Coralcone comes in two sizes, each with a universal size silicone ribbon which is interchangeable. Please measure your cervix height, then decide which of the two sizes is right for you
For young women and virgins we recommend the mini cone to begin with – because it's an adorable, non intimidating size. For most women we recommend getting one of each – to cover both your heavy and light days.
No. Vaginas have the capacity to stretch and expand, but once the object is removed, they return to their folded and compressed state. Vaginas are made of mucosal and muscle tissue that doesn’t “stretch out” and stay there - not like an old elastic hair band. There is no evidence that using menstrual cups will change or stretch out your vagina, or decrease sexual pleasure.
No it cannot. A menstrual cup cannot pass through your cervix, which means it has no where else to go. If you can’t find the ribbon nor the main body of the Coralcone - don’t panic! Your vagina is a tube that runs from your cervix to the outside of your body and is usually between 7 to 12 cm long.
Sometimes it can be difficult to find the menstrual cup when you want to remove it. If you have tried all of our recommended techniques and still cannot locate the menstrual cup, do not use a tool or object to try to remove it. Instead consult a medical professional. Or simply wait a few more hours and try again when you are more relaxed and the cup is more full.
Although menstrual cups are much wider than a tampon, remember, one of the vagina's functions is to allow a baby to pass through it—so a 4 cm diameter of a menstrual cup is very narrow in comparison.
The vagina can expand, move, and bend. The walls of the vagina are lined with soft mucosal tissue with many small folds. In the vagina’s relaxed state, when nothing is inside the vaginal canal, the walls of the vagina are compressed against each other. If something (within reason) is inserted inside your vagina—the walls and folds of the vagina move around to make room for it.
Get to know your body better, the more familiar you are with your vagina the better.
Yes. Your vagina does not undergo some huge change when you have sex. If you haven’t had sex or used tampons before it may take a little longer to get a hang of the logistics. But using a menstrual cup is perfectly safe.
The more you get to know your body the better you will get at inserting and removing your menstrual cup – it will become second nature. We suggest rinsing the Coralcone under warm water. As water is a natural lubricant – it may slip into place a little easier with minimal friction.
Our menstrual cups can be worn for up to 12 hours before they should be emptied and washed. Some people with heavy periods may need to empty their cup more often. This means that menstrual cups are also safe to wear throughout the night, so feel free to insert and forget about it.
Every person, every period is different and different times on your own menstrual cycle can be different. So if you feel it is full, dropping down or leaking you might want to check on it.
Yes, you can. We have three output holes: the urethra, the vagina, and the anus. Peeing with a menstrual cup in is easy—the menstrual cup will not interfere with urination.
It is possible for menstrual cups to apply pressure to the bladder or urethra. This is an experience that most individuals have to varying degrees. Even though stool comes out of a different hole, the pressure of the muscles you use to poop may cause the Coralcone to shift or fall out altogether.
Because we like to keep the Coralcone as clean as possible, we recommend removing it before passing a bowel movement and inserting it back in once all clean.
Yes, you can use a larger menstrual cup for when your period is light and a smaller menstrual cup for when your flow is heavy. However you might need to change it out more frequently or it might not be as comfortable as it could be.
We recommend every woman having both sizes of Coralcone. As most women feel their first couple days of menstruation is the heaviest they can use the Midi, then when their flow is lighter they switch to the Mini. That way you don’t have a bucket to catch rain drops and a teaspoon to catch a storm.
Practically speaking - staying upside down for a long time might weaken the seal of the Coralcone – but thanks to the suction of the menstrual cup, this isn’t something you should worry about. More importantly – most Yoga teachers don’t advise doing inversion poses whilst on your Period, regardless of the form of period protection you use.
Penetrative sex within the vagina is not possible whilst wearing our menstrual cup. Please remove your Coralcone before you insert anything else inside the vagina.
Most definitely! Sleeping while wearing a menstrual cup is a great alternative to wearing bulky maxi-pads or wearing a tampon for more than 8 hours. It is way more comfortable than both pads or tampons and you wont have that yucky tired draining feeling you can get from absorbing a tampon all night long.
The Coralcone can be worn for up to 12 hours. When starting out you may want to wear one with a reusable sanitary pad or period underwear - until you get the hang of inserting it correctly.
Menstrual cups are the best choice during heavy periods. The Coralcone Midi can hold 25ml of menstrual blood. On the other hand, a Super plus tampon can absorb up to 15 to 18 ml and sanitary pads absorb around 12 ml.
If your menstrual cup leaks during heavy periods, you might have inserted it improperly or picked a wrong size. Sometimes the cup can shift due to bowel or cervical movement, resulting in leakage.
Living it’s best life a Coralcone can last for up to 4 to 5 years. Even if you replace your Coralcone every second or third year, you'll be spending hundreds less than you would on tampons! You should definitely replace yours if it has any tears, holes, or just isn't in good condition anymore.
According to our calculations - in NZ you'd spend on average about $18 per cycle (that's a mixture of tampons, with some liner backup and 5-6 nights of super pads to sleep in.
$18 x 12 months = $216 per year.
A single Coralcone at $59 pays for itself in just over 3 months.
So for 2-5 years however long your Coralcone lasts (your savings range from $157- $1021) and about 20kg of single-use trash saved from entering our oceans.
