Over the winter holidays, I found myself bearing down in my shower, twisting my body into ungodly positions to try to dislodge a menstrual disc and remove it. A horrifying thought came to mind after a few minutes: What if it’s stuck?
I’ve gone to the ER for sillier things, and avoided it for worse, but I definitely did not want to put further strain on my local hospital during a pandemic for this. After a few more perilous minutes of contorting myself, I was relieved to be able to fish it out and rinse the disc clean under the faucet.
The whole scene wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned when I set out to switch to a new method of period protection. As a longtime tampon user, I wanted to move to an internal period product over an external one like reusable pads, but I was worried about the small chance a cup’s suction could interfere with my IUD.
What’s a menstrual disc, anyway?
Menstrual discs, which are tucked between the space behind your cervix (the vaginal fornix) and your pubic bone, seemed like the perfect solution. A disc is worn internally and only needs to be dumped out every 12 hours, but the disc is held in place by your body’s anatomy rather than a seal like it would with a menstrual cup.
“Discs [are less paranoia-inducing than a cup], I would say, because there is no suction,” said Kim Rosas, founder of period education site Period Nirvana. “When you remove them, you don’t have to think, OK, is the suction going to interfere with my IUD?”
This peace of mind was enough to pique my interest alone, but discs advertise other benefits, too: A user is able to have penetrative sex while wearing them and they’re said by many to be more comfortable than tampons. So I set out to try four of them: Flex and Softdisc, both disposable disc brands; Ziggy, a reusable disc made by Intimina; and Nixit, a reusable disc recommended to me by Rosas. Disposable discs are made out of a thin plastic film and a firm plastic rim and cost about $1.50 per disc, whereas reusable discs are made with silicone and cost about $40 for a one-time purchase.
At first glance, menstrual discs are a little intimidating. Unlike a cup, which is typically bell-shaped and somewhat cute, discs are shallow and wide. To insert a disc, you squeeze the sides together so it looks kind of like a hot dog and insert the disc into the vaginal canal. If you’ve ever inserted a tampon without an applicator, inserting a disc should feel pretty similar: You can use your finger to push it up until the back of the disc is behind your cervix. Then you simply tilt the front of the disc up to set it in place behind your pubic bone.
Image: courtesy Softdisc
The reusable discs
The first disc I tried was the reusable Intimina Ziggy, which I was able to insert easily on my first try. The Ziggy is asymmetrical with a designated front and back side, but it’s pretty easy to make sure it’s in the right orientation. Once it was inserted, I could barely feel it at all, even as I was moving throughout the day. The other reusable disc I tried, Nixit, was also super comfortable: its design is symmetrical and uses softer silicone than the Ziggy. Both are marketed as flat-laying cups rather than discs, but are nearly identical in shape and usage to disposable menstrual discs; we’re referring to them as discs because they perform as such.
Image: courtesy ziggy by intimina
Both of these discs came with carrying cases so you can always have them on hand. The Nixit case was a fun cloth drawstring bag, while the Ziggy was encased in a silicone case that doesn’t close all the way, to allow air flow. The Ziggy in its case takes up a bit less space, but I’d probably use the Nixit bag for everyday, since it can cinch closed and keep any debris out while bouncing around in a purse.
The disposable discs
The disposable discs I tried from Flex and Softdisc were also comfortable to wear, but they were definitely more noticeable than the reusable ones, as the plastic rims were much more rigid than silicone. While I didn’t feel them most of the time while they were inserted, I did feel some internal pressure when I moved around in certain ways. The firm edges did make insertion and removal slightly easier, but once I got the hang of removing the reusable ones, it didn’t make that much of a difference for me.
Image: courtesy flex
Taking menstrual discs out
Removal was where things started to get tricky. Since the disc’s reservoir doesn’t hold its shape during removal, it’s pretty normal for menstrual fluid to get on your hands and, well, everywhere. The thought of pulling a bloody disc out in a public bathroom sounded horrifying, but Rosas reminded me that since discs can be worn up to 12 hours at a time, I’d most likely only have to go through this process in the comfort of my own home.
“This is where, you know, being comfortable with your body and your period comes into play,” Rosas said. “The first time you remove it, sitting in the shower is a great place to be because your headspace can be about just getting it out, and not thinking [about] getting it out and not making a mess.”
When I was wrestling with my own disc in the shower, mess was the absolute last thing on my mind. It wasn’t a dealbreaker for me, but I could understand the messiness being too much for someone more squeamish about their period.
What happens when you go to the bathroom with a menstrual disc?
Another factor that might throw users for a loop is that discs can dump out their contents when you sit down and pee. Essentially, the posture and strain from sitting down to urinate can cause the disc to shift and empty out its contents into the toilet. While it may seem like the disc is leaking, it’s not. It usually pops back into place once you’re done, or you can just tip the disc back up with your finger.
Image: courtesy flex
“For people who have a really heavy flow, this can be a game changer,” Rosas said. “Because if you were emptying a cup every three hours, two hours, that would be an awful period, but it happens. If you can go to the toilet and essentially auto-dump it, you can wear it for the 12 hours that you were promised.”
Auto-dumping doesn’t happen for everyone, and it’s actually an indicator that your disc may not perfectly fit your body, but some menstruators say it’s ultimately a net positive for their period experience.
Sex while wearing a menstrual disc
As for the claim that you can have mess-free period sex with a menstrual disc, my partner was happy to test the discs “for science.” My worrying about the disc shifting or leaking somewhat killed the mood, but we didn’t experience any issues with that when we tried them.
Image: courtesy nixit
My partner said he felt the rim of the discs during sex, and we ended up needing to switch positions once or twice for him to be more comfortable, but overall he said he didn’t mind the sensation. I personally couldn’t feel the disc much at all, just as I didn’t feel them much while wearing them normally. He wasn’t really able to tell the difference between different discs, but he said it was least noticeable with the Nixit disc, so that one was his favorite.
Since I couldn’t really feel the discs during sex, it’s difficult to say whether one disc outperformed the others in this department. It’s also important to note that if you want to use a lubricant in tandem with a menstrual disc, you should make sure the ingredients in the lube play well with the materials of the disc (don’t use silicone-based lubricant with a silicone disc, because it can damage the surface of the disc’s material).
The verdict overall
Despite the initial difficulty and messiness of using the discs, I think I’ll stick with them in the long run. It’s hard to pick a favorite between the two reusable discs I tried, but the Nixit was my favorite by a very small margin due to its barely there fit and more convenient carrying case. I could see myself packing a disposable disc as a “just in case” measure like I currently do with tampons, but other than that I found them a little too stiff and wasteful than their reusable counterparts. Overall, I still found discs easier to use and less stressful than using a menstrual cup, and more comfortable for daily use than menstrual underwear. I’m glad I’ll be using a reusable one to help reduce my wastefulness in whatever way I can in the future.