Menstrual Health & Hygiene

Reading Time: 3 minutesOuch! UTIs can cause such discomfort that no one can forget. They’re common, annoying and they can be hard to kill. Many of us have been there. An estimated 1 in 3 adults experiences UTI annually, while the rest will experience UTI at least once in their lifetime. WHAT IS UTI? A Urinary Tract Infection (also called a “UTI”) can be any infection that occurs along the urinary tract. It happens when bacteria get into the urinary system and overgrow. It results in redness, pain, and swelling in the urinary tract. You can sense burning pain while peeing.  In order to avoid UTIs, one must take proper care of vaginal hygiene. Among all menstrual products, menstrual cups are considered the safest option. The risks of getting an infection are minimal and mostly they’re all preventable. SYMPTOMS OF UTI MENSTRUALl CUPS AND FEMALE ANATOMY Menstrual Cups are a growing in-demand choice for environmentally conscious period care. They seem to be very different from those who have only used traditional period products. The Vagina and Female Urinary system are very closely related but are entirely separate. A menstrual cup in the vagina cannot interfere with urination, but the front wall of the vagina is intimately associated with the bladder. Therefore, a poorly or wrong-sized placed menstrual cup can result in bladder pressure symptoms. Try reinserting the cup a little higher or try a smaller size if you experience this.Getting familiar with your anatomy and feeling comfortable inserting the cup is key. After inserting the cup if you aren’t confident that you have it fully sealed, try again. With practice, you will gain confidence and feel like an expert in no time. CAN A MENSTRUAL CUP CAUSE UTI? No, a menstrual cup does not cause UTI. If it happens, it’s probably because it hasn’t been inserted properly or the hands were unclean while inserting. It is essential that you sterilize the cup before and after use. If the menstrual cup is not sterilized it can cause UTI. So you must boil the cup for 3-5 minutes, before using it and repeat the same after your periods are over. You must take utmost care of your lower part as well as the cup, to avoid not only UTI but any other disease. You must avoid using a Menstrual Cup if you are allergic to Silicone/TPE. DOES IMASAFE RECOMMEND USING A MENSTRUAL CUP DURING UTI? UTIs are very common. But no, it is not advisable to use a Menstrual Cup during UTI. But once you have tackled the infection, you can use the Menstrual Cup with proper guidelines.If you have recurrent UTIs, we advise you to head straight to your doctor and consult him on using a menstrual cup.

Reading Time: 2 minutesA menstrual cup is a small, foldable, reusable device made from silicone, rubber, or plastic that collects, rather than absorbs, the menstrual blood when inserted into the vagina. Since you can rinse it out and use it throughout your cycle and for years to come, a menstrual cup is an environmentally-friendly, healthy, and more comfortable alternative to pads and tampons. WHAT EXACTLY IS IMASAFE® REUSABLE MENSTRUAL CUP? Imasafe® Menstrual Cup is a 100% medical-grade liquid silicone menstrual cup, developed by Ami Polymer Pvt. Ltd. – a leading manufacturer and supplier of silicone-based products. The reason for using silicone is due to its softness and biocompatibility. Biocompatible means that it is safe to put into the human body. To demonstrate the company’s commitment to quality, Imasafe® Menstrual cup is manufactured in a Cleanroom ISO Class VII facility and confirms all international standards and certifications. You can wear Imasafe® menstrual cup for 8 consecutive hours before having to clean it or reinsert it. WHICH MENSTRUAL CUP SIZE IS RIGHT FOR YOU? Imasafe® Menstrual Cup comes in 3 unique sizes: Small, which is recommended for first-time users with normal flow and who haven’t given birth. It can hold up to 15 ml of blood. Medium, which is recommended for women who have normal flow and haven’t given birth. It can hold up to 25ml of blood. Large, which is recommended for women who have a heavy flow and have given birth vaginally. It can hold up to 30 ml of blood. HOW TO USE IMASAFE® REUSABLE MENSTRUAL CUPS? To figure out which cup will be the best fit, consider the following: Inserting an Imasafe® Menstrual Cup The very first thing to remember while inserting a menstrual cup is to relax, as tension can tighten the pelvic floor muscles. Follow the steps to insert a cup: Step 1: Wash your hands properly and sterilize the cup in warm water. Step 2: Fold the cup by punching down the opening of the cup. Step 3: Sit in a relaxed squatting position. Step 4: Insert the folded menstrual cup and once the entire cup is inside of you, remove your fingers and let it open up with a pop sound. Removing an Imasafe® Menstrual Cup Imasafe® Menstrual cup can be worn for 8-10 hours depending on the flow you have. Flow the steps to remove the cup: Step 1: Wash your hands and gently pull on the stem till you reach the cup. Step 2: Pinch the base of the cup to release the seal and pull down to remove it. Step 3: Empty the cup and wash it with warm water. Step 4: Repeat the process. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF USING IMASAFE® MENSTRUAL CUPS?

Reading Time: 3 minutesThe female body is beautifully complex. Inside this beautiful body, there is a thin tissue located at the opening of the vagina known as a hymen. Everybody is different and so is the tissue. Some bodies have extremely small tissues that it seems like they do not even have a hymen. These tissues can break or stretch even if some minor physical activities are performed like horse riding, swimming, stretching, and gyming, or even while performing yoga. And in some cases, the hymen remains unaffected even after having sexual intercourse. As mentioned above, this concept has a couple of flaws, and so does the idea of “breaking your hymen”. Time to clear up a couple of misconceptions about the hymen:  THE HYMEN DOES NOT SEAL THE VAGINA It’s important to highlight that it only partially covers the vagina because when the woman starts menstruating, the menstrual fluid passes through the vagina. It’s one of the biggest misconceptions that the hymen fully “seal” the opening of the vagina. But if that was the case, then “virgins” couldn’t menstruate, right?  EVERY WOMEN’S VAGINA AND HYMEN ARE DIFFERENT The hymen can look very different from person to person. The membrane can have many different shapes, some cover more of the opening of the vagina than others. Some are born with a small hymen (meaning it doesn’t cover as much of the vagina), and some are even born without a hymen also.  THE HYMEN DOES NOT HAVE TO BE BROKEN As mentioned above, the hymen is a membrane that partially covers the vagina. It does not have to be popped, ripped, or poked. It’s pretty elastic type and if your body feels ready to have sex, the penis should simply be able to slide past the hymen, stretching it, but not ripping it.  The same thing goes when you insert your period product. When you’re careful enough, you will simply be able to push it past your membrane. The most common understanding of “being a virgin” is an intact hymen. That’s why many menstrual cup first-time users are always afraid that introducing an internal period product can break their hymen, which is often understood as “losing virginity”. This myth persists even today, but research has found that the hymen is actually just made up of thin folds of tissue that typically wear away naturally as we go through adolescence. By the time you begin menstruating your hymen generally has holes already, and in many cases is almost gone (as shown in the image). This means that using a cup should have very little effect on your hymen, and in most cases, shouldn’t affect you at all. Using a menstrual cup can interfere with the hymen, as can a tampon. The hymen can also “break” from doing yoga, dancing, riding a bike, etc. simply living a normal life. If your hymen was stretched or ripped (it only rips when not being gentle), because of anything else than having sex, it does not mean you have lost your virginity in the most common understanding of the concept of virginity.The type of menstrual product that a person uses shouldn’t be dependent on their status of virginity or their age, but rather on their needs. For example, if you have a heavy flow and a high cervix, that’s an important consideration in choosing your menstrual product. The Imasafe® Large cup can hold three times of what a super tampon or a pad can hold. So if you have a very heavy period, you should be able to use the product that is most convenient for you. Posted By Rutuja Sonawane & Chanchal Jangid