FAQ – Frequently asked questions

Yes, that’s possible. However, it is often more difficult to wear a menstrual cup outside of your period, as the vaginal wall is then often much firmer and the cervix positioned higher. Thus, experiences while not on your period are not completely transferable to wearing a menstrual cup during your period. So don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work right away.

When looking for the right position of your menstrual cup, you should take enough breaks and take your time. A practice phase of 1-4 cycles is not uncommon. However, if, despite your best efforts, you cannot position the Merula Cup in a comfortable and leak free position, do not be afraid to contact us!

No. If the Merula Cup is positioned correctly, it should be practically imperceptible. A menstrual cup should not be uncomfortable or cause pain. If it causes pain, it could be that the cervix is not correctly placed within the Merula Cup or, for example, the ladder is too long and causes irritation at the vagina’s opening.

In this case, try to correct the position or adjust the ladder according to the instructions.

When looking for the right position of your Merula Cup, you should take enough breaks and take your time. A practice phase of 1-4 cycles is not uncommon. However, if, despite your best efforts, you cannot position the Merula Cup in a comfortable and leak free position, do not be afraid to contact us!

If your Merula Cup is leaking, your cervix is most likely not placed correctly inside the menstrual cup. Try to adjust the cup’s position.

When looking for the right position of your Merula Cup, you should take enough breaks and take your time. A practice phase of 1-4 cycles is not uncommon. However, if, despite your best efforts, you cannot position the Merula Cup in a comfortable and leak free position, do not be afraid to contact us!

This is how you can position your Merula Cup correctly: Before inserting it, feel for your cervix and guide your Merula Cup in this direction. Open the menstrual cup’s rim in front of the cervix and then place the cup around the cervix. What can help with placing the cervix into the cup is to move the cup upwards with “screwing” motions, while gently pressing the pelvic floor downwards. If the Merula Cup can be easily turned and at the same time not just pulled out again, it is very likely that it is positioned correctly.

When looking for the right position of your Merula Cup, you should take enough breaks and take your time. A practice phase of 1-4 cycles is not uncommon. However, if, despite your best efforts, you cannot position the Merula Cup in a comfortable and leak free position, do not be afraid to contact us!

We do not recommend this as there is a risk of injury from vaginal penetration when wearing a menstrual cup. Therefore, the menstrual cup should definitely be removed before penetrative sex. It is, however, ideal for use during oral sex.

The Merula Cup must not be pulled out by its ladder before the existing seal has been released. If your Merula Cup is placed very high up, you can carefully move it downwards with “zig-zag” movements so that the body of the cup comes within reach of your finger(s). Now hook a finger into one of the ladder rungs and break the seal by pressing the cup’s body in firmly. The Merula Cup can then be removed easily.

This guideline is based on a French paper published in the USA in 2018 (cf. “Nonfoux et al.”). Although we partly doubt its results and findings, but because consumer protection is our top priority and we want to meet international legal requirements (including those in France and Australia), our recommendations regarding the wearing time (maximum of 8 hours, as with tampons) and cleaning of menstrual cups are the following:

Careful hygiene and regular cleaning of the menstrual cup are absolutely necessary to minimize the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). A risk of TSS is not excluded when using menstrual cups. Although there are currently only a few cases of TSS in connection with menstrual cups (not with the Merula Cup!) known, in which the actual causality to the use or wearing duration of the menstrual cup could not be established.

Yes. In fact, the Merula Cup is particularly suitable for all types of sports and remains securely in place even when the pelvic floor muscles are contracted repeatedly. It is also the optimal solution in and under water, as no blood can leak out and no water can leak in.

Yes, the Merula Cup stays in place securely overnight. If your Merula Cup is positioned correctly, you can go to sleep worry-free and feel safe, as in all other everyday situations.

Please pay attention to the wearing time of your menstrual cup.

You should only use water-based lubricants with the Merula Cup. Silicone-based and oil-based lubricants are not recommended.

