Worldwide, the most popular period product in use is the pad. Tampons come in second place. In the reusable menstrual product world more people use menstrual cups than menstrual discs. Among @PeriodNirvana followers, however, the numbers are very different. The sales on Period.Shop also tell a different story - we sell far more menstrual discs than menstrual cups, cloth pads, or period underwear.
We recently took a quick informal Instagram poll and asked our followers three questions - "Team Cup? Y/N," "Team Disc? Y/N," followed by "Cup or Disc? Both, Cup only, Disc Only, or Neither."
As informal as this poll was, it's a fascinating look at opinions on cups and discs as well as a glimpse at high the adoption rate is for menstrual discs for those open to trying them.
Note that these questions had no context meaning even people who have never tried the product could vote on whether they liked the idea of a product or not. Voters could also vote based on their personal experience. As a social media poll this is all for fun.
First, the Team Cup survey.
58% of people said Yes compared to 42% No.
These results are pretty close to 50/50 and definitely closely resemble the reviews, comments, and emails from our followers and customers who try a menstrual cup.
Next, Team Disc survey.
74% of people were Team Disc, only 26% gave it a thumbs down.
For a broader look I then asked people to pick between them.
"Cup or Disc?" survey
24% couldn't choose and selected "Both"
27% picked Cup only
43% picked Disc only
7% don't use either product and presumably use disposables or reusable pads/period underwear as their main period care option.
Analyzing the Responses
Why do we think people are so strongly for discs compared to cups? Well, I have a few theories.
- The followers of Period Nirvana are exposed to a lot of positive menstrual disc coverage because I am such a big fan of the product. Not only that, but followers of Period Nirvana have been provided excellent tools to succeed with discs in the form of instructional videos and articles.
- Beyond that, the menstrual disc itself has some advantages over cups that can explain the larger gap between people who prefer them to a cup. Their "one size fits most" nature means more first time users see success without the frustration of an incorrect size issue.
- Not needing to create a seal and sitting in the vaginal fornix instead of the vaginal canal means that discs tend to work more than they don't for first time users. The learning curve experience and new user leaks and shorter and fewer.
- Discs sit higher in the vaginal canal which makes them less likely to apply bladder pressure like firm menstrual cups.
- For anyone with a heavy period, a menstrual disc can be life changing because they hold more than any menstrual cup model.
Bottom line? A social media survey is not a peer reviewed academic study, but it's a good indicator of preference. When you take into account the additional resources and education the survey takers have compared to a general audience with less exposure to cups and discs, it's possible to see how crucial these exposures and education are to finding a better period product.
Can we say one is better than the other? Not at all. Individual anatomy and preference will mean there is never one product that is best for everyone. But if you're torn between a cup or disc these answers might tip the scales for you.
When you're ready to make the switch visit our Menstrual Cup and Disc Quiz to find the product most likely to work for you.
