How Often to Replace Menstrual Cups?

A common question from people is how often you need to replace menstrual cups. Many people wonder whether or not the silicone degrades over the time, making them unsafe to use after a certain point. The good news is that period cups can often last for years if you look after them correctly.

Here are a few quick tips to keep your menstrual cup in excellent shape to prolong the life of it.

#1: Don’t use Harsh Chemicals for your menstrual Cup

Looking after menstrual cups correctly involves not using any harsh chemicals to clean them. Although many people use peroxide to deep clean their cup, this is not what the menstrual cup companies recommend. Most of them recommend either something like the Diva Wash (see below), or plain soap and warm water.

The key if you use soap is to make sure that it’s water-based. And, also that it doesn’t have anything like microbeads in it because this can damage your cup materials.

For advice on cleaning your period cup, check out: How to Clean a Menstrual Cup. There is advice on daily cleaning, as well as between cycles cleaning.

#2: Consider the Diva Wash, or other Menstrual Cup Wash

You could also consider using the Diva Wash to maintain your cup. This is the recommended product that will keep any menstrual cup in excellent shape for months and years to come.

It is a bit expensive, but remember, a little bit goes a long way! You really do only need to use a tiny bit each time you wash your menstrual cup and the container will last for a year or more.

You can easily get the Diva Wash on Amazon:

Menstrual Cup Cleanser Alternatives



#3: Deep Clean it after your Cycle

Most menstrual cup companies recommend deep cleaning your cup after your cycle is done. For example, FemmyCycle recommends soaking your cup in a mixture of vinegar and water for 30 minutes.

The Diva Cup company, as well as MoonCup recommend boiling it in an open pot of water for 5-7 minutes if required. It’s not recommended that you go beyond 7 minutes for this because it can start to degrade the silicone.

A quick tip about boiling your menstrual cup to sterilize it. DO NOT walk away from the pot. If the pot dries out, you’ll ruin you cup, and possibly start a fire. You should also be sure to not let the cup touch the sides, or bottom of the top. Make sure there’s enough water.

See: How to Clean a Menstrual Cup for more details.

#4: Store your Menstrual Cup Correctly

The other key to keeping your menstrual cup in tip-top shape is to store it correctly between uses. The key is to not store it in an airtight container. You need to have some air circulating to kill all those nasties! Store it in the cloth pouch that comes with the cup.

Or, if you don’t have that, wrap it loosely in a paper towel and store it in a drawer until you need it next month. Whatever you do, don’t put in a tupperware container. Please? Thank you!

How to Clean a Menstrual Cup

Diva Cup’s Official Recommendation on How Often to Replace Menstrual Cups

Diva Cup officially recommends that you change it when you notice any “deterioration such as a sticky or powdery film, severe discolouration or odour, etc. If you detect any of these signs or if you experience irritation we recommend you replace your DivaCup with a new one.”

They recommend replacing it every year, but also say that ultimately it is up to you. In our opinion, one year is far too short! After all, that’s only 12 cycles, for a total of less than 100 days.

How often to replace the Diva Cup? Certainly not in one year! That seems kind of excessive to us.

Many people report that their Diva Cups have lasted upwards of 2, 3, or even 4 years. The biggest complaint that women have with using the menstrual cup for more than a year or two is discolouration.

The clean silicone stains easily but this won’t effect the performance of your cup. And it’s also perfectly safe to use a period cup with some discolouration. It’s not like you show your menstrual cup off to the world so don’t worry about discolouration!

For more details about the Diva Cup and whether or not it’s the cup for you, see: Pros and Cons of the Diva Cup.

MoonCup’s Official Advice about How Often to Replace Menstrual Cups

Mooncup suggests that their product can last for “years and years” but that you should periodically inspect it for wear and tear such as changes in the material, splitting or stickiness. Once you notice that, you need to replace it.

We LOVE this sensible advice from the MoonCup company and wish that others would give the same.

Similar to the Diva Cup, people report that the Moon Cup has lasted them for 4 or 5 years, or in some cases, even longer.

Again, be sure to clean it with plain soap and water, or something like the Diva Wash in order to get the best results. Don’t use any sort of harsh chemicals or peroxide on your menstrual cup. Diva Wash, plain soap and water and boiling it are the recommended cleaning methods.

For more details about the Moon Cup, check out: Review of the Moon Cup.

