Menstrual cups - how long can you leave it in for?

[SummersBreeze]

I currently use reusable/cloth pads and I love. However sometimes my job can be very demanding and sometimes I miss a chance to go to the toilet and sometimes this can mean wearing the same pad from morning time til night time. I have to wear maternity pads in case I do t get a chance to go to the toilet in the middle of a day and incase my job one's over and I am working late. A schedule like this will mean wearing a pad from the time I get ready in the morning until the til time I finish work at night and that might be 9 or 10 O clock. That's just too long.

Would a menstrual cup give me that type of protection. Morning time (7am) til night time.

There have been many times when I’ve emptied my cup when I wake up and only then emptied it again about an hour before I go to bed which is about a 14 hour gap . No issues so far, I know many women who do routine this as standard.

Technically up to 12.

Yes 12 hours is fine. I often go longer with no issues.

difference between cups and tampons is they don’t dry out the mucous membranes, and aren’t absorbent so the risk of TSS is negligible- i don’t think there’s ever been an associated case.

Technically up to 12 hours. I probably exceed that at the end of my period.
HOWEVER, I've just had 2 periods from hell, and on one spectacular day last month, filled the thing 4 times (the fastest was just half an hour). But the no pad would cope with that either!

It might do. Especially if you don't have particularly heavy days.

But if you misjudge it, or it's a particularly heavy one (something that can be more likely when you're doing sustained exercise/activity), the result can be - spectacular.

In any case, the problem really is that you need to be able to go to the toilet at work - and that's irrespective of whether you are menstruating or not. You do have a right; no employer should fail to provide the opportunity or shrug their shoulders and say 'oh well, it's busy', even bus drivers have toilet breaks built into their routes. It's even very close to sexual discrimination in that women are being put into a situation where they cannot maintain hygiene during menstruation.

At he beginning of my period empty every few hours, nearer the end 12+ hours and it's totally fine.

You can leave a cup in for 12 hours though I usually have to readjust mine at some point and on heavy days empty it more frequently. But if you regularly go that long without a toilet break I'm pretty sure you're putting your health at risk - you must be seriously dehydrated, you're more likely to get UTIs and long-term it's going to be damaging. Is it better from an employer's perspective to have you go off sick when the impact of this takes its toll or to ensure you get a couple of breaks in the day?

Yes it will be fine, perhaps with the added security of a pad or period pants.
They can be tricky to get the hang of at first so do a few practice runs before you do a full day at work.
My tip is for when you're rinsing it out in the sink dont put the water on full blast from the tap 😫if you've ever accidentally held a spoon under a tap it's the same effect but messier.

I can't use mine sadly anymore (left with prolapse after 2 births) but before that I'd put it in at 5.30/6am when I got out of the shower and change it at 6pm ish when I got home and back in the shower. Basically changed it every 12 hours, always in the shower. Was super convenient. I really really miss it 😢