Menstural cups?

green dolphin

taram wrote: »

And tampons aren't sterile either remember, neither are penises, or most toys

that is a very good point i hadn't considered!

VexedRed

Had heard about menstrual cups years and years ago, came across this thread and now am finally getting around to getting one after reading your pro-cup stories!
I can't say I am comfortable with the idea of the initial figuring it out stage but hoping all goes well. I really hate tampons-they never seem to sit quite right with me and pads are just messy and annoying so I'm hoping I have finally found my answer. I know it's sad but am kinda looking forward to it :eek: cos I can't stands these damn tampons no more!

Should be getting mine tomorrow-if Boots have 'em. Will let you know how I get on!:)

Assets Model

Go for it vexed I got mine a few months ago and am so happy with it.

anucksunamun

hey ladies, found this article very interesting re sex while wearing menstrual cups, and other suggestions to keep it 'clean' (when is sex ever clean;)) thought I'd share:


you have two options when it comes to cups and penetrative sex – 1. Softcups, 2. Diaphragms.

Softcups are the same sort of idea as menstrual cups however they are disposable and diaphragm-shaped, sitting up close to the cervix it means that you can have penetrative sex while wearing one to protect against blood getting messy. I’d not advise it though; softcups aren’t anywhere as good as menstrual cups so they can leak, and from personal experience I can tell you that during penetrative sex they can’t be felt by you but they can be felt by the man – some guys may be fine with it, others may be freaked out (my ex was!) http://www.softcup.com

Diaphragms, basically these can be used just like menstrual cups or softcups as long as your flow isn’t too heavy – they don’t leak that much, but they don’t hold nearly as much flow as menstrual cups or softcups. These are much better for penetrative sex during menstruation as less likely to leak, reusable so still environmentally friendly (although despite being disposable softcups still beat tampons hands-down when it comes to the environment) and cheap, and more importantly as they are made to be worn during penetrative sex they can be worn without being felt by either of you.

You always have the options of using nothing at all, using an old towel or period blanket, sex in the bath or shower, or you can use sponge http://www.jadeandpearl.com , cloth or soft tampons http://www.gynotex.com – although of course tampons increase your risk of vaginal infections, these tampon types aren’t as high-risk as commercial tampons but it is still worth remembering if you’re prone to vaginal infections.

Menstrual cups can be worn for sex during your period, only not so great for penis to vaginal penetrative sex because of course they get in the way and reduce the effectiveness of the menstrual cup in doing it's job. For things like oral etc. menstrual cups are fine as they don't leak and have nothing showing on the outside - although I'd recommend silicone brands such as Divacup, Mooncup, and Ladycup as rubber cups such as the Keeper leave you with a rubber taste and smell.

ztoical

anucksunamun wrote: »

Diaphragms, basically these can be used just like menstrual cups or softcups as long as your flow isn’t too heavy – they don’t leak that much, but they don’t hold nearly as much flow as menstrual cups or softcups. These are much better for penetrative sex during menstruation as less likely to leak, reusable so still environmentally friendly (although despite being disposable softcups still beat tampons hands-down when it comes to the environment) and cheap, and more importantly as they are made to be worn during penetrative sex they can be worn without being felt by either of you.

the article doesn't make it very clear the diaphragm is a method of contraception not made for collecting period blood [though it does do that] Diaphragms use to be a very common method of contraception but with the arrival of the pill became less common, just in case some of the younger ladies have never heard of them. It should also be pointed out you need to be fitted for a diaphragm by a doctor to make sure it fits correctly thus working correctly as contraception.

Quality

Got my first mooncup recently and I think they are brilliant!!

Thanks girls, I would never have ever heard about them only for this thread.

I find it very comfortable to wear and it is great that I dont have any of the litter associated with applicator tampons.

bnagrrl

How long can you leave it in for?

Quality

4 - 8 hours its suitable during exercise and overnight!!

bnagrrl

Quality wrote: »

4 - 8 hours its suitable during exercise and overnight!!

Took me so long to get it in right I'd like to leave it in as long as possible before going at it again! :P

VexedRed

Got my mooncup yesterday-it's huge! Even when you fold it it's still about twice the width of a tampon... first time promises to be an interesting experience!:D

iguana

bnagrrl wrote: »

How long can you leave it in for?

It's safe to leave in for 12 hours, but in day 1 and 2 the odds are you'll have to change it more often.

