1,323
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #6,225 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★★
Does the job but IMPOSSIBLE to remove!
Every gal I know who uses menstrual cups loves them. After hearing about it for the umpteenth time, I decided it was time to order one of my own. Saalt comes nicely packaged, with instructions for use and sterilization and a little bag to keep it in. Insertion wasn't horribly difficult. It took a few twists to get it to open, and I leaked a small amount the first hour, but then it was all good. I have very heavy periods, and I had it in for eight hours with no leaks! Color me impressed!
After the 8 hours, I get home and go to remove it. It's up there. WAY up there, I can barely feel it. The instructions say not to pull the tab, so I set about trying to pinch the damn cup to get it to un-suction and release. After about ten desperate minutes I'm able to twist it out - no mess, full cup - I dumped, cleaned and replaced. Not so bad, I think, I can do this!
I go to a work event, and come back two hours later and try to remove it again. I thought it was up there before, but now it's almost gone. The Saalt cup is latched to my cervix like a starved leech. Try as I might, I cannot get it to come out. I can BARELY reach the cup with my fingers. I pull on the string, no bueno. At this point I'm starting to worry I'll have to go to the ER for the humiliating task of removal.
So I call my fiance upstairs and tell him I have a very unfortunate task I need his assistance with. Now we're BOTH trying our damnedest to remove this thing. No luck. He's close to tears. I'm close to tears. The dog is standing nervously in the doorway, unsure how to help. Finally, in a fit of part rage, part distress, I grab the tab and I pull as hard as I can. It feels like it's pulling my entire uterus with it. Right as I'm about to give up hope - POP - it un-suctions and flies out, dropping what can only be described as a bomb of blood all over my bathtub. My fiance almost fell in his hasty retreat from the bathroom. It's been four days, and he still won't look me in the eye.
It does what it's supposed to, but at what cost? I'll be experimenting next with the ones that have a hoop for "easy removal."
TL;DR - you won't leak for hours, but you'll need the strength of the Hulk or digits like Salad Fingers to remove it. It's also worth mentioning I felt like it, for lack of a better word, "clogged" me up after it got full - maybe my fault for not dumping it throughout the day.
EDIT: after a year of use and experimenting with other cups (frankly, this is the only one that does not regularly have leakage), I'm adding the final star. As many others have said, using this cup takes practice. Insertion and removal are both fairly easy (I do sometimes have to fish around, but nothing like before). If you're looking at other cups, just take it from me... this is the best you're gonna get.
January 2020 · Health and Household · verified purchase