The use of a menstrual cup with a well-fitting IUD is generally not a problem. The slight seal created by menstrual cups only affects the cervix and not the IUD (inside the uterus) or its thread. You should simply be careful of not accidentally pulling on the IUD’s thread. Additionally, as is generally the case when using menstrual cups, you should make sure to always carefully release the seal before removing the cup.

It is also important to know that IUDs can be rejected by the body, especially in the first months of wearing, completely independently of the method of menstrual hygiene. Naturally, this process usually takes place during the period. We therefore recommend waiting for the first period after insertion of the respective contraceptive or the first check-up by a gynaecologist before using a menstrual cup again.

We recommend switching to disposable hygiene products in case you have a vaginal yeast infection. If you’ve had your Merula Cup in use during this time, the menstrual cup should ideally be professionally autoclaved. For home use, there are three options:

1. Boil your menstrual cup in water (with a splash of vinegar) 3 times for 20 minutes each. Between each boiling process, let it air dry for several hours. Please note that this procedure may stress the material of the cup and therefore shorten its life span.
2. Put your cup in a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution overnight. However, this procedure may stress the material of the cup and therefore shorten its life span.
3. Use the Merula Spray to disinfect your menstrual cup. Important: The Merula Spray may only be used to clean and disinfect your menstrual cup and is not suitable for internal use.

See ‘What are the particularities of the Merula Cup?’ here.

Always store your Merula Cup in an airy container, for example the pouch provided.

With optimal care, you can use your Merula Cup for several years. If the menstrual cup shows signs of material fatigue, please dispose of it via the bin for residual waste and buy a new one.

This is possible in principle. However, the hymen can also break during sports for example, or be weakly developed in general. On the other hand, for some people, the hymen remains intact until, for example, a spontaneous birth.

Yes, that is perfectly fine. Menstrual cups are also suitable for virgins.

Many teens and people who have not had sexual intercourse yet use the Merula Cup. Its material has a soft touch and glides easily. To make the cup glide even easier, you can moisten it with water or water-based lubricant beforehand. However, this is not absolutely necessary. You are welcome to discuss this matter with your peers in our “Merula Cup Community” on Facebook.

The special nature of the Merula Cup ensures that it can fit with high to low cervical positions, as well as any condition of pelvic floor muscles. This saves you the search for the right sized menstrual cup.

The Merula Cup is available in two different sizes: “one size” and XL (extra large capacity for very heavy bleading, e.g. if you have to change a Super Plus tampon every hour).

The Merula Cup “one size” was developed in one size so it can fit most menstruators. It has a fairly large capacity of 38 ml / 1.285 fl oz. Its long, comfortable ladder can be shortened (by one or two rungs) to your individual comfort length. The cup’s spherical body adapts to each individual anatomy.

The Merula Cup XL was developed for particularly heavy bleeding. With a capacity of 50 ml / 1.691 fl oz, it is one of the largest menstrual cups on the market. Its ladder can be adjusted (by one rung) to a medium or high cervix position. If your cervix is particularly low or you find your vagina to be particularly “tight”, the Merula Cup XL might be too big for you.

All Merula Cups have the same degree of firmness. The Merula Cup menstrual cup is designed to hold securely and remain leak-free with any pelvic floor muscle condition.

The Merula Cup is folded before insertion and is then hardly larger than a tampon. Its soft touch surface makes it very easy and comfortable to insert. That is why the Merula Cup menstrual cup is popular with people of all ages.

We do not recommend this, as it may become difficult to remove the Merula Cup if all rungs of the are removed.

Before its first use and after each period, your menstrual cup should be boiled in water (with a splash of vinegar if needed) for 5 minutes. You can clean your menstrual cup either in a saucepan on the stove or in a container in the microwave – the Merula Cupscup is particularly practical for this.

Additionally, your menstrual cup should be cleaned every time you change it (after 8 hours at the latest, according to the instructions). To do so, empty the contents of the menstrual cup into the toilet, remove any blood residue by either rubbing it off or washing it off with cold water, and then disinfect the menstrual cup – using a suitable disinfecting cleaning product, which is safe to use with intimate products made from silicone, such as Merula Wipes. Alternatively, you can boil your menstrual cup between changes.