When it comes to needing to change it in a public toilet where the sinks aren't in the cubicle I've developed a trick. I take it out, empty it, flush the toilet and give it a quick rinse it the flow of water as it comes out. It sounds a bit odd, but it's clean water and is a quick fix if you're stuck.

dosed

Got my mooncup yesterday-it's huge! Even when you fold it it's still about twice the width of a tampon... first time promises to be an interesting experience!

how are you folding it? personally I find the fold in the instructions way too big.

this video has a million different folds, but you might see one that is easier than just folding it in half. the one one i use is called the 'punch-down' i believe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-PX3BWwjPY&feature=channel_page

VexedRed

dosed wrote: »

how are you folding it? personally I find the fold in the instructions way too big.

this video has a million different folds, but you might see one that is easier than just folding it in half. the one one i use is called the 'punch-down' i believe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-PX3BWwjPY&feature=channel_page

Hey-thanks for the link! I must say, I never would have thought of consulting YouTube!

I was just using the folding instructions in the leaflet. There are a few ones on the tutorial video that I will prob try now-they look a bit more manageable. Some even look quite arty-the origami one looks like a rose!

Jenroche

Sounds way too fiddly for my liking but good luck to anyone who's using mooncups.

Jen ;->

Ms. Crabapple

Hi all,
I've read through all the posts here and followed the links and would love to try the mooncup. I was just looking up the sizes. I'm 28 (nearly 29) and have no children so should I still get the B size (for women under 30 who haven't given birth) or just get the A size ( which are for those who are over 30 and/or have given birth vaginally)? I searched the FAQ on the mooncup website but no joy. Does anyone know where I could get an answer to this? It's just that I don't want to buy a small size I'll only use for a year and then have to bin.

Morgase

Ms. Crabapple wrote: »

Hi all,
I've read through all the posts here and followed the links and would love to try the mooncup. I was just looking up the sizes. I'm 28 (nearly 29) and have no children so should I still get the B size (for women under 30 who haven't given birth) or just get the A size ( which are for those who are over 30 and/or have given birth vaginally)? I searched the FAQ on the mooncup website but no joy. Does anyone know where I could get an answer to this? It's just that I don't want to buy a small size I'll only use for a year and then have to bin.

I'd say you'd be fine with the smaller one, especially if you haven't used it before and need to get used to using it.

phic

Ms. Crabapple wrote: »

Hi all,
I've read through all the posts here and followed the links and would love to try the mooncup. I was just looking up the sizes. I'm 28 (nearly 29) and have no children so should I still get the B size (for women under 30 who haven't given birth) or just get the A size ( which are for those who are over 30 and/or have given birth vaginally)? I searched the FAQ on the mooncup website but no joy. Does anyone know where I could get an answer to this? It's just that I don't want to buy a small size I'll only use for a year and then have to bin.

What worries me about this is what exactly is going to happen to my vagina the day I turn 30?!
Mooncup looks pretty good though, read an article about these years ago, but the writer wasn't very impressed by them so I didn't consider it.
I may now though! €30 seems a bit pricey though!

Knee-Vee

Ended up getting one about seven months ago, and I honestly wouldn't be without it now - I even pop it in my bag if I'm going places in the week before I'm due, just in case. It does leak a little if you put it in too far, but once it's in and you have the stalk trimmed to a length that doesn't drive you nuts you forget it's even there. Brilliant! It's not as big as I thought it would be - the open end is about as big around as a walnut in its shell, and it's about the length of the teats on bigger baby bottles.

dosed

Ms. Crabapple wrote: »

Hi all,
I've read through all the posts here and followed the links and would love to try the mooncup. I was just looking up the sizes. I'm 28 (nearly 29) and have no children so should I still get the B size (for women under 30 who haven't given birth) or just get the A size ( which are for those who are over 30 and/or have given birth vaginally)? I searched the FAQ on the mooncup website but no joy. Does anyone know where I could get an answer to this? It's just that I don't want to buy a small size I'll only use for a year and then have to bin.

I guess if you do kegals and stuff you'll be fine with the smaller size for a while?! i don't know, the sizes are only guidelines afterall. Some of the brands are only one size, i guess somewhere in the middle of a & b, maybe try one of those?

xoxyx

Ok - at first, reading the initial posts, I had a definite "eww" reaction, but, reading on, I do see how the cups can be useful - especially for swimming.
However, whilst I'm all into helping the environment and economising, I do think this is one area where a woman is allowed to be a bit selfish and I would never change what I use just because it would be a bit more green or save me a few euros.
I think the best thing is whatever makes you comfortable but, by the sounds of it, these cups could be the next big thing once there is more awareness of them - as I, for one, have never heard about them before.

rannerap

i had never heard of them until going to electric picnic last year,they sold them at one of the stall things

dosed

z_topaz wrote: »

However, whilst I'm all into helping the environment and economising, I do think this is one area where a woman is allowed to be a bit selfish and I would never change what I use just because it would be a bit more green or save me a few euros.

lol, im completley the same, not much of an eco warrior!

