the original style MeLuna I could’t use the “c-fold” as it opens too quickly for me doing it that way, so I used the “punchdown” instead and it still popped open very quickly (perhaps due to the stiffness and the thicker rim). Which was uncomfortable.  The newer “soft” version I could use the same fold as the other cups, and it opened up normally, like the other cups (not too quickly).

Insertion (Comfort)

This is going by how comfortable the cups felt being inserted. Basically I found the more pronounced ridges to be slightly less comfortable than the smoother ones (obviously a smooth surface is going to feel less noticeable being inserted than a bumpy one). Not “uncomfortable”, more “noticeable”…Basically if there were 2 cups otherwise identical, I’d pick the smoother sided one. But it’s really not a big deal, since inserting the cup is all of a few seconds, but still….

Diva – Pronounced ridge around the top, slightly less comfortable.
Femmecup – Pronounced ridge around the top, slightly less comfortable.
Fleurcup – Smooth outside, more comfortable to insert
Keeper - Couldn’t test
Lady Cup – No ridge, softer silicone folds smaller, most comfortable to insert
Lunette – Less pronounced ridge around the top, more comfortable to insert than ridged cups
MeLuna – No ridge, comfortable to insert
Miacup - Pronounced ridge around the top, slightly less comfortable.
Mooncup - Pronounced ridge around the top, slightly less comfortable.
MPower – Less pronounced ridge around the top, more comfortable to insert than ridged cups
Yuuki – No ridge (only a barely noticeable bump), most comfortable to insert.

With Mooncup and Femmecup I felt the ridge more than Diva – which in my sample has the more pronounced ridge also (I believe the new Divas have a lower profile ridge, almost similar to a Lunette, but I can only go by one picture I have seen of that) So I am judging this based on the cup I personally have. Yuuki, Ladycup, MPower and Fleurcup were most comfortable to insert, with no ridge and the Ladycup and Yukki being most comfortable with the more flexible silicone making it able to fold up better. My Keeper sample couldn’t be folded into a proper shape for insertion due to the hacked out side poking up, so was exceptionally uncomfortable to insert like that, so obviously cannot be scored because I don’t have a proper sample.

Removal(Comfort)

This is going by how comfortable the cups felt being removed. Basically I found the more pronounced ridges to be slightly less comfortable than the smoother ones (obviously a smooth surface is going to feel less noticeable being inserted than a bumpy one).

Basically it’s the same as insertion – the less bumpy cups feel nicer than the bumpier ones. The older style MeLuna, which has a stiffer rim, had 2 points deduced for being most uncomfortable – due to it’s stiffness, but the newer style was easy to remove. I can’t score Keeper because the sample I got was not complete., but being ridged, I imagine it would be the same as Mooncup UK.

My Comparisons and Ratings – Cleaning

This is part of my comparison chart for the menstrual cups I have tried.
See here for the chart and links to the other individual sections explained.

Inside (Cleaning)

This is looking at what markings are on the cups (and their potential to collect blood and make cleaning harder). None of the cups were “hard” to clean, but some were easier than others…. so points given to being easier than other cups.

Diva – has their name in fancy font and they have “made in canada”, plus the size in raised numbers on the flat inside base, and measuring lines in mls and oz.
Femmecup – measuring lines.
Fleurcup - has nothing at all inside
Keeper – has “The keeper made in USA” in raised capitals all around the inside of the rim (I hate the typeface.. looks large chunky and less professional) and the size raised in the flat inside bottom. 2 rings around the inside. Not sure if they are measuring lines or not.
Lady Cup – has nothing at all inside
Lunette - has nothing at all inside
MeLuna – has nothing at all inside
Miacup – has their logo on the inside rim, nothing marked on the flat base inside the cup.
Mooncup UK – has their website in larger letters, their sizing in raised letters on the flat inside bottom and raised dots beside the size (not sure why). It also has the lines on the inside, marked mls on one side and plain lines on the opposite side.
MPower – has nothing at all inside
Yuuki – Has their name and the number “1″ in slightly indented letters on the inside, with raised measuring lines marking 5mls and 10mls.

I found none of the measuring lines collected any blood really… not as much as I’d thought it would. Though it did make it a fraction harder to clean inside (one lazy wipe cleans the smooth inside cups and I had to wipe a bit more carefully to clean the others) – but rinsing with water seemed to clean them with the same amount of ease.

I noticed once that there was dried blood in the writing that hadn’t washed off properly when I’d rinsed it after use (oops). So the potential for blood catchment in the writing/markings is there, so having no markings is better than having the chance to be harder to clean IMHO… so score one point for smooth(er) inside that is easier to clean, half a point to Yuuki & Femmecup because the markings are only very slight.