The vinegar in the water counteracts the build-up of lime residue on your menstrual cup. It is however not a must to add vinegar to the water.

No. Both the dishwasher and the washing machine do not reach the temperatures required to sterilize a menstrual cup. Additionally, dishwasher cleaners would put a lot of stress on the material of the menstrual cup and possible residues of the dishwasher cleaner and perfumes should not get into the vagina. The same applies to washing machine detergent.

Hemoglobin, the blood pigment, stains strongly and can therefore cause discoloration on your menstrual cup. You can counteract the discoloration of your Merula Cup by always rinsing off the blood on your menstrual cup with cold water first. Even with thorough and regular cleaning, a menstrual cup can become discolored over time. However, if it is thoroughly cleaned regularly according to the instructions, there is no need to worry about it.

Sometimes the blood pigment hemoglobin in your menstrual blood may cause discoloration of your Merula Cup. To counteract this, we recommend that you first rinse your menstrual cup with cold water each time you clean it.

However, slight discoloration is normal over time.

To remove discoloration, soak your cup in a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution overnight. Please note that this procedure may stress the cup’s material and therefore shorten its life span.

If you need to change your menstrual cup on the go, empty the cup and remove the blood residue either with tissue (for example toilet paper) or rinse it with water. Then disinfect your menstrual cup with a suitable cleaning agent, such as Merula Wipes. Alternatively, you can take a second clean menstrual cup with you to change out with the already worn one.

For more details on how to properly clean your menstrual cup, click here.

To clean your menstrual cup in a public toilet, you do not have to leave the stall. You can easily change the Merula Cup inside the stall and do not necessarily need a sink. For initial cleaning, you can wipe the Merula Cup clean with some toilet paper. If you prefer to rinse it with water, you can also carry a small bottle of water in your handbag.

We recommend that you thoroughly clean, more specifically disinfect, the Merula Cup each time you change it. This is especially easy with our Merula Wipes.

Alternatively, you can take a second clean menstrual cup with you to change out with the already worn one.

This guideline is based on a French paper published in the USA in 2018 (cf. “Nonfoux et al.”). Although we partly doubt its results and findings, but because consumer protection is our top priority and we want to meet international legal requirements (including those in France and Australia), our recommendations regarding the wearing time (maximum of 8 hours, as with tampons) and cleaning of menstrual cups are the following:

For this reason, we recommend a maximum wearing time of 8 hours for every menstrual cup, not just the Merula Cup, as well as a thorough cleaning (according to our instructions manual) at every change. Alternatively, you can take a second clean menstrual cup with you to change out with the already worn one.

Yes, the Merula Cupscup fits most menstrual cups.

Yes. Of course, the Merula Cup XL fits into the Merula Cupscup. It is of the same overall height as the Merula Cup – while its body is longer, its ladder is shorter.

To clean your menstrual cup with the Merula Cupscup in the microwave, simply fill the Merula Cupscup with clean water up to the marking line, place your previously washed menstrual cup on the blue insert with the opening facing downwards, screw the lid on tightly and open the valve. Then place the Merula Cupscup in the microwave and turn it on at 750 watts for five minutes.

If the wattage of your microwave differs, adjust the cooking time accordingly. The water in the Merula Cupscup should never evaporate completely. After the boiling process, the Merula Cupscup and its contents may be very hot and hot water or steam may escape.

Our tip: If necessary, add some vinegar to the water to prevent limescale residue on the menstrual cup and inside the Merula Cupscup.

The Merula Cupscup is made of polypropylene, a material that is particularly hard and heat-resistant. It also does not contain any harmful plasticizers and is easy to recycle.

Merula Wipes do not contain any fragrances.

If the Merula Wipes are used as indicated and the drying time is adhered to, they will not leave any residue on the surface of the material and there is no need to worry about irritating the urinary tract or vaginal mucosa.

