When we first announced the new, “innovative” Flex menstrual cup we weren’t shy in sharing our thoughts. If you haven’t already seen our article, FLEX Enters The Menstrual Cup Market With The Purchase Of Keela Cup, I encourage you to give that a read. In short, we have no love for Flex and this only served to strengthened that. We like to have as many brands as possible represented on our resources and, as we try to get around to testing as many as we can. With one cycle a month it can be a challenge to keep up. Typically, for a review, we have reached out the company for an assist. As you can imagine, when cups are priced from $20-40, and many brands carry more than one size, the expense of purchasing cups quickly becomes unrealistic. Because of our feelings on Flex, we didn’t want to do that and hesitated on spending the money to test them out. That said, I was able to snag a clearance Flex Cup at Target and took it as a sign to review the cup you’ve all been asking for.

I tried the “full fit” Flex Menstrual Cup for two cycles, plus a refresher here or there to see if maybe it was just having bad vag days. You can see what I thought in the video below.

As you saw, the review was not pretty and, honestly, I really struggled with that — as if my awkward uncomfortableness was not enough of a tell. I’m not opposed to sharing a negative opinion, but having so little that’s positive to say about a product that is meant to solve a valid problem feels pretty terrible. While I’m sure there are some people who will love this cup, I am just not one of them. The quick and dirty is this:

Flex Menstrual Cup Pros:

• Flexible, soft silicone – I really love a softer cup and would say that this one fits around a 2 on our scale, which is essentially my ideal firmness
• Color – being an all black cup, it’s not going to show stains
• Possibly good for those with am extremely high cervix – it could be helpful for those who have had the experience of being entirely unable to grasp a cup that has migrated far beyond their reach and ability to ‘pinch the base’ (While a high cervix is a variant of normal, this experience and need is not.)
• Soft stem – while I hate stems, this one is quite soft and flexible. If you’re a stem lover, this one might be okay for you
• Leak free – everyone is different, but the cup didn’t leak for me
• Bonuses – each Flex Cup comes in a discovery pack that includes 2 Flex Discs
• Availability – the Flex Cup is easily purchased at Target, on store shelves, and Amazon

Flex Menstrual Cup Cons:

• By comparison, this cup is terribly difficult to clean – getting the stem out and put back in is annoying at best, and difficult for those who it is aimed to help at worst. I think the idea of a way to release suction better is a good idea, but this just doesn’t translate into an easier to use cup
• Stretchy stem – while the stem on this is soft, it is also terribly elastic. I can definitely see breaking the lower loop portion as a real possibility
• Stem suction and pull – in video demonstrations the cup is held very firmly in place by hands or in a dry tube. These are not good representations of a vaginal environment. You must pull the stem out a pretty long way before it ever puckers in to release suction, making it pull a lot more than the removal of a typical cup. There’s no way I’d use this cup with any form of prolapse
• Not great for a low or dipping cervix – if your cervix tends to tunnel down or dip into your cup, you may very well feel the thick internal stem designed to help release suction at the rim. For some, pressure of this type on the cervix is quite uncomfortable and may even cause nausea or cramps (it does for me)

Bottom Line?

I really, really don’t like this cup — at least in comparison with all of the other cups on the market. If it was the only one I had access to, I would probably use it over a traditional tampon, but I’m not sure I would use it over an organic tampon. I could probably get past the cleaning hassle but the inability to trim or tuck the stem is a hard pass for me.