Yes absolutely. It’s so great, you don’t have to worry about changing tampons on a boat, remote dive site or small island. Because you can keep one in for up to 12 hours you can be sorted for a whole dive day – just set and forget. Because the Coralcone is fully reusable you will not be leaving behind any typical one-time-use menstrual product waste after your trip ends.
Also handy tip: Sharks are not attracted to Menstrual blood, therefore not any likely to attack a menstruating diver over a non-menstruating diver.
Unlike tampons, menstrual cups have almost no history of causing toxic shock syndrome (TSS). There has only been one reported case so far of TSS linked to menstrual cup use. In this case, a small injury to the vagina was caused during insertion, which could have been a factor in developing TSS.
Therefore keep your nails short and your hands clean when inserting and removing your menstrual cup. If you wear any large finger jewellery – you might want to remove these before inserting a Coralcone also.
Please follow our sterilisation and hygiene guidelines.
Some women who use IUDs for contraception - fear that using a menstrual cup with dislodge their IUD. As the main body of the IUD sits in the uterus, while two small plastic strings hang out a couple centimeters outside of the cervix.
And due to the special rim design of the Coralcone, there is no 'suction' at the top of the cup causing a 'plunger' type situation. All seal is made from around the sides of the Coralcone against the vaginal walls.
Many people safely and happily use IUDs with their menstrual cup. However, we recommend you talk to your general practitioner or healthcare numero uno about what's best for you.
The Coralcone is made from medical grade safe silicone – meaning it has been FDA approved for biocompatibility – designed to worn safely inside the body for long periods of time. This is a solid stable piece of silicone and softer and smoother than many other menstrual cups on the market.
It is made of the same silicone that produce breast Implants but unlike breast implants cannot leak or release toxic molecules into the body. This same medical grade silicone is widely used in the medical industry for internal valves, tubing as well as baby bottle teats and breast pumps. For more information about what Coralcone is made of, jump to the blog.
No you only need to wash and sterilise the Coralcone before your next Period. In between change-outs you just need to rinse it out under clean water. To maintain the colour of the Coralcone over a long period of time – rinse any blood off the Coralcone in cold water first.
No it cannot. Furthermore, the menstrual cup is not a contraceptive device and does not protect you against sexually transmitted diseases (STD).
Pregnant women should not use internal vaginal products, for any reason, unless directed to by their doctor. When you are pregnant, your vaginal pH levels are far more sensitive than usual, making you prone to infection.
For this reason, unless you are engaging in sexual intercourse, it is recommended that the vagina remain clear of foreign objects as much as possible during this time, again, unless otherwise directed by your doctor.
A menstrual cup should not be used for post partum bleeding because there are open wounds healing up inside, there is a greater risk of infection with any kind of foreign objects, no matter how clean.
Please wait until your doctor says you can use internal menstrual products again, before using a menstrual cup (same goes for tampons).
The most comfortable and effective way of removing an uncooperative menstrual cup is to gently push the cup down with the muscles of your pelvic floor and/or simultaneously guiding it out with one hand.
If it has travelled so far up, reach for the ribbon to locate the Coralcone. Once you have found the ribbon you can feel your fingers up to find the base. Press in one side of the Coralcone so it releases the suction seal that may have formed around the sides.
Try to stay relaxed, this should not be discomforting or painful at all.
Here are some other handy tips:
An easy option to solve this is by momentarily using a public bathroom with a private sink. That way you can pour out the blood in the toilet and give it a quick rinse in the sink. Washing your hands pre removal and post insertion.
However when there is no sink you can also quickly wipe it out with toilet paper, a menstrual wipe or rinse with a bottle of water and pop it back in.
As water is a natural lubricant most women like to use the Coralcone when it is rinsed under warm water – so you might want to wait till a private bathroom is available. Otherwise go for it – there are no rules.
If inserted and used correctly, a menstrual cup should not leak. But there are some cases when it can happen. For example, if a menstrual cup is not inserted properly or if it is not emptied as frequently as needed or if your flow is too heavy or the cup is small.
Practise makes perfect so keep trying – don’t give up! With time you will get to know your particular body and techniques that help you insert the Coralcone correctly every time.
The Coralcone ribbon has been constructed to be flexible and softer than typical menstrual cup stems, designed to move with your body movements.
If you find that the ribbon is so long that it hangs out of your labia and irritates you – you may not need to use the ribbon at all. Try dis-attaching it from the base of the Coralcone and re-inserting it without the ribbon.
The ribbon was designed particularly for people with a high cervix height. Conventional menstrual cups may require you to cut the stem (which can leave a raw and jagged edge to the menstrual cup – that can poke you from the inside and be extremely uncomfortable).
There should be no reason to take scissors to the Coralcone. Simply keep the ribbon on, tuck it up and away or take it off.
Experiment, that’s what it’s all about. Everyone’s nether region is different so we shouldn’t be doing any permanent changes to the Coralcone when it can take us a few period cycles for us to figure out what works uniquely for us.
You are not supposed to feel pain while using a menstrual cup. You may feel a slight discomfort while inserting the cup for the first time. But if a cup is inserted properly and if the size of the cup fits you well, you should not feel any pain or discomfort.
