Collapsible Menstrual Cups: A Complete Guide

I went out on a mission to find out if there are any collapsible or foldable menstrual cups out there and indeed there are.

I wanted to see which brands are available and if they're of good quality.

And if they would actually work considering the collapsible design compared to regular non-collapsible cups.

I don't exactly know how collapsible cups are manufactured but my guess is that the process is not that different from that of regular cups so there shouldn't be that much of a difference when it comes to quality, features, and performance.

And in case you're wondering, standard cups are made from medical-grade silicone or medical-grade TPE that is placed in special molding machines and is then injected under high pressure into the cup molds.

The finished cups are then cooled, removed, and checked for errors.

You can check out all the TPE cups that are available in the article A Complete List of TPE Menstrual Cups that I wrote.

What Is a Collapsible Menstrual Cup?

A collapsible menstrual cup is a menstrual cup that has a special body design compared to standard menstrual cups and that collapses flat so that it can occupy less space so that you can conveniently fit it in your pocket, backpack, or purse.

Menstrual cups are typically made from medical-grade silicone, medical-grade TPE, or rubber (latex).

The collapsible menstrual cups that I found are all made from silicone.

Further down in this post, you'll see which cups I managed to find.

What to Consider Before Buying a Collapsible Menstrual Cup

Menstrual cups are great (don't take my word for it, instead check out my article 12 Reasons Why You Should Switch From Panty Liners, Pads, and Tampons to a Menstrual Cup where I lay out the facts).

Especially if you're out and about.

For example, if you're going out camping, or plan on going on a long trek, you'd be wasting valuable space if you were to bring along a ton of pads or tampons.

Not to mention the amount of trash that would accumulate.

What you could do instead is to bring along a menstrual cup that is reusable and takes up less space in your pack.

Or even better, you could bring along a collapsible menstrual cup.

You'll be able to fold it flat and it'll save you even more space!

Isn't that cool?

But it's not only great for when you're out trekking, hiking, or out camping.

No, a collapsible menstrual cup can also have its place in your day to day life.

For example, if you're traveling for work, when you're at school, for emergencies, or if you just want to show it off to your friends.

I know it all sounds super great but a couple of things that you should be aware of, however, is that the dimensions (diameter, body length, stem length, and capacity), firmness, cervical height, and stem type of these cups might not be ideal for you and your body.

But I'll help you address that in the last section of this post.

Now, let's have a look at the cups.

Collapsible Menstrual Cups

Here's a list of all of the collapsible menstrual cups that I managed to find:

Intimina Lily Cup One

About Intimina

Intimina is a Swedish brand.

For those of you that don't know, Sweden is in the northern part of Europe and they're neighbors with Finland, Lunette's home base.

Scandinavia has actually got quite a few menstrual cup brands.

And they're actually pretty awesome at developing and producing menstrual cup products.

So you should definitely see it as a good sign if your cup comes from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, or Finland.

So judging by this, and even though the cups are manufactured in China, I'd say it's safe to assume that these cups are of high quality and should be considered a great alternative compared to other collapsible cups.

Features

But what about features?

Intimina Lily Cup One is made from silky smooth medical-grade silicone — it's so soft and smooth that you'll not feel it at all.

It has a double rim that is slightly firmer than the body.

The rim folds really small at the tip so it's nice and easy to get in.

It also pops open easily during insertion.

It can be a bit difficult to remove, however.

Because of the firmer rim that is difficult to bend when you're trying to break the seal.

So it's not the most beginner-friendly cup out there when it comes to removal.

The rim has got tiny air holes to let air in and out for creating and breaking the suction during insertion and removal.

The bottom of the cup features grip rings and a ring which helps with the removal.

While I wouldn't say that this cup is a low cervix cup per se, you can still use it if you have a low cervix if you push and fold up the ring once you've inserted it.

You can always try it out and see if this method works for you.

Finally, the Lily Cup One comes with a nice pink protective case meant for storing your cup when it's not in use or when you need to carry it around.

The case has tiny ventilation holes at the bottom to prevent mold.

And size-wise, it'll fit into the palm of your hand in its compact form.

What's in the box:

• 1 Intimina Lily Cup One Collapsible Menstrual Cup (One-Size)
• 1 Protective Case
• Instructions

* 1-5. 1 = Very Soft, 5 = Very Firm.

  Buy Intimina Lily Cup One Coupon 10% Off

Intimina Lily Cup Compact

Size A Images

Size B Images

The Lily Cup Compact is not that different from the Lily Cup One in terms of features, performance, and functionality.

