For a while now, I have been taking an interest in menstrual cups. I’m just fascinated by them, how they work, and their level of convenience for the user. No matter my opinion, I am always excited about new products that either provide an alternative to the conventional or makes like a little easier for its intended audience. To my knowledge however, Softcup, now known as Softdisc, has been in business since the early 90’s. So when I was in my local pharmacy purchasing my usual ultra-thin overnight maxi pads from kotex, my absolute go to, I saw a couple boxes of them (labeled Softcups at the time) on the shelves next to the tampons and decided to pick one up and give it a try. At $12.99 for 14 discs, I figured it would be worth a shot.
Design and Materials
The Softdisc is a disposable menstrual disc that sits in the vaginal canal, as close to the cervix as humanly possible, tucked under the pubic bone to keep it in place. It can be worn for up to 12 hours and can hold up to 6 teaspoons or 3 tablespoons of blood. It is made of a medical-grade polymer that is commonly used in surgical tools.
A Company Owning a Company?
To my knowledge, the company that makes the Soft Cup was acquired by the Flex Company sometime way back when. I had my eye on the Softcups (now Softdiscs) for some time, but forgot about them after they suddenly vanished from the market and store shelves. You couldn’t even get them online. That was because they stopped the production of the Softcup. When the Flex Company started coming out with their own disposable menstrual cups that design was eerily similar to that of the Softcup (now Softdisc), it all made sense.
And to be honest, I was actually turned off by it and didn’t want to further pursue my interest in trying them for two reasons 1. By the Flex Company acquiring the Softcup Company, the product would be difficult to get. So even if I fell in love the product, I would have to search high and low for it. Not ideal for a product I would be using every month. And 2. I don’t like the idea of purchasing a subscription service to get my menstrual products. Some of these programs are not very cost effective and I don’t want to wait around for my product when I need it. Subscription services are cute and whatnot but I need my products on hand, not in the mail, on the way, or whatever. Point is, I don’t care for one company exclusively selling this product and making it unavailable for those looking to try it.
That was until Softcup (now Softdisc) came back into the market. I suddenly started to see it pharmacies and was available for purchase on Amazon. I’m guessing they started to realize that the whole exclusivity thing wasn’t working for them. As for the name, when I bought my box, it had the name “Softcup” on it. I’m guessing between the time I got my box and now, the company changed the name to Softdisc. With that being said, I will be referring to Softcup as Softdisc for the rest of my review.
Inserting the Softdisc
Stereotypically speaking, “Being a pussy” means that someone is scared. And that I was. More nervous so to speak. I had tried tampons in the past but never for long periods of time so this would be a first for me. I watched videos of reviews and videos of how to use/insert the soft cup. My body was ready and so was I. My biggest fear was that I would not be able to get the Soft Cup out of my vagina when I wanted to or it would be difficult to remove.
I followed the instructions. I washed my hands, sat on my toilet, relaxed, took my soft cup out of its purple package, squeezed the opposite sides of the rim together, and inserted the Softdisc into my vagina, and pushed it back behind my pubic bone. Which was pretty easy.
Wearing the Softdisc
I starting wearing the Softdisc at night. I did so rather than wearing it in the day because if I had to go somewhere and the disc made me uncomfortable in anyway, I want to be in a comfortable place just in case I need to remove or adjust it. I also wanted to play around with taking it out and re-inserting it a couple times during the night. I have to say by far, this is the most that I have ran back and forth into the bathroom to touch myself and I kinda liked it. I never put my fingers inside myself so much.
The disc for the most part felt comfortable. I didn’t experience any leaks while wearing it. I was doing constant wipe tests to make sure. I will say however, that whenever I had a bowel movement, a number 2 if you will, or wont, the disc would shift and some blood would come out but it would shift back into place and I would no longer have that issue. I found that because I have a low cervix, the Softdiscs design worked very well for me.
While the disc felt comfortable, I found that at times I could feel it expanding inside me, which would put pressure in weird places and make my cramps worse. Even though on the Flex Fits website, the disc is said to lessen cramp pain for 70% percent of its users. I guess I’m among of the 30% of users who think otherwise or maybe, which could be false, but I postulate that some of those said 70% users who said that disc lessons their cramping pain, doesn’t experience higher than normally painful menstrual cramps. Though what’s considered extremely painful for some varies widely across all vagina owners. So understandably, I could be wrong. What I did to alleviate some of that weird pressure was flexing the disc several times before inserting it so it wouldn’t expand as much and found that it helped significantly.
The thing I enjoyed the most about the Softdisc was being able to go commando at night. I don’t really care to wear underwear at all unless I’m leaving the house. But I especially don’t like wearing underwear on my period because I get cramps for the first 3-4 days and find that the waistbands on my underwear, unless there old and stretched out, squeeze and make my cramps worst. I don’t wear tight underwear by any means. Just the slightest pressure from the waistband will make my cramp pain worsen. So being able to evade wearing underwear during my period was heavenly.
While I wouldn’t personally recommend this, I tried reusing the Softdisc. I would empty it like you would a reusable menstrual cup and reinserted it. It may sound gross to reuse a product meant to be disposed of after its initial use, but since it only collects blood and is not a traditional pad or tampon and absorbs it, I figured why not? I would only reuse it once more before tossing it and didn’t have any problems. But like some of your parents say to you, or you say to your own children, do as I say, not as I do.
Taking out the Softdisc
Removing the Softdisc was okay. You’re supposed to get a finger under the lip or lid of the disc and pull it out, holding it parallel to the floor so you don’t spill any of your menstrual blood anywhere and make a mess. That was a pretty easy and straight forward process and I didn’t make any messes. If you feel like you will make a mess when removing the disc, take it out while you’re in the shower. For me, I found it a bit uncomfortable when the disc began expand whilst removing it. The disc does somewhat adjust to your body after being worn for some time, but it still will expand significantly, which can be uncomfortable for some.
The most exciting thing about taking out the disc was seeing all the blood that it collected and being able to examine it, looking at the texture and color of my period. An opportunity I wouldn’t be given had I allowed a pad or tampon to absorb my menses. I know doing this isn’t something everyone would be interested in, but it’s your blood and it normal. Periods are normal.
Final Thoughts
I think the Softdiscs are a great alternative for those looking to either try something different or want to stop using tampons and pads altogether. While I am not a fan of getting these via subscription service, if they can deliver them to you before you have your period and that works for you, get em. Being that the product cost more than $10 for 14, there not the most economical option out there. So technically, these are more so on the luxury side of menstrual products, since you can’t reuse them.
If you are changing them every 12 hours per the instructions and you period lasts for 5-7 days straight, then you should be all set. If you’re looking try a wearable menstrual product that’s cheaper than a menstrual cup, I would say you could try this before making a steeper and permanent investment, but note that the instructions on inserting the Softdisc is not the same as inserting a reusable menstrual cup so the experience will slightly differ.
If you have any questions or comments concerning my use of the Softdisc, please leave a comment in the comment section.
You can purchase the Softdisc at your local pharmacy or on Amazon.
If you would like more information about the Softdisc, visit Softdisc.com and Flexfits.com
The Softdisc was purchased with my own money. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in any way for this review.