The Lunette Cup’s Advice on How Often to Replace a Menstrual Cup

Although the Lunette Cup is very similar to the Diva Cup and MoonCup, the advice the company gives about how often to replace it is quite different.

They say that a menstrual cup can last for up to 10 years. Of course, you should replace it if you notice any tears, holes, or poor condition of it.

For more details about this popular menstrual cup, check out: Lunette Cup Review.

How Often to Replace the Lena Cup

The Lena Cup is quickly becoming one of the most popular menstrual cup in the world. The company is based in the USA and their mission it to provide a top-quality cup at a reasonable price to as many people as possible.

Here’s what the company recommends for how often to replace the Lena Cup.

Be sure to keep your Lena Cup clean because this will improve your vaginal health, as well as prolong the life of the cup.Mild to moderate discolouration after a few years or use is pretty normal. They mention that this does not effect the cup performance. In order to minimize staining, Lena suggests rinsing in cold water before using warm water and soap to clean your cup.

As for how often to replace your menstrual cup, they actually say nothing about this. Well, we’re 99% sure—we scoured their website with a fine tooth comb to see if it was there. If any of our readers find this information out, please comment below and let us know.

For more details about this newcomer to the menstrual cup world, check out: Lena Cup Review.

How Often to Replace the Intimina Ziggy Cup

The Ziggy Cup is a newcomer to the menstrual cup world, and it’s the product that people have been waiting years for! It’s similar to the Soft Cup, but it’s made from medical grade silicone and is reusable.

The cool thing about the Intimina Ziggy Cup is that it’s a flat, flexible disc that fits right below your cervix. This makes it one of the few options for sex during your period.

As for what the company recommends, they say that you should replace your Ziggy Cup every 2 years. Or, even sooner if you notice any rips, punctures, tears, or a sticky, oily film on it.

You should only use a mild soap, or menstrual cup wash to clean it and avoid harsh cleaners, tea-tree oil, alcohol, petroleum based products or bleach.

For more information about it, be sure to check out: Ziggy Cup Review.

The Keeper Cup: 10 Years or More!

The Keeper is a bit of an unusual menstrual cup in that it’s made with latex instead of medical grade silicone like all the other cups. The negative about this is that some people are allergic to latex. Others become intolerant to latex after using the product for many years.

However, the good news is that the Keeper is extremely durable and can last for 10 years or more. Amazing! If you’re looking for some serious value for your money, consider the Keeper Cup! It really does last as long as you want it to!

See this post for more details: Review of the Keeper Menstrual Cup.

How Often to Replace the Sckoon Cup

We love the SckoonCup here at Reusable Menstrual Cups. It’s the cup that the author of this article most often uses! It’s very soft, and comfortable to wear, but it’s also quite easy to insert.

This is a bit unusual in the menstrual cup world in that softer cups are often quite difficult to insert and take a bit of patience.

The company mentions that some companies recommend replacing your cup every year or two, but this is in no way necessary. We strongly agree with them and companies that recommend this are just trying to make more money!

However, the FDA does recommend replacing your period cup every 2 years, so perhaps this is where the recommendation comes from.

Because the Sckoon Cup is made from top-quality silicone, it should last for 5+ years.

They recommend replacing your Sckooncup when there’s a change in the materials, for example it’s sticky, or there are tears in it.

Staining doesn’t affect the performance of the cup, so don’t worry about this.

For more details about this popular new menstrual cup that’s made in the USA, be sure to check out: SckoonCup Review.

How Often to Replace the FemmyCycle

The FemmyCycle menstrual cup is another popular, made in the USA menstrual cup. It’s one of our favourites because of their sizing. They make a “teen” version, which is one of the smallest menstrual cups you can buy.

FemmyCycle also makes a low cervix model, which is one of the shortest menstrual cups on the market today. This is the one we usually recommend for people with very short vaginal canals.

As far as how often to replace the FemmyCycle, the company recommends every 1-2 years. Here is their reasoning.

They mention that yeast or fungi can grow on silicone devices and cause reoccurring yeast infections. By changing your FemmyCycle every year, the possibility of this will be minimized.

They also mention that even if you replace your menstrual cup yearly, it’s still cheaper than and better for the environment than pads or tampons.

We, however, find it totally unnecessary to replace your menstrual cup every year. If you keep it clean, by following our tips at the beginning of the article, it should last far longer than that.How often to replace menstrual cups, including the FemmyCycle? Probably not every year!