 

Outside (Cleaning)

This is looking at what markings, ridges and writing is on the outside of cups (and their potential to collect blood and make cleaning harder). I found the more pronounced ridge (where the cup has the “stepped” sides near the top rim) to be slightly more likely to catch blood than the smoother sides.

Diva – Pronounced ridge around the top, slightly harder to clean there. No markings except lines around base for grip.
Femmecup – Pronounced ridge around the top, no markings.
Fleurcup -very raised ridges around bottom of the base for grip. No markings or ridge
Keeper - Pronounced ridge around the top, slightly harder to clean there. No markings.
Lady Cup – No ridge around the top, no writing or markings.  Slightly raised bumps around base for grip
Lunette – Slight ridge around the top, shallow indented writing and raised lines for measuring (wasn’t hard to clean).
MeLuna – No ridge around the top, no writing or markings.
Miacup – Pronounced ridge around the top, no markings.
Mooncup UK – Pronounced ridge around the top, slightly harder to clean there.
MPower -Slight ridge at top, however the silicone on the raised grip ridges is present, which can catch blood.
Yuuki – No ridge around the top, no writing.

Even though the Lunette has the lines and writing on the outside, they are so minimal that they haven’t collected blood for me. So score 0.5 for Lunette (since it’s still easy to clean) and 1 point to the other cups who have smoother outsides that are slightly easier to clean.  Mpower would have received a point for having a smooth outside, but the silicone in the grip ridges along the bottom of the cup is not smooth, so can collect blood.

Cleaning the holes

Diva – Very small holes, angled down.  Took a lot of effort to clean.
Femmecup – Holes cleaned ok
Fleurcup - Holes cleaned easily
Keeper - Holes hard to see given the colour of the cup, so it’s uncertain if they clean well or not.
Lady Cup – Large holes, easy to clean
Lunette – Large holes, easy to clean
MeLuna – Holes cleaned easily
Miacup – Holes cleaned easily, large enough to see into despite opaque cup
Mooncup UK – Holes cleaned easily
MPower -Very large holes, easy to clean
Yuuki – Very small holes – angled up, cleaned easily

The holes of the Diva really bugged me, and I only tried it twice.  They would not rinse clean for me, I had to get a pin and poke them clean. I imagine I would take to it with a heated metal skewer to enlarge them if I bought one and had to use a pin each time…. I tried putting my hand over the cup and squirting water out through them (my usual method) , and it doesn’t work to clear them (where it does for the other cups)….The Yukki holes are not much bigger and also angled, but those cleaned fine.  I don’t know if it’s because of the direction they angle in.

With the Keeper’s brown colour, you can’t see if the holes are dirty though, which is a big turn off for me – given the amount of gunk I’ve seen in the silicone cups holes, if you don’t see it, you might not clean it well enough to remove it…. and not all of us disinfect or boil the cups between uses….Lady Cup and Mpower’s holes were the easiest to clean, being HUGE, they didn’t even need the palm squeeze trick to clean them, they came clean with a rinse under the tap. Miacup’s holes while also opaque like Keeper, are larger so I can see through them, so I’m happy with them.

So I’ll give a 1/2 point each to the cups with easy enough to clean holes, 1 point to easier to clean cups, and minus 0.5 to Diva for its incredibly difficult holes to clean and to Keeper for the fact that while they seem to come clean ok, you can’t see clearly if the holes need cleaning or not….

My Comparisons and Ratings – Visual Appeal

This is part of my comparison chart for the menstrual cups I have tried.
See here for the chart and links to the other individual sections explained.

Visual Appeal

This is somewhat subjective…. everyone has different likes and dislikes… but I figured I’d also rate these things as well..

Diva – Frosted silicone, looks appealing.
Femmecup - Old style was a whiter silicone than the others with a slightly shiny look, which felt a tiny bit more plastic than the other cups.  Newer style is a clearer silicone that is less “plasticky”.  Has a cool spiral on the stem
Fleurcup – Frosted silicone, looks appealing – available in several (pale) colours
Keeper - Brown rubber, does not look appealing.
Lunette – Frosted silicone, looks appealing.  Also includes a limited range of coloured cups, which are very appealing
Lady Cup – Clearer silicone with a slightly shiny look, without markings (plain), doesn’t look as appealing.  However they have coloured cups available which I do find very appealing.
MeLuna – Several coloured versions, and nice deep/vibrant colours, including glitter!! they do not quite have the same look as silicone however
Miacup – Love the purple! It is very different to the other cups, being a solid colour. However the exact colour can vary between cups, so it is not a consistent colouring
Mooncup – Yellowed silicone, doesn’t look as appealing.
MPower - Has a similar “cheap plastic” look and feel to the Femmecup, which isn’t as appealing.  The cup I have also has several faults.
Yuuki – A very clear silicone, but without the shinyness of the Lady Cup and Femmecup. Looks appealing

