Unable to boil my menstrual cup. What should I do?

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21 March 2012 @ 03:22 am

So on Sunday I will be flying out to Japan for a quarter abroad that will last for three months. I'll be staying in dorms, along with other people from my American university. Since I won't have much room in my luggage, I won't be able to bring my own pot, which means I won't be able to boil my DivaCup (using the communal dorm pot to boil my cup seems pretty gross...)

So, that said, I won't be able to boil my cup for three months. Does that mean I will have an increased chance of an infection? I have the DivaWash stuff and I clean my cup with that before and after each cycle, as well as when I empty the cup out. I don't really want to have to buy a pot when I'm over there, so I was wondering what you guys suggest I do? Should I just suck it up and wear pads for three months?

I also don't know the Japanese words for stuff like Hydrogen Peroxide, etc, so I'm not sure about chemical disinfecting.

Edit: I don't want to buy a pot while I'm there, as I will only be there for three months and will just have to leave it there when I'm done because of limited luggage space.

Tags: cleaning, cleaning - boiling, divacup, dorms, travel

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19 comments —

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juliiie87 on March 21st, 2012 10:31 am (UTC)

You don't *REALLY* need to boil your cup at all. Many people don't.
Divawash and water should do it just fine.

Besides, there are plenty other methods of sanitization one can use : rubbing alcool, milton tablets, sunning (for stains mostly). or you could get a mug or a bowl and pour some boiling water over your cup. I've heard of people using the microwave but I'm not sure if it's safe.

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schmoomom on March 21st, 2012 11:51 am (UTC)

They don't have Milton tablets in the US, just so's ya know :D.

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schmoomom on March 21st, 2012 11:51 am (UTC)

You can buy a cheap small pot there for boiling in, I'm sure, if you want to boil very badly.

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kamirose on March 21st, 2012 12:12 pm (UTC)

I don't want to buy a pot there, since I will just abandon it anyway right afterwards. For only three months, it's not an investment I'd call worth it.

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peiyu on March 25th, 2012 12:30 pm (UTC)

There are value shops that sell a pot for about US$1.50 or less, in particular Daiso which has a few thousand outlets in Japan.

I think $0.50 a month is doable.

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peiyu on March 25th, 2012 12:32 pm (UTC)

Btw, I have never boiled my cup. I usually wash it with soap and then leave it in a container of hot water when I'm in the shower while I finish up.

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__floozy__ on March 21st, 2012 11:58 am (UTC)

nothing prevents you from buying a pot in japan :)

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kamirose on March 21st, 2012 12:11 pm (UTC)

I don't want to buy a pot in Japan, that's the reason I'm asking. I would only have to abandon it at the end, which makes it a waste of money.

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ide_cyan on March 21st, 2012 12:02 pm (UTC)

I just use soap and water (rinsing well to clear all the soap) before, and during when I get the chance after emptying it, and soak in water and vinegar for a few hours at the end of my cycle.

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m03m on March 21st, 2012 01:58 pm (UTC)

I do not routinely boil my cup. It's an option, not something that needs to be done.
But if you feel that you need to do so, it's okay to boil it in water in the microwave.

Keep in mind that you don't have to kill all the bacteria that may be on your cup. You can just wash them off.
Also, things that go inside the vagina don't need to be sterile.

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nickelshoe on March 21st, 2012 03:25 pm (UTC)

I would absolutely not use pads in your situation. I only ever boiled my cup the time I dropped it in the toilet. Think about this--after you take your freshly boiled cup out of the pot, you touch it with your unboiled hands. Your hands are clean because you washed them with soap and water--that's all you need to do with your cup.

I know you don't want to blow money on a pot you'll leave behind, but I know in the US you can find a pot pretty cheap at a thrift store. You only need it to last for like three uses, and it might end up costing less than a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

I found this page about finding hydrogen peroxide in Japan, in case you want to do that: http://www.survivingnjapan.com/2010/06/how-to-find-hydrogen-peroxide-in-japan.html

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plantinglilacs on March 21st, 2012 03:39 pm (UTC)

I never boil my cup! And I've never gotten an infection :) (I've been using cups for 4 years).

I sometimes put mine in sunlight after using if it smells a little... not sure what that does in terms of bacteria but it always fixes the smell

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misheymo on March 21st, 2012 07:39 pm (UTC)

never boiled my cups (keeper, diva and now lunette) just always wash with 'bedroom toy cleaner'. it helps with the stains.

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violet_dragon on March 21st, 2012 06:26 pm (UTC)

When I was in Vietnam (and in a similar situation as you'll be in) I just poured boiling water over my cup over the sink. I know it doesn't really *need* to be boiled...but it makes me feel better, ya know?

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crystalyne on March 21st, 2012 06:45 pm (UTC)

Will you have access to a microwave? I use one of the Medela sanitizing bags (for breast pump parts) in the mirowave. It takes up almost no room.

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acat112233 on March 21st, 2012 08:10 pm (UTC)
microwaveable steam sterilization bags

I second the comment above^^^^^^ the bags are relatively inexpensive and if you have a microwave then you're set!

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gemfyre on March 22nd, 2012 02:15 am (UTC)

I went for 9 months once without ever boiling my cup (and a lot of the time I didn't even have hot tap water to clean it with). As long as it dries out properly between each cycle the nasties living on it will be killed (putting it in the sun will also help kill bacteria).

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maxineofarc on March 22nd, 2012 03:39 am (UTC)

A lot of people never boil their cups. I usually do, but more as a ritual than anything else. Sometimes I just forget and don't do anything with it in between periods- no problems yet.

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klaradio on March 22nd, 2012 11:01 pm (UTC)

I know this is very silly, but there are these foldable silicone drink cups (like a steel canteen cup, only silicone), and they are sort of even supposed to be used to boil a menstrual cup in the microwave. Some of those baby cloth diaper online stores in Europe that also carry menstrual hygiene products, sell them as menstrual cup accesories, and mention that they are also food safe. I recently got one that I'm actually going to use for drinks when hiking/camping (I currently don't use my menstrual cup, and I don't believe in microwaves.)It takes up very little space when folded (8 cm diameter, 2 cm thick, this is little more than a package of dental floss)and I paid about 5€ for mine.
Maybe that might be an option for your stay in Japan?!

(Gotta love gadgets ! Why change your habits of cup care to chemical sanitizing or not-sanitizing, when there IS a gadget for that purpose... :-))

And by the way, I preferred to boil my cup each month, but I agree that it is not absolutely necessary if you wash really well.

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