Of course, if you do use a menstrual cup and get something like bacterial vaginosis, or a yeast infection, you should strongly suspect your menstrual cup might be the culprit. You should consider getting a new one, particularly if it’s more than a year old.

Otherwise, if you vagina is happy, and there are no signs that the silicone in your FemmyCycle is degrading, then don’t worry about replacing it every year.

In reality, the choice is yours! The FemmyCycle is made from the same material (medical grade silicone) as other top-quality menstrual cups that the companies recommend using for 5+ years.

Check out this popular cup for teens, or people with a low cervix here: FemmyCycle Menstrual Cup Review.

How Often to Replace the Saalt Cup

The Saalt Cup is a bit of a newcomer to the menstrual cup world, but it’s quickly becoming one of the most popular products. It’s made in the USA from top-quality, medical grade silicone and most people who try it really seem to like it.

It’s soft, flexible and comfortable, but it’s also to insert. There’s nothing not to love about the Saalt Cup!

The company says that their product is very durable and can last for up to 10 years. You should replace it if the silicone gets ripped or torn, or you notice signs of wear or deterioration.

Of course, take care of your Saalt Cup well by only washing it with mild soap or a menstrual cup wash. Then, you can boil it for a few minutes between cycles, and store it in the cloth bag that came with it.

To check out this popular new menstrual cup, be sure to check out: Saalt Cup Review.

Saalt Cup Unboxing

How Many Times can you Use a Menstrual Cup?

A common question that people have is how many times they can use a menstrual cup. The advice that the menstrual cup companies give is for a period of time, not a certain number of times.

But, let’s figure it out! Let’s assume the following:

Lifespan of a cup is 5 years

The average person has 60 cycles during that time

The average length of menstruation is 5 days

That’s 300 days of using a menstrual cup

Most people change their menstrual cup 4-5x during a heavy flow day, and 2x a day for a light day. Let’s assume 3 heavy days and 2 light days, for a total 16x using the cup.

If you take out your cup and empty it 16x during your period, and use it for a total of 60 cycles, then you’d use it 960 times.

So how many times does the average person use a menstrual cup? Our best guess is close to 1000.

The Takeaway on How Often to Replace Menstrual Cups

It’s up to you how often you want to replace a menstrual cup as there are no medical or hygienic concerns with using it for more than a year. Of course, if you start to get things like yeast infections, or bacterial vaginosis, you should strongly suspect that your cup might be part of the problem.

You could sterilize it by scrubbing it with some mild soap or menstrual cup cleanser and a toothbrush. Then, boil it for a few minutes in a pot on the stove.

Otherwise, if you’ve had your cup for more than a year or two, consider replacing it.

You should also replace your menstrual cups if there are signs that something is not quite right. These signs could include a strong odour, tears or rips in the menstrual cup material, or lack of firmness.

It’s usually pretty obvious when something isn’t right with your menstrual cup!

Most menstrual cups, especially the white/clear ones become discoloured after a few cycles so this isn’t a major consideration. For most people, it’s not a reason to replace a menstrual cup.

How often to replace menstrual cups, including the Diva Cup? From 1-10 years! It just depends on a whole bunch of factors, including how well you care for the cup, which cup you get, and whether or not you get things like yeast infections easily.

It’s Really Up to You for How Often to Replace Menstrual Cups

How often to replace menstrual cups? It’s mostly up to you! Use your discretion and common sense to decide how often to change yours. Even up to 10 years is possible, as long as you care for your cup correctly. Most people report 2-5 years is a reasonable amount of time however.

Remember: clean your cup thoroughly after you’re done your period, and then store it a loose container with air circulation to get the most years out of your cup. Sterilize it every once in a while and you should be good to go.

Hopefully this answered your question, “How Often to Replace Menstrual Cups?”

How Many Menstrual Cups Do you Need?

One question that we often get asked is how many menstrual cups you need? Some companies sell period cups in a package of two, and make it seem like you need both of them to make it through your period.

In reality, you only need one menstrual cup. The way it works is that you take it out when it’s full and starts to leak (or every 12 hours), clean it with soap and water (or menstrual cup) wash and then reinsert it.

Some companies that try to sell you two cups say that you should deep clean your cup every time you take it out by boiling it in a pot of water on the stove. This is totally unnecessary and most people only do this once per cycle.

How Often to Replace Menstrual Cups? Have your Say

How often do you replace menstrual cups? Do you follow the advice of the company you bought it from? Or, do you just wait until it’s worn out?

Comment below and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to share this on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.