For most of her life, Lily Palmer believed her irregular periods were just something to live with. She got her first period at 14, going on 15. Through her twenties, it might show up once every eight months, then twice in one month, then vanish for half a year. Every doctor she asked gave her a version of the same line: you're fine, don't worry about it unless you're trying to get pregnant. So she didn't.

It took until 40 for that to change. In this customer story on The Saalt Show, Saalt co-founder and CEO Cherie Hoeger talks with Lily about growing up scared of her own body, getting waved off by doctors for years, learning the menstrual cup, and finally making peace with her period. Lily also hands over a line so good that Cherie adopts it on the spot: it's going to be weird, but it's so worth it.

Table of contents

• Years of being told she was fine

• Getting a real answer about PCOS

• Why straight talk beat cutesy nicknames

• Learning the cup over three cycles

• What the research says about cramping

• Heavy periods, discs, and overnight care

• Talking about periods without shame

• How to try a menstrual cup for the first time

• FAQ

• Listen to the episode

Years of being told she was fine

Lily's periods were rarely regular. As a teenager and into her twenties, she would go months without one, with no way to track it and no warning when it arrived. When she raised it with doctors, the answer rarely changed. It was normal, or her levels might not be great, but she would be fine.

The sentence she heard the most was that unless she was trying to get pregnant, she did not need to worry. She was not planning to have a baby, so she took the permission to stop thinking about it. As she puts it, it is easy to ignore a problem when someone tells you that you can. Cherie points out how often women's health gets a one-size-fits-all answer, and why real conversations about it matter so much.

Getting a real answer about PCOS

In her early thirties, Lily read about PCOS and felt sure it described what she was going through. A doctor at the time told her she had to check every box, cysts and all, or it could not be that. The idea got shut down in a couple of sentences.

Years later, a new doctor told her something different: you only need two of the three signs, and you clearly have it. That small correction reshaped how she understood her own body. Her main symptoms were the irregular periods, shifts in her metabolism, and cyclical cramping and PMS-style symptoms even in months without bleeding. She tried the pill and an IUD, found that hormonal options did not work for her, and now uses a prescribed option to help start a period when one does not come on its own. Walking more has helped too.

Why straight talk beat cutesy nicknames

When Lily went looking for help with the cup, she found a lot of creators who talk around the subject with nicknames to stay advertiser-friendly. That was not what she needed. She needed someone to tell her exactly what was happening and what to do.

Saalt's education felt different. As Lily describes it, it was like talking to an older sister who tells you everything, with no cutesy names and no dancing around the words. Cherie explains that this is on purpose. Saalt calls its voice "your best friend's older sister," someone savvy and in the know who can make a hard, ambiguous topic feel simple. Cherie's background is in technical writing, including college textbooks on health, so plain and useful is the goal.

Learning the cup over three cycles

Lily is honest that the cup took her about three cycles to figure out. Long gaps between her periods meant she felt like she was relearning it each time. Her early trouble was the seal. She would feel the cup pop open at the wrong moment and realize it had not been placed right.

What kept her going was simple stubbornness and a bit of faith in herself. If one other person could do it, so could she. Now she calls herself a pro. Her takeaway for anyone nervous: stick with it and believe in yourself a little more each cycle, and you will get there.

What the research says about cramping

One of the things Lily noticed was less cramping and shorter periods after she started using reusables. Cherie had the same experience years ago, before founding Saalt, and is careful to say the team is not a medical board and does not claim to know the cause.

Cherie also shares what a new consumer study Saalt funded and People Science administered found. Participants used tampons for one cycle, then switched to cups or discs for two cycles and reported their symptoms. The three improvements people named most were less cramping, fatigue, and bloating. Eight in 10 said their period symptoms improved across the board. For cramping specifically, 4% reported zero cramping at baseline on tampons, and that rose to 24% on cups and discs, so users were six times more likely to report no cramping. Shorter periods came up too, but the study did not measure that.

Heavy periods, discs, and overnight care

Lily has heavy, unpredictable periods, the kind where she used to put a towel down at night. She started with the cup as her safety net, then tried a disc because of its higher capacity. A Saalt disc can hold up to six times the volume of a tampon, compared with up to four times for the largest cup.

For heavy overnight flow, Cherie recommends pairing the disc with leakproof period underwear. Saalt calls its underwear line Saaltware, and the Cloud Short has an extended gusset built for overnight. Lily also picked up a tip that solves the most common cup complaint, changing it in a public restroom: a small squeeze bottle in the travel kit lets you rinse the cup right over the toilet, no sink required.

Talking about periods without shame

Lily grew up feeling like her period was gross and off-limits to talk about. Her mom came from a conservative background and was wary of tampons, so a lot of Lily's learning happened on her own. Each new step felt like a leap, the tampon at 14, then the cup at nearly 40.

At 40, she talks about all of it openly. Cherie shares Saalt's view that a period is a sign of vitality and health, and that the shame and stigma around it have held women back for too long. Both land on the same place: irregular periods are worth a real conversation with a doctor, not silence.

How to try a menstrual cup for the first time

Tips Cherie and Lily share in the episode:

1. Try it in the shower. Water acts as a natural lubricant and it is a no-risk spot to practice. You can even practice off your period.

2. Fold the cup and insert it horizontally.

3. Listen and feel for the pop. The cup should open up once it is in.

4. Run a finger around the rim and give it a little twist to clear out folds, since a fold is what causes leaks.

5. Position it directly under your cervix. Cherie compares it to placing a cup under a faucet so nothing escapes to the side.

6. Find your cervix height with the finger trick. First knuckle is low, second is medium, and not feeling it means high. That tells you which size fits best.

7. Expect to give it two to three cycles. Some people get it right away, others need time, and that is normal.

FAQ

Who is the guest on Episode 4 of The Saalt Show? Lily Palmer, a Saalt customer of about three years from Albuquerque, New Mexico, who has navigated PCOS, irregular periods, and perimenopause.

What does "weird, but worth it" mean? It is Lily's advice for anyone on the fence about trying a menstrual cup. Switching to something new can feel strange at first, but in her experience it paid off. Cherie liked it enough to adopt it as a show slogan.

How long does it take to learn a menstrual cup? It varies. Lily took about three cycles. Saalt suggests planning for two to three cycles, since anatomy and positioning differ for everyone.

What is the difference between a menstrual cup and a disc? Both collect flow instead of absorbing it. A disc sits behind the pubic bone and holds more, up to six times a tampon's volume, which can suit heavy flow. A cup uses suction and sits under the cervix. The best fit depends on your anatomy and pelvic floor.

Did the study prove cups reduce cramping? No. The study captured self-reported experiences. Users reported less cramping, fatigue, and bloating after switching, and 24% reported zero cramping on cups and discs versus 4% on tampons. Saalt does not claim to know the cause.

Listen to the episode

Listen to The Saalt Show at saaltshow.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

Connect with the host

Cherie Hoeger, Co-Founder & CEO of Saalt: Instagram and LinkedIn

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Disclaimer

Individual results vary. In a study of 188 participants tracking 3 cycles, 24% of users reported zero cramping with Saalt vs. 4% at baseline. Saalt products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition. Study conducted by People Science capturing self-reported experiences.