r/menstrualcups • u/GlitteringMoment7216 • 10h ago

Menstrual cup question

Ok so this is my first time ever using menstrual cups.... I'm on day 3 and i have been changing it out every 6 to 10 hrs and rinsing it out before reinserting. This time that i took it out the cup smelled like rotting meat. Like im talking raw meat that has been left out of the fridge for days/weeks or a mouse died in the house and you cant find it sort of rotten.

I did research and a bunch of stuff about BV popped up but the thing is that I checked the smell of my vagina itself and there is no odor. Even wiped blood after sitting on the toilet for a few minutes and sniffed it and that blood smelled normal like how blood smells and shoved a finger up to double check because I was weirded out by the smell. Again that smell was normal. Not even a hint of rot.

The cup on the other hand smells so bad. Is this normal for cups to smell? Am I doing something wrong? I can't see this being BV because i smell normal. It's the cup that is rancid. I put in a different cup this time because I didn't want to risk infection because I don't know what is lingering on the cup but am I able to save the cup somehow or is it trash?

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u/Pseunomi 10h ago

I don't want to say for sure nothings wrong, cause I'm not there and can't assess these things myself. However, I will say that a horrid, rancid type smell happens to me every once in awhile and its not been a sign of any issue. Just a natural part of the sloughing process for an organ, and the normal oxidation/breakdown of blood and human tissue.

If you're worried, wash and sanitize it while using pads or something for a bit. If the issue goes away, I wouldn't worry.

4

u/theprozacfairy 8h ago

Are you washing the cup with soap? I would wash it thoroughly (for at least 30 seconds) with unscented soap, then steam or boil it and see if it’s any better.

3

u/OverlappingChatter 9h ago

Mine smells terribly terrible if I leave it in for over 8 hours with a light flow.

1

u/4-Birds 9h ago

Is it a medical grade silicon cup? Also I don't leave my cup in that long so can't say I've ever noticed a smell. Have to empty mine a lot the first 3 days and then once it slows down on day 4 and 5 I leave out and use my period underwear

1

u/naterieb 5h ago

I have noticed a bit of a funk a few times, I will usually do the boil/sanitize when it happens. I also wash the cup with diva wash most of the time after I empty it; that seems to help as well.

1

u/theCup808 4h ago

Did you buy a big “brand” cup?
This “smell” issue is not normal.
If a cup smells you can place in sunlight but not more than a few hours. Extended direct sunlight can degrade the medical grade silicon. I hope that helps.