I used to think the frosted look of the Diva and Lunette looked more attractive than the clear silicone cups… but now I don’t know which I prefer better – frosted or clear…

Femmecup can have 1 point, because visually it’s appealing with its spiral (which is different to all the other cups). Diva can have 1 point because it’s silicone is nice and smooth (where most the other cups have a more “sticky” type feel). Yuuki can have half a point because it’s silicone is a nice clear and doesn’t look quite as plain as the Lady Cup.

Lady Cup, Fleurcup, Lunette and Miacup can get 2 points for bringing out cups in a colour (or colours) that is solely designed to increase it’s visual appeal.  MeLuna gets 3 points for adding not only coloured, but also glittered cups!

MPower loses a point for each of the flaws in the cup I have (being the silicone is falling off the stem; there are rough parts on it around the rim, stem and base of the cup; there is a brown speck embedded in the silicone; and one of the holes has been drilled twice).  Keeper loses half a point for being unappealing in it’s brown colour.

 

Accessories

This is also something that isn’t really related, but in order to be fair to the other cups, I wanted something I could honestly mark some of the other cups well on….and otherwise poor Keeper was a negative score (remembering I can’t score most things for it due to the sample I have)

Diva – Mine came with nothing, but I’ve seen the bags they normally come with -  a pretty bag and pin. Very nice!
Femmecup – Plain bag like Mooncup, but thinner fabric and a bit cheaper looking. Ribbons are in keeping with the colour theme though, and the box/packaging is bright and colourful without being too cheesy. Nice.
Fleurcup – I chose one without a bag, so it came just in a ziplock bag, but I do like the fact that you can chose to have it without the pouch!
Keeper - Mine came with an interesting bag (black satin with lace trim), was pretty… but rather flimsy (though I’ve seen ones online that are better made). Quite nice though..
Lunette - The first pouches they had were very stiff, but the new ones they have are a nice soft satin.  Very nice – also their product packaging is lovely – in a pretty box 
Lady Cup – Coloured cotton bag with co-ordinated ribbon (matches the writing on the bag, or the cup colour itself). Quite nice (some say one of the most attractive bags for the cups)
MeLuna – My first one came without packaging, but with a blue suede-like pouch with printed silvery design, which is nice.  The Soft glitter cup I got came with a purple pouch (something soft suede/jersey like), which is very nice – with a nice double drawstring.
Miacup – Mine came in a lined satin pouch with embroidered logo – very swanky indeed!
Mooncup – Comes in probably the plainest bag, but I do like the more natural look..makes it seem more environmentally friendly. Nice..
MPower - Came with a very stiff denim pouch that has only 1 ribbon drawstring, so it can’t stay closed – the worst of all the pouches I’ve seen.
Yuuki – Mine came without a pouch, not sure if the regular ones you buy include a pouch, but it did come with a sturdy cardboard tube which you could use to store the cup in.

 

Interestingly I’ve seen a few people say they don’t like the Diva pouch , but I personally think that Diva gives a really nice pouch and the pin is a nice touch (based on photos I’ve seen) So it gets 2 points.

Miacup’s pouch is very well made and plush, so it gets 2 points too. Even if the pin and satin bags aren’t your thing, they put the effort in to give you something special.  Lunette gets 2 points because they have the nice satin pouch and lovely boxes.  Fleurcup is given 2 points for allowing a pouchless version for those who don’t care about a pouch and want to save a few dollars.  Ladycup gets 2 points because they have put effort into their pouches so that each coloured cup has a different pouch (usually with matching colour ribbon)

MPower gets minus half a point because I don’t think the pouch is any good at all, since it’s so stiff and has only one drawstring.  I don’t know if Yuuki comes with a pouch or not, but I’ll give it 0.5 because the tube packaging is useful to store the cup in.  

My Comparisons and Ratings

I’ve tried most of the cups, and these are my thoughts to compare them. I tried to be as neutral as possible in my opinions – referencing back to how I find they feel/look/work compared to each other to see which I felt performed better in each category. And this was done not being influenced by the companies themselves (eg I didn’t rate a product higher if I liked the company), just their products.

Cups that are not rated, are not rated because I do not have a cup of that brand in which to perform the testing/comparisons. The companies have been shown this site, and a request for a cup has been made, but I was either refused or my request ignored.

By Ratings
What I’ve done is give points for features I liked, and remove points for ones I did not like. If I had no feelings either way, I gave/took no points. Where I felt a feature was exceptional, I gave more than 1 point. Where I found something detrimental, I removed more than one point. See the chart in the link below.

http://www.clothpads.org/Cups_chart.html

The top scoring cups in my table are (in order):
MeLuna
Fleurcup
Miacup
LadyCup
Lunette

This doesn’t necessarily mean they are the “best” cups… or that I would recommend them in that order. That total is based on adding up the positive attributes of the cups. However I probably would recommend these 5 cups over the others, as I feel their positive attributes make them worthy of more consideration than other brands.

See my detailed rundown in each section I’ve rated:

Stems & Wearing | Insertion & Removal | Cleaning | Visual Appeal

By Personal Preference
Everyone is different, and everyone has different needs and different preferences. So this is just based on what I would recommend to others based on what I personally would choose.

In a perfect world – my most ideal cup would be a Lunette or Fleurcup in the same purple silicone the LadyCup uses. I have always preferred the shape of the Lunette (and Fleurcup is perhaps just a fraction better because it’s more flexible and smoother on the outside), and I love that LadyCup purple. I love the Miacup colour purple too (and it’s flat tab stem. I would always pick a purple cup over other colours, and a purple cup would appeal to me more than a clear one. I admit I am swayed by colour!

Taking colour out of the equation, the next thing I look for is a tab stem. I have found these to be far more comfortable to wear (untrimmed) than the tube stems. My next choice over the tab stems would be Femmecup’s stem, which is a thin “stick” (solid).. and then LadyCup, as their stem was flexible enough not to be bothersome, even though it’s a hollow tube that I don’t especially like.

The other thing I look for is less ridges and markings on the cup – the smoother the cup, I find the nicer it feels. And the larger the air holes, the easier they are to clean. So cups with very small holes, I would avoid.

So… ignoring colours, and my personal feelings about the companies who produce the cups – My Rankings

Choice #1 – Fleurcup
Lunette has been my favourite cup from the beginning because of it’s shape and stem design. Fleurcup brings those same positive features but slightly improves them with a slightly softer silicone, a smoother outside (no ridge) and more pronounced grip lines on the base and stem. While I don’t think the grip is a point to sway me either way, I think it probably has enough slightly better features than Lunette. It also offers more colour options, putting it ahead of Lunette in that respect too. (However on a personal, and not included in this ranking, level – they refused to send me a cup to review, and their website is less professional than other companies – which would influence my decision on buying one).

Choice #2 – Lunette
As I said, Lunette has been my preferred cup due to it’s shape, until I tried the Fleurcup, which I have to admit, I do prefer a *tiny* bit more. However, Lunette still remains the cup I recommend to people (unless they want a specific colour that isn’t available with Lunette), because of other factors (eg I prefer them over Fleurcup as a company). Which I’m not including in the reasoning for my rankings, just the actual cup – which is why it ranks #2 here. Smooth outside, no annoying markings to make cleaning harder, and a tab stem. All the features I like in a cup.

Choice #3 – Miacup
This cup has a lot of positive features I love. (It’s purple) It has a tab stem, offers a money back guarantee, has fantastic customer relations and donates to charity. But it does have the more pronounced ridge that I prefer not to have on the cups, and I believe it is one of the most expensive cups, which drops it to #3.

Choice #4 – MeLuna
I had rated the old-style versions of this cup at about a #6. I think with the new softer silicone I’d put it here. While I do like a tab stem, MeLuna offers different types of stem, and that is a huge positive, which I think earns position #4, even though I personally prefer the Femmecup stem to the stems I’ve tried with MeLuna (older style ball and ring, and newer style stick). As I didn’t like their new stick stem as much (it’s thicker and I could feel it). I haven’t tried the ball or ring stem in their new design however. I have found the outside nice and smooth, and the new material they use is as soft as the silicone cups, so a vast improvement on the very stiff cups they first offered. (Of course the colour options, including glittered, which I’m not ranking on, would increase it’s appeal greatly )

Choice #4 – Femmecup
With the newly designed Femmecup, I think I would rank it here. The solid stick stem I find to be a more appealing option than the hollow tube stems, and the new cup has a nicer feeling silicone than the old one. Still with the pretty spiral on the stem, the silicone of this cup is much nicer to that of something like the Mooncup UK, which is yellowish.

Choice #5 – Lady Cup
Lady Cup is very easy to clean, easy to insert/remove and a stem that I found comfortable enough to wear untrimmed. However it does have a tube stem (which I don’t like as much as solid stems) – although it is bar far the most comfortable of all the tube stems.  I also found the softer silicone *ever so slightly* harder to get to open up. (However if I was considering colour, then the coloured cups would put Ladycup above a clear Femmecup…. and if we’re considering colour, the purple Ladycups are my preferred purples, so they rank very highly to be based on my love of purple )

Choice #6 – Yuuki
I did like the one I tested, however I have heard that they have replaced the solid stick stem with a hollow tube and have made the silicone firmer. Which in my opinion are both negative changes, which would lessen my recommendations of this brand. The new version may rank lower, but I have not tested it, so this is based on the one I have.  There is nothing wrong with this cup, but other cups have features that I feel rank them higher than this cup.

Choice #7 – Moon Cup (USA)
Although I didn’t try it, if it’s basically the same as the Keeper and Mooncup UK (eg the same shape/size), then I’d prefer it over the Diva and Mooncup UK (because I’d prefer clear to yellowish). The main problems I have with the Keeper are it’s colour, the fact it’s latex and the fact you can’t see the holes, which the silicone cup would solve. Since I’ve never seen one in person though, nor tried one, I don’t know if I can rate it any higher. And of course this is not including my personal feelings about the company (Their use of the “Mooncup” name) – as if it did, I would rank this lower.

Choice #8 – Mooncup (UK)
The Mooncup is marginally less attractive because of the yellowed silicone. yes, I am that picky. I can’t help it. I also found the stem to be more irritating than the other forms of stem. Based on the stem, I would choose other (softer stemmed) cups before this cup.  I also prefer the outside of the cup to have a flatter ridge.

Choice #9 – Diva
The holes are why I rank this cup lower than the others… they annoyed me… *a lot*.. Plus it’s longer length poked me more despite the short stem, and I like the longer stems to grip. I have heard that they brought out a new design with less ridge and larger holes, but I have not tested this myself, so I am not sure.

Choice #10 – Keeper
The fact you can’t see the holes, it’s brown and in my opinion unattractive …and that it’s latex mean I’d choose most other cups before this. But, I would still chose it over a tampon (unless I had a latex allergy)… so it isn’t all bad, it’s just that compared to the others, it wouldn’t be high in my list of choices. The latex does have the advantage that is is the most natural of the cups however, which I’m sure will be important to some women. I would choose the silicone “Moon Cup USA” over the keeper if I had to choose between the two, because of the brown colour and latex issues.

Choice #11 – MPower
Going purely by the one example I have – I would not recommend this brand to anyone. It will always be the very last in the list to recommend. It’s better than a tampon, sure, but I would choose *all* the other cups before this brand. (and that’s not taking into account the fact that there are disputes about whether the MPower was copied off the Lunette cup). The MPower cup I have is of such poor quality that I do not hold much faith in the quality of the brand. It’s completely unacceptable quality, and I find it worrying that my one cup has so many faults (one or two you can pass off as being an inevitable flaw in manufacture, but not so many and of the type they are) – It was given to me by a reseller – from normal stock, that would have gone out to other customers. My MPower, straight from the box, had:

• 2 splits coming down from the holes, one fairly deep – This could have been caused by the cup being squashed in transit, however all of my cups have been though transit and none of them have been affected (with the exception of the Keeper having a slight oval shape rather than round, I presumed from being squished in the mail)
• 1 hole has been partway drilled through then the hole shifts over about 1mm and then continues through
• A brown speck is embedded in the silicone
• Rough silicone around the rim, end of stem and in the outside base of the cup – basically looking like overflow from the moulding process, and I have heard other cups are “sandblasted” – presumably to remove this sort of stuff
• The ridges on the tab stem are not attached properly – most are able to be lifted up as if they were an elastic band placed around the stem and only stuck on at a few points. One ridge has already broken and is hanging on only by a small point of attachment on the side.

Cup Tips and Help

It can be a bit daunting using a cup the first few times. If you aren’t familiar or comfortable with your body, it might be helpful to get yourself acquainted first. Don’t be shy! The following are some tips and advice collected from other cup users.

Cleaning

* To clean the airholes, fill the cup with water, place your palm on top, turn this upside down so your palm is over the cup and squeeze the cup – this should force the water out through the holes.
* Make sure the rim full pops out (You can feel this if you run a finger around the cup once inside).
* Squatting is a recommended position for insertion/removal.
* Don’t let it get overfull, as emptying could then be messier.
* Carry a moistened face cloth or a bottle of water with you if you need to empty the cup while out.
* A kegel as you remove the cup can help.

Using

* Trim your fingernails before using the cup.
* You may need to trim the stick (But try with it uncut, and don’t cut it all off in case you have to return it – as some manufacturers won’t take it back if the stem is cut off)
* Remove the cup slowly, and make sure you have broken the seal, don’t just yank it out.
* Let the cup open as soon as the rim is in, then push it up further if you need to, or do a few kegels to move it further up.
* Turning the cup can help it get fully open and create a seal.
* If you are having difficulty, try a different fold.
* If you can feel it, or its uncomfortable its probably in the wrong spot.

Other

* It doesn’t go in as far as a tampon, it should sit just inside the vagina.
* If it gets “lost” don’t panic. Relax and do some kegels (pelvic floor exercises) to push it back out.
* Emptying it in the shower (while showering) means you don’t need to worry about spills.
* When emptying the cup into the toilet, flush straight away (or put toilet paper in the bowl first) or the blood will sink to the bottom and hard to flush out.
* Don’t be alarmed if the contents of the cup isn’t all liquid blood – menstrual flow is blood and tissue.
Because they don’t absorb like tampons do, you can have a “dry run” to test it out before your period so that you are comfortable using it before you need to. Although until you are bleeding you won’t know if it is working properly, it is helpful for learning insertion and removal and getting to know your body.

Money back guarantee

Some of the cup manufacturers will give a refund on the purchase price if you return it within a certain time. Some will only offer an exchange for the other size, and some do not have any returns policy at all (which isn’t to say they won’t accept exchanges, but there is no official policy)

Divacup – Did have a 12 month money back guarantee, which has now been revoked, although some individual retailers are still accepting returns.
Femmecup – N/A
Keeper - 3 months
Lady Cup – Will exchange for different size
Lunette – N/A
Miacup – 6 months
Mooncup (UK) – N/A (did have 3 months, but appears to not be the case any more)
Mooncup (USA) – 3 months

Care & Cleaning

None should come into contact with oil/petroleum (including lubricants – use waterbased only), I believe the Keeper can’t be boiled as it is rubber but the others can. Vinegar should not be used on the keeper as it can effect the rubber (although http://www.mykeepercup.com/usage.html website says it can). If you use soap or steralising solutions, make sure you rinse them well so none of that is going into your vagina!

Some women choose to clean with a fragrance free natural soap only, some prefer to boil for 10 minutes (make sure the pan has plenty of water and doesn’t boil dry or it will damage the cup), some soak in a solution of hydrogen peroxide. Please follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning the cup.

Measurements

The measurements for the cups

Smaller Sizes:
Divacup – 4.1cm wide 5.7cm long (7cm including stem)
Femmecup – N/A
Keeper - 4.4cm wide?, 5.4cm long (7.9cm including stem)
Lady Cup – 4cm wide, 4.6cm long (6.5cm including stem)
Lunette – 4.1cm wide, 4.7cm Long, (7.2cm including stem)
Mooncup (UK) – 4.3cm wide, 5cm long (7.5cm including stem)
Mooncup (USA) – Suspect same as Keeper

Larger Sizes:
Divacup - 4.5cm wide, 5.7cm long (7mm including stem)
Femmecup – 4.5cm wide, 5cm long to base of cup. (7.3cm including stem)
Keeper – 4.6cm wide, 5.4cm long (7.9cm including stem)
Lady Cup – 4.6cm wide, 5.3cm long (6.6cm including stem)
Lunette - 4.6cm wide, 5.2cm long (7.2cm including stem)
Mooncup (UK) – 4.6cm wide, 5cm long (7.5cm including stem)
Mooncup (USA) – Suspect same as Keeper

Capacity

I’ve filled the cups with water to test them out – filling to just touching the bottom of the airholes, and level with the top of the rim. I couldn’t test this accurately with the Keeper as the sample I have has a HUGE hole in it, but I covered it with plastic wrap and tried my best.

Size 1 Diva – 20ml to airholes, 29mls to the rim
Size B Mooncup – 12mls to airholes, 25mls to the rim
Size A Mooncup – 14mls to airholes, 28mls to the rim
Size 2 Lunette – 26mls to the airholes, 34mls to rim.
Size B Keeper – 12mls to the airholes, 20mls to rim?

The Kukuppi site gives slightly different measurements for Diva, Lunette & Mooncup:

Size 1 Diva – 20ml
Size 2 Diva – 25ml
Size B Mooncup – 13mls
Size A Mooncup – 15mls
Size 2 Lunette – 20mls
Size 2 Lunette – 24mls

Measuring the accuracy of the measuring lines.
Most of the cups have measuring lines on the side. Out of curiosity I tried pouring water in to see if they were correct according to my measuring devices (a medicine cup and an eyedropper with ml markings). Interestingly… my measuring cups and dropper give a different result to the lines…… I checked my measuring cups against eachother (and a second medicine cup of a different variety), and they appear to be correct (as much as I can tell with 1ml increments). The Femmecup, Diva and Lunette measurements were done on the same day with the same measuring cups/dropper. The Mooncup measurements were done on a different day but with the same measuring cups/dropper. These are approximates only, as my measuring implements are rather less than precise.

Mooncup B has a 12ml mark that my measuring cups said was at 10mls.
Mooncup A has a 15ml mark that my measuring cups said was at 12mls.
Femmecup has a 15ml mark, which my measuring cups said was at 12mls

Lunette’s lines are unmarked, but the top mark is believed to be 15mls, but was 17mls by my measure.
Diva’s 15ml mark was 15mls by my measuring cups.

While the Lunette, Diva and Mooncup samples have a hole punched in them – this hole is higher than the measuring lines, so cannot have any impact on the results. I was also of course careful not to squeeze the cups too firmly when holding them, so as not to reduce their volume. I do not know why the results vary… particularly since the 3 cups measured on the one day, Femmecup, Diva and Lunette have both a matching, higher and lower result. Most of these I tested in both a dry state and with still a few drops of water in from a previous test (which didn’t appear to change the results)

Now I will state here that I’m not a trained measurer or anything and while I’ve tried to check my measuring implements against each other, and tried to hold the cups exactly level and get the volumes as accurate as possible, I don’t believe my results to be completely accurate… with my measuring cups only marking full mls (and me being too lazy to do it with the eyedropper that does 1/4mls)…. and the fact that when measuring water it’s sometimes difficult to get exactly accurate measurements if you want to be more precise than down to 1ml………. so it’s likely that these results are up to 1ml off…. I expect its more likely to be around 1/2ml off… but I’m willing to accept it being a full ml difference. So for example, while I have said that Femmecup was 12mls, it could easily be 11mls or 13mls. I would find it hard to believe however that my measurements could be 2-3mls off though… that’s actually a fair amount of liquid…… and the Diva measurement matched the markings the first time I checked it (and as with all the measurements, I did check more than once), and I measured it at the same time I measured Femmecup and Lunette – which have different results. But I find it unlikely that all the menstrual cups would have markings at incorrect levels…. or why 3 measuring devices I have, all different brands and shapes, would be all inaccurate to the same level (eg that 2 medicine cups and an eyedropper all actually hold 2mls of water when their measuring lines say 1ml) So I have no idea why the measurement lines don’t match my findings….

Composition

The Keeper is made from latex rubber (Rubber being natural, but an allergen for some), so is not suitable for those with an allergy to latex, or who think they may develop one.

The other cups are made from medical grade silicone, which isn’t the same as that used in breast implants – it is the same as used in medical equipment (such as tubing and in replacement joints), baby bottle teats, dummy/pacifier teats etc. and is reportedly safe for prolonged use.

Colour
The silicone cups can discolour with use (going a yellowish colour). Hydrogen peroxide apparently helps bring it back to the original colour. Most of the cups are a clear, slightly white translucent (see through), but a few are coloured.

Diva – Translucent white/clear silicone.
Femmecup – Translucent white/clear silicone. “Whitest” of the cups.
Keeper - Brown completely opaque (not-see-thru) rubber. Unlikely to discolour.
Lady Cup – Translucent white/clear silicone. Most “clear” of the cups. Also comes in a pink tinged version called “Pink Cup”.
Lunette – Translucent white/clear silicone. Most “Frosted” (less see-thru) of the cups.
Miacup – Pinkish-purple completely opaque (not-see-thru) silicone. Unlikely to discolour.
Mooncup (UK) – Translucent yellow/clear silicone. Has a yellow tinge.
Mooncup (USA) – Translucent white/clear silicone.

Feel & Flexibility
The rubber Keeper is slightly stiffer than the silicone cups. Lady Cup is the softest/most flexible of the Cups. The internal base of the Lady Cup and Lunette comes to a point on the inside while other cups have a flat inside base, so the pointed base is more flexible there – allowing it to be folded a little more at the base.

Stems

So far the cups come in 2 styles. A flat “tab” style solid stem, and a hollow tube. The tab stem is more flexible than the hollow tube kind. The stems can all be shortened if they are too long, and some women completely remove them. They are there to make removal easier but are not required, some women do prefer to use the stem to pull the cup down to a point where they can reach more easily, so like to leave some stem intact, others use the base of the cup to grip and do not need or like a stem.

Diva - Shortest stem, hollow tube.
Femmecup – Hollow tube
Keeper - Longest stem, hollow tube
Lady Cup – Hollow tube
Lunette – Flat tab
Miacup – Flat tab
Mooncup (UK) – Hollow tube
Mooncup (USA) – Hollow tube

Writing & Markings

Some women find markings make cleaning harder as blood can collect in the writing and is hard to clean out. Some of the markings on a cup give measuring details so that you can calculate the amount of your flow.

Diva – Brand name and “made in Canada” printed in raised letters inside the cup, also raised measuring lines in both mls and oz inside. Outside is smooth except for lines for gripping the bottom of the cup.

Femmecup – “www.femmecup.com” on inside of rim in raised letters. 2 measuring lines inside marking 15mls and 7.5mls. Flat bottom inside with no size marking. Outside the cup has a spiral starting at the base (forming ridges for gripping), that continue down the stem.

Keeper - Brand name and “made in USA” printed in raised letters inside the cup, also raised (measuring ?) lines around the inside of the cup. No markings outside the cup. No ridges for gripping on base of the cup.

Lady Cup – No writing or measuring lines at all, completely smooth inside and out, except small slightly raised bumps around the base of the cup on the outside for gripping the bottom of the cup.

Lunette – Brand name in shallow indented letters on the outside of the cup and 2 measuring lines (unmarked) on the outside. No markings on the inside at all. Raised lines on the bottom of the cup for gripping.

Mooncup (UK) – Website address and measuring lines in raised letters on the inside of the cup. No markings on the outside of the cup except for the raised lines for gripping on the base of the cup.

Mooncup (USA) – Brand name and “made in USA” printed in raised letters inside the cup – unknown other markings.

Measuring your flow

Some of the cups have measuring lines on the cup to help you measure your flow.

Diva – 2 lines with markings in mls on one side of the cup and 2 lines with markings in Oz on the other side. Both inside the cup.

Femmecup – 2 lines on one side of the cup, marked 7.5mls and 15mls

Keeper – Has 2 lines running around the entire inside of the cup which could be measuring lines.

Lady Cup – No measuring lines

Lunette – 2 very slightly raised lines on the outside of the cup. No marking

Mooncup (UK) – 2 lines with no markings on one side of the cup and 2 lines with markings in mls on the other. Both inside the cup. When I measured this, the markings were not the same as the amount of water I’d tested it with. Not sure why.

Mooncup (USA) – Unknown, suspect the same as Keeper.

Popularity

The Diva Cup seems most popular as it is more commonly discussed on the web and had 12 month return policy so you could return it if it just didn’t work for you – making it a very popular choice. (There is no trial period for Diva any more) However the fact that it is most often discussed is probably due to the fact that most discussion forums are US based where it is found easily. It also tends to be the cheapest, as many stores offer promotions and specials on it from time to time. So people naturally tend to choose the cheapest and most talked about cup. The newer cups tend to be least popular, probably because they are less talked about. But choosing which cup to buy based on price and what others talk about may not necessarily give you the best cup for you.

Moon Cup (USA)

http://www.keeper.com
Country of origin: USA
Lifespan:
Composition: Medical Grade Silicone
Sizes: A & B (A = After childbirth, B = Before childbirth)
Dimensions: (assumed same as Keeper) Size B = 4.5cm wide, 5.4cm long and 2.5cm stem, Size A – Keeper – 4.6cm wide, 5.4cm long (7.9cm including stem) ?
Capacity:
Stem: Hollow tube
Measuring Lines: No
Cost (RRP): Approx US$35 [Currency Converter]
Guarantee: 3 months
Been around since: Company since 1987, this product since (July?) 2006
Other Details: Named the same as (already established) UK Mooncup.

Purchase from: (lots of places)

Google Search
Keeper.com
The Keeper Shop
MyKeeperCup
Menses.co.uk
http://www.keeper.com.au

Mooncup (UK)

http://www.mooncup.co.uk
Country of origin: UK
Lifespan:
Composition: Medical Grade Silicone
Sizes: A & B (A = After childbirth, B = Before childbirth)
Dimensions: B = 5cm length, 4.3cm width. A = 4.6cm width. 2cm long stem.
Capacity: Size B = 13mls (to under airholes), Size A = 15mls (to airholes)
Stem: Hollow tube
Measuring Lines: Yes (inside), Cup B marks 6mls and 12mls, and Cup A 7.5mls and 15mls
Cost (RRP): GBP$18.99 (including International postage at official site)[Currency Converter]
Guarantee: No (though used to have 3 month, and may accept exchanges in certain case by case situations)
Been around since: 2000
Other Details: Registered with the Vegan Society (Vegan approved). “Original Mooncup” (first cup to be given that name). Pay attention to the look of the product and packaging when buying from online stores to make sure you are buying the Mooncup you intend to (as there is another brand of cup using this name).

Purchase from: (several places)
Mooncup
Boots.com
Google Search