Menstrual discs, explained

A disc is one of six formats in the Reading Room, and it is often explained in marketing words. This Column uses other words: a clinical review’s, the makers’ instructions, and Health Canada’s. It describes each step as those sources describe it. It does not rank discs against any other format. Two people with the same flow choose differently, and both are right.

What it is

Clinicians describe a menstrual disc as having “a rubber or silicone rim similar to a menstrual cup”. Attached to the rim is a collection basin, “usually wider and shallower than a cup”. The rim holds the disc in place. The basin holds the blood.

A disc collects period blood. It does not absorb it. That is why a disc’s package may state a capacity in millilitres rather than an absorbency word like “super”. How much each format holds, and why the numbers differ, is in the Column “‘Super’ on a period pad and ‘Super’ on a tampon are not the same thing.”

Discs come in two kinds. Reusable discs are washed and used again. Disposable discs are used once. Health Canada has licensed both kinds as medical devices.

A disc collects period blood. It does not absorb it.

How it’s used

Where it sits. One maker says a disc sits in “the vaginal fornix (just beneath the cervix)”. Another maker says to “tuck the front of the rim behind your pubic bone”. Clinicians add that “Menstrual discs have no suction component”.

Putting it in. The makers’ steps are alike: pinch the disc, insert it back and down towards the tailbone, then tuck the front of the rim up. Two makers say to tuck it behind the pubic bone. One maker says: “It can take a couple of cycles to find your rhythm…”

Wearing it. The instructions for your own disc give its wear time. The sources we checked include no Canadian health body’s figure for discs.

Taking it out. Clinicians write that removal “is accomplished by digitally reaching the rim or tabs extending from the rim”. One maker says to hook a finger under the rim and pull slowly, “keeping it parallel to the floor”. Another describes a pull-tab: “feel the pull-tab, hooking your finger underneath… Angle it downward”.

What it’s made of

Clinicians describe the rim as “rubber or silicone” and the basin as “flexible plastic or silicone”.

One maker of reusable discs lists its material as silicone and pigments.

One maker lists its disposable discs as made of polymers.

The maker’s instructions are the place to check what a particular disc is made of. Periodica makes no judgement about materials. This Column names them as the sources name them.

Care or disposal

Reusable discs. Makers say to boil a reusable disc, and their timings differ: 5 minutes before first use and between cycles; 5 to 10 minutes before first use; 10 minutes “once every month or so”. Between uses during a period, one maker says to wash it “with a mild, artificial fragrance free, oil-free soap”. The same maker says to store it in its “cotton pouch” and “never… in an airtight container”. Another says to replace a reusable disc “every two to three years, or as soon as it begins to show any signs of deterioration”. Cleaning between uses and between periods has its own Column: “Cleaning a cup or disc, between uses and between periods”.

Disposable discs. One maker says its disposable discs “are single-use products and cannot be washed and reworn”. It adds that they “cannot be flushed or recycled”, and says to wrap a used disc before it goes in the garbage. Canada’s Department of National Defence puts one rule plainly: “No period products should be flushed down a toilet.”

Where makers differ, your own disc’s instructions come first.

What the label tells you (in Canada)

Here is what Canadian rules say about discs, in the rule-makers’ own words.

Discs are medical devices in Canada, and they must be licensed by Health Canada. Health Canada has issued Class 2 licences to reusable discs and to single-use discs. A licence can end. Some disc licences were cancelled in December 2023. Anyone can look up a licence in Health Canada’s Medical Devices Active Licence Listing (MDALL).

The Medical Devices Regulations say a device label must include “the directions for use, unless directions are not required… for the device to be used safely and effectively”. It must also include “any special storage conditions applicable to the device”, in “terms that are easily understood by the intended user”.

Tampon labels carry a required safety statement. Health Canada’s labelling guidance has product appendices only for contact lenses and tampons; it sets no disc-specific statement. There is no Canadian absorbency standard for discs either.

Common questions

Reusable or disposable? Both exist, and Health Canada has licensed both. A reusable disc is boiled, washed and stored between periods, as its maker instructs. A disposable disc is used once and goes in the garbage.

What is “auto-dumping”? Clinicians describe it this way: “In some instances, users get reliable leaks during urination, when the decompressed bladder alters the disc’s position, a phenomenon called ‘auto dumping,’ which has been advertised as an advantage of the menstrual disc.” One maker puts it like this: “the disc can come slightly untucked. Some blood may come out in the toilet”. This Column reports both. It gives no verdict.

What about an IUD? Clinicians note that no data exist specific to discs and IUDs. One maker says “it’s always best to talk to your healthcare provider before using any internal menstrual care product with an IUD”. Another notes “a small risk of any internally worn menstrual product getting caught on your IUD, including tampons, menstrual discs, and menstrual cups”. Neither maker’s line is about discs alone. If you have an IUD, this is a question for your healthcare provider.

What if the rim is hard to reach? In forums, some people describe finding the rim hard to reach, and some describe a partner helping. The sources we checked give no instructions for this. A healthcare provider can talk it through.

Troubleshooting

Leaking. A clinical brief report puts it this way: “The flexibility of the discs contributes to an increased level of comfort for some users; however, this flexibility can also increase the risk of leaks.” Clinicians also write: “Valsalva can tilt the disc and release the seal, increasing the chance of leaking.” Valsalva means bearing down, as when straining. The makers’ instructions return to the last step: the front of the rim tucked “behind your pubic bone”.

Hard to reach, or hard to remove. Clinicians describe removal as “reaching the rim or tabs extending from the rim”. If you cannot remove a disc, contact a healthcare provider.

Spills when it comes out. Clinicians mention spills with removal. A small student study reported that “removal was easy but messy”. One maker’s advice is to keep the disc “parallel to the floor” as it comes out.

What this is not

This Column described menstrual discs in the words of a clinical review, the makers’ instructions and Health Canada. It did not compare brands or rank formats. It makes no claim that a disc suits any particular body, flow or IUD. It did not tell you which format to choose.