If the Merula Wipes are used as indicated and the drying time is adhered to, they will not leave any residue on the surface of the material and there is no need to worry about irritating the vaginal mucosa or urinary tract..

The packaging of the Merula Wipes can be disposed of via the recycling bin. During production, we deliberately decided against single sachets (meaning each wipe is packaged individually) in order to keep packaging waste to a minimum. That’s why there are 20 wipes in one package, which is recyclable.

No, neither the Merula Wipes nor the Merula Spray replace the process of sterilizing your menstrual cup by boiling it, but serve to disinfect it in between, for example when you are on the go.

Disinfection would be called “terminal disinfection”, as is done with instruments in the operating room, for example. The process of boiling you menstrual cup at the end of the period, on the other hand, is considered a type of “sterilization”.

There are 20 Merula Wipes in one package.

Merula Wipes are made of a special material that is certified as ‘flushable’ – it can be disposed of via the toilet because it dissolves in water after a short period of time.

Because we like the colorful variety and everybody has a different favorite color. 🙂

All colorants used are certified and firmly bonded to the silicone and are therefore, of course, completely harmless.

The Merula Cup and Merula Cup XL are made of certified medical-grade silicone. The silicone we use has been tested for biocompatibility according to ISO 10993 and USP Class 6 and is also approved for use as a short-term implant. It is also free of plasticizers and animal ingredients. The raw material we use for the production of our menstrual cups is also made in Germany.
Furthermore, our menstrual cups are also produced in Germany and our production plant is certified according to the medical standard DIN ISO 13485:2016. According to this certification, our production is required to document the materials and process steps used. This is checked by regular external audits.

The Merula Cup menstrual cup is produced and packaged exclusively in Germany.

The absence of these holes ensures that the Merula Cup can hold in any condition of the pelvic floor muscles and does not lose its hold but remains tight even after complete relaxation (for example in the morning after getting up). The small holes around the rim of many menstrual cups facilitate air intake into the cup during insertion, allowing its body to unfold more easily. The Merula Cup’s body does not need to fully unfold and therefore does not need these holes.

Additionally, water often leaks into the menstrual cup through the small holes when bathing or swimming, whereupon it must be emptied promptly to avoid overflowing. This cannot happen with the Merula Cup.

We strongly advise against adding “air holes” to the Merula Cup yourself, as this would impair its function.

You can buy them in local stores as well as in a variety of online shops.

Yes, cou can can get the colorful pouches exclusively in our online shop.

On this spot, the silicone color mixture is injected through a very small opening into the casting mold. The color pigments come in different sizes. The biggest particles may accumulate during the injection, and at the end of the process they are pushed into the mold and result in a color spot. The color spot has no influence on the functionality of the cup.

You can find a picture of the color spot here.

The term cervix refers to the exit of the uterus (womb) into the vagina. The front part of the cervix that protrudes into the vagina is called the ectocervix (also called portio – Latin for “the section”) and is usually round or cone-shaped. It varies between cherry and walnut sized.

We are actually talking about the ectocervix when we colloquially refer to feeling the cervix to insert the menstrual cup.

A white, powdery residue on your Merula Cup  is usually a sign that lime has settled on your cup during boiling. You can easily avoid this by adding a splash of vinegar to the water when boiling your menstrual cup.

Yes, the Merula Cup is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). You can view the entry here.

Yes, Merula products are regularly tested by independent laboratories on our account.

Additionally, the Merula Cup strawberry (pink) was awarded the overall rating “VERY GOOD” by the trade magazine “ÖKO-TEST” in its 04/2020 issue. Here, the Merula Cup strawberry received the top rating “VERY GOOD” in all three categories (ingredients, durability and other defects) without any defects or remarks.

Yes, as all other Merula products, the Merula menstrual cup is regularly tested by independent laboratories on our account.

Also, the Merula Cup strawberry (pink) was awarded the overall rating “VERY GOOD” by the trade magazine “ÖKO-TEST” in its 04/2020 issue. Here, the Merula Cup strawberry received the top rating “VERY GOOD” in all three categories (ingredients, durability and other defects) without any defects or remarks.