Menstrual cup Lila from Eromantica

Text and photo: Tanya Asharina

Russian version

I've been familiar with menstrual cups for 3 years. Although at first I was distrustful of this unusual and new item of personal hygiene, my curiosity overtook me. Is it not for nothing that so many odes of praise are dedicated to the cups? Now I can hardly imagine my life without this miracle. For the review, I had Lila from Eromantica. I am ready to talk in detail about my experience and why I became a fan of cups.

So, I got the size L, which made me a little alarmed, because I always used S. It is quite difficult for many girls to determine how to sel ect the correct volume of the bowl. Some manufacturers advise primarily focusing on the amount of blood lost. Others recommend large size for those who have given birth and girls over 35. Here you need to understand that the criteria for choosing the size that each manufacturer offers are only recommendations and do not give 100% of the result. The same applies to the form itself. If a girl has a curved or short cervix then there are also some nuances about which manufacturers are willing to inform. In general, if you are a beginner, then I highly recommend to ask the manufacturer’s support group for advice on choosing a cup.

Lila comes in a small cardboard box, the cup itself is packed in a bag. Honestly, it's a bit of a pity that there is no bag included, so you will have to come up with a way of storage yourself. The classic dome shape is complemented by a ponytail for easy removal. Very often I read reviews that girls cut it off, as it creates inconvenience when walking. However, in this model, it is already quite short and soft, so I never had such problems.

The manufacturer advises placing the bowl inside, folding it in half. This method is inconvenient for me due to the fact that the bowl was too big for me, but more on that later. I fold it, bending the corner inward. Both methods can be seen in the photo. What was pleasantly pleasing: the bowl immediately formed a vacuum inside! You quickly learn to capture this moment, relying on physical sensations. But if this is not obvious, then you can draw the phalanx of the finger around the circumference. If the bowl has not fully opened, then you can easily feel the fold. To fix this, you need to pull a little on the tail. Small holes in the bowl allow it to open more easily, but at the same time do not allow it to lock in too tightly, making it easier to later remove.

You should walk with the cup for no more than 12 hours. In my case, in the first days, I took it out about every 3 hours, since my periods are quite heavy. And this is given that the cup has a fairly large volume! My last one was much smaller, so I had to remove it approximately every 1.5-2 hours.

For the entire time of use (I have 7 days of menstruation), I did not observe leaks and did not feel the slightest discomfort. I became even more convinced that the bowls remain a priority for me. Pads and tampons do not suit me because of the abundance of menstruation, and I just do not feel the proper level of comfort with them. For maximum confidence, I still always insure myself with pads, but this is much better than my past years of experience with ultra-night pads. In addition, due to my paranoia, I sometimes had to use 2 pieces at once at the same time. Starting from menarche (first menstruation), I stopped going outside in the first 3 days of the cycle. Constant leaks and the associated fear greatly undermined my psychological state. I can remember at least 10 times when I had to wrap myself in a jacket to run home and change. With the appearance of the bowl, any fear of going out into the street disappeared altogether. I no longer give up walking with friends and do not reschedule important things to another day of the week because of fears.

In general, my 7 days with Lila passed in unprecedented comfort, which made me happy. But it turned out that removing the bowl is much more difficult than installing it. 3 factors played here: material, ponytail and my manicure. According to the instructions, you should gently press on the bottom to get rid of the vacuum. There were already certain problems with this, since with my long nails I constantly hit myself on the mucous membrane, which was extremely unpleasant. But here the question, of course, is not for the manufacturer. Just take this into account if you prefer long nails.

So, we got rid of the vacuum. Pull the tail, you say? And here, too, the trick failed! First, as I said above, it is rather short. And personally, it was difficult for me to hook him. And the second factor is its form. In my last bowl, the ponytail was flat, but here it was cylindrical. And to catch him was beyond my ability. This whole battle ended with a score of 1: 0 in favor of the ponytail. I had to take out the bowl by pulling it out by the lower part of the dome. And, of course, again my nails became a problem.

Well, okay, I grabbed, there is no vacuum, now everything will be easier than ever. Aha, no matter how it is! When removed, the hard rim of the bowl began to rest against the walls of the vagina. I can't say that it was painful, but it was clearly not pleasant. My last cup was much softer, but, in fairness, it opened with much greater effort. The hard material helps to create a vacuum faster, but it caused additional difficulties in my case when extracting. According to my personal feelings, the bowl is just too big for me. The previous one was in size S (though from another manufacturer), the current one - L. Most likely, M would be the perfect solution for me.

Despite all the disadvantages, I still rate my experience as positive! It took me 4 cycles to make friends with the previous cup. And I remember that there were problems with it. I think I can adapt to Lila fr om Eromantica. In general, all the bowls are about patience. Many people give up everything after a couple of days, without understanding how everything should be revealed and extracted. Also, leaks are often inevitable in the early days. And that doesn't always mean the cups aren't right for you. Sometimes it helps just to change the method of oral administration, which I also encountered personally. Therefore, I really recommend all doubters to personally try to get to know the bowls and give them a chance!

The bowl is provided for testing by the Eromantica brand with the assistance of sexshopers.ru.