I use them solely for comfort and convenience. the green factor is just a bonus for me.

lily lou

The mooncup is the best thing I've ever bought. I first heard of it on Boards and thought "no way" but the more I read the more I thought "maybe"

The first time I used it I had no problem putting it in but had a slight problem taking it out, but I'd forgotten that on another thread someone advised "bearing down" to make it easier to get out, have had no problems since. I absolutely love my mooncup:D

green dolphin

after reading some of this thread a few weeks ago i dug out my mooncup again (...from a drawer, not my eh, drawers) and gave it another try. i forgot how much of a nightmare it is to remove it! ugh! so easy to insert, so awfully difficult to pull back out. i know there's a technique to it, and i had my own way figured out, but i guess i forgot the mild truama and time involved in the bearing down, pulling and 'breaking of the vacuum seal' (not to mention the anticipation of the sight of whats inside)... certainly not for the sqeamish but at least it only needs to be done about once or twice a day for a couple of days a month. and i do appreciate that it doesn't mess with the natural moisture levels in my lady garden the way tampons do.

Piste

I had thought the squeamish factor would bother me, but now I'm thinking it wouldn't be so bad. One of the good things about being a lady is you get used to the sight of blood very quickly. Gore in films doesn't bother me nearly as much anymore.

smilingeyerish

Ive been using the mooncup for over a year now and i would never ever use anything else again.

tampons always leaked for me the mooncup has never leaked once, its so easy to use,you dont need to dispose of anything, you never need to worry about running out of tampons or pads. its just so good!

i cannot recommend this enough!

i do aqua aerobics and swim regularly and i dont notice it in the slightest.

someday these will be the only things that people use, i have no doubt about that, i cant believe that these are not advertised more, although i do agree that it will put the tampon/ST industry out of business if it is.

i am not using these to save the environment at all, although it is a nice side output, i am using them because in my opinion they are far superior to anything else!

jeese i sound like a own a mooncup making factory the way i am pushing these! ( i dont!!!! would be a good investment though!)

Das Kitty

Don't worry, I'm also a Menstrual Cup evangelist!

Piste

The only thing putting me off them is the 30 euro price tag. I know it'll pay for itself over tiem, but seeing as my mum usually buys the pads and tampons for the house they cost me nothing.

iguana

You could buy one from ebay which with postage to Ireland will cost €22 at today's exchange rate.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/UK-MOONCUP-Size-A-Tampon-Alternative_W0QQitemZ230348114334QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Health_HealthCare_RL?hash=item35a1d1499e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A15|66%3A2|39%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

Liquorice

I'm definitely getting one when I move out in September and leave my mum's just-in-case-of-nuclear-holocaust-sized stock of tampons and pads. I've noticed that when people bring it up in conversation quite often it's with a look of disgust so I'm glad people here are making me feel less stigmatized for wanting to use one! I could never fathom why people find the idea gross, there are plenty of yucky things that come out of your body that you don't have to deal with visually but period blood is something you have to see (and smell, and occasionally touch) more so than most other excrement. If anything, the cup is wayyy less gross than pads, 'cause it keeps everything somewhere inside until you're ready to empty it, rather than letting it drip out onto a strip of cotton.

lily lou

green dolphin wrote: »

i forgot how much of a nightmare it is to remove it! ugh! so easy to insert, so awfully difficult to pull back out. i know there's a technique to it, and i had my own way figured out, but i guess i forgot the mild truama and time involved in the bearing down, pulling and 'breaking of the vacuum seal'

I find if you bear down and squeeze the cup fairly high up that the seal breaks quite easily, the only time I had a problem was the 1st time I used it, it's been plain sailing since then!!

green dolphin

lily lou wrote: »

I find if you bear down and squeeze the cup fairly high up that the seal breaks quite easily, the only time I had a problem was the 1st time I used it, it's been plain sailing since then!!

yeah, my problem is that i have to bear down for a while before i can grip it properly. maybe i'm inserting it too high, but when i've kept it lower i've been able to feel it inside, which is not good. its hard because i think one of the recommendations is to squat down to help remove it, but i don't like to do that incase theres drips after i pull it out.
and the squeamish factor for me isn't so much the sight of blood (mines usually brownish though, which i find grosser than regular red blood) its the warmth of the cup in your fingers. theres something really weird about it, like you've just removed a part of yourself or something.
in theory the pro's outweigh the con's for me, but in practice i've still been reaching for the lil-lets (btw, anyone with the tampon leakage problem should try lil-lets rather than tampax. i haven't used tampax in years but afaik they expand more length ways whereas lil-lets and other non-applicator ones expand width ways.)

VexedRed

So after hearing about the Mooncup here on Boards.ie I got one and have just started using it... and I must say-I'm delighted with it!
It is a bit awkward initially trying to get your technique right for the folding, insertion and removal but once you have it the whole thing is much easier. I initially found it quite difficult to insert but then I wet it with a bit of water and it was grand. The first extraction was also a bit difficult but, again, once you get your groove it's great. I'm a convert!
It's so comfