1. The first time you hold a menstrual cup in your hands, you think, "My God, how is this ever going to fit inside of me?"
2. You quickly learn that there's no halfway. It either feels like an elephant has taken up residence inside you, or you can't feel it at all.
3. And it's a bummer when you realize that it may take a few cycles to get the hang of it, and that you're just going to have to deal with a few leaks until then.
4. That relief you feel when you discover that you can cut the stem without having to worry about it.
5. It seems like every time you have to remove the cup in a hurry, it gets harder to take out.
6. You have to learn a very specific and personally tailored form of origami that works for you.
7. Having to explain that you didn't take that pot out for cooking, but because it's about time you boiled your cup.
8. When you get used to the cup and suddenly become very scared of forgetting about it and leaving it in there forever.
9. Finding out that there are disposable menstrual cups and you think to yourself "FOR WHAT???"
10. Feeling the cup protest when you try to go to the bathroom.
11. And you never quite realize how much your vagina moves around until you have a menstrual cup in there.
12. You even start to look forward to your period so that you can use your cup.
13. Nothing can ruin your day like forgetting your cup in the pot of boiling water.
14. When you meet another cup user, you instantly feel a bond of sisterhood with them.
15. You always feel a sense of pride that you're being ecological, and that you never have to clean our the trash can in your bathroom again.
16. You've definitely developed an intolerance for regular pads.
17. Then you get a little obsessed, and start to buy a bunch of cute new cups, even though you know you only need one.
18. And you can never hear someone talk about menstrual cups without chiming in and talking about how great menstrual cups are.
This post was translated from Portuguese.