In a bid to save money and reduce waste, many people are swapping their tampons and sanitary pads for menstrual cups
And while they no doubt work great for their intended purpose, did you know that some people are now also using menstrual cups in a bid to get pregnant faster when they are trying for a baby?
According to Parents.com, through word of mouth and the internet, innovative women recently began buzzing about using the cups to conceive.
And strange as this trick may sounds, there could very well be some science to back it up, says Dr Sherry Ross, an a gynaecologist and women’s health expert.
“Having sex and having your partner ‘pull out’ to deposit sperm into a menstrual cup is one method,” Dr. Ross says. “Others have sex and immediately insert a menstrual cup into the vagina to ensure the sperm stays in place, close to the entrance of the uterus.”
Explaining how the device could support your efforts to conceive, Dr Ross explains:
“In every ejaculate, there are millions of sperm swimming around. A menstrual cup full of sperm allows the sperm to only move in only one direction and that is towards the egg. The cervical mucus associated with ovulation helps the sperm swim up through the cervix and uterus ultimately making its way into the fallopian tube where the egg is fertilized. It only takes one sperm to penetrate the egg to allow fertilization to occur. Once the egg is fertilized, cells continue to divide creating an embryo which eventually travels into the uterus where implantation occurs.”
Dr. Ross also points out that keeping sperm close to the cervix and entrance of the uterus for an extended period of time could raise your chances of conception.
“Heathy sperm lives for three days,” Dr. Ross explains. “The longer the sperm hangs out at the cervix and the entrance to the uterus, the better chance it has at swimming up into the fallopian tube to fertilize the egg. Since there are no real guidelines to using a menstrual cup to help keep in sperm at the cervix, I would suggest leaving the cup in place as long as you safely can.”
However, the women’s health expert advises following the general guidelines for menstrual cup wear, which is no more than 12 hours.