It has a similar design but with a regular stem instead of a ring and a more squared shape compared to the Lily Cup One which is more round.

And like the Lily Cup One, the body is a bit softer than the rim.

The rim has tiny air holes to let air in and out for creating and breaking the suction during insertion and removal.

The difference in firmness of the rim and the base of this cup will require some practice breaking the seal and getting it out.

Also, note that the Lily Cup Compact does not have any grip rings on it so you'll have to pinch and grab the base or use the stem whenever you need to adjust it.

The Lily Cup Compact comes with a nice pink protective case for storing your cup when it's not in use or when you need to carry it around.

The case has tiny ventilation holes at the bottom to prevent mold and it'll fit into the palm of your hand in its compact form.

The Lily Cup Compact is available in two sizes:

Size A and Size B.

Size A is for light to regular flow and if you have a low to average cervix.

Size B is for regular to heavy flow and if you have an average to high cervix.

What's in the box:

• 1 Intimina Lily Cup Compact Collapsible Menstrual Cup (Size A or Size B)
• 1 Protective Case
• Instructions

* 1-5. 1 = Very Soft, 5 = Very Firm.

  Buy Intimina Lily Cup Compact Size A Coupon 10% Off   Buy Intimina Lily Cup Compact Size B Coupon 10% Off

Other Collapsible Menstrual Cups

It shouldn't be a surprise to you that you can find almost anything on sites such as Alibaba or AliExpress.

So I went there and found the following collapsible cups:

Look familiar? 

And yeah, that's it.

No more cups 🤷‍♀️.

Collapsible Menstrual Cups Summary

So as you can see, surprisingly, there aren't a lot of these types of cups.

This is a bit disappointing in my opinion but at the same time makes choosing one a breeze.

But if you really want to have a collapsible cup buy a Lily Cup One or a Lily Cup Compact depending on the variables I discussed earlier and that you can learn more about in the last section (How to Know If a Collapsible Menstrual Cup Will Fit You) of this post.

Collapsible Menstrual Cups Comparison Chart

How to Know If a Collapsible Menstrual Cup Will Fit You

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that you should be aware of cup dimensions (diameter, body length, stem length, and capacity), firmness, cervical height, and stem type if you're considering a collapsible menstrual cup or any cup for that matter.

It's important because you'd want to have the most pleasant cup experience as possible.

So here's what you need to think about:

Firmness

Athletes or very active people with toned pelvic floor muscles find that a firmer cup holds up and stays in place better for them during extreme workouts.

They also find that firmer cups open more easily.

The majority of these sporty people also say that when they instead use a softer cup it tends to leak.

This happens because when inside of you when exercising a softer cup can literally collapse, be knocked loose, or pop out of position and make a bloody mess!

So if you're an active person and do sports the Intimina collapsible cups might not be your best option.

If you want to learn more about sport cups check out my article Menstrual Cups for Sport and Exercise: A Complete Guide.

If you have a sensitive bladder, however, the Intimina foldable cups are a great alternative since you'll not feel them and they will not put any pressure on your bladder.

Stem Type

Also, if you're more delicate than normal you should consider buying a cup with a ring (Check out my article Menstrual Cups With a Ring to see a list of some cool-looking ring stem designs!).

A ring stem is usually less pokey.

So if you're very delicate choose the Lily Cup One.

If you're not that delicate, choose any of the three Intimina collapsible cups.

Capacity

Another thing to look for in a cup is capacity.

If you have a very heavy period then these cups might not be ideal for you since they're both in the 18 to 23 ml range.

Usually what I recommend for a very heavy period is a cup that can hold 35 ml or more.

If you have a light to normal period then these cups should work fine.

Cervical Height

It's important that you know where your cervix is located before buying a menstrual cup.

It's actually one of the most important factors when it comes to choosing a menstrual cup.

I highly recommend that you read my article about menstrual cups and cervical height here (low cervix) and here (high cervix).

CUP-FIGURATOR™ Menstrual Cup Finder

Now that you know a little bit more about what you need to think about before purchasing a cup, and in particular a collapsible cup, I would like to introduce you to our very own sophisticated menstrual cup finder tool:

CUP-FIGURATOR™.

CUP-FIGURATOR™ not only speeds up the process of finding a menstrual cup but it also provides you with some handy comparison tools that will save you even more time and effort.

So, if you haven't tried it already, I recommend giving it a go.

I hope you found this post useful — see you in the next one!

Rose Desrosiers

2 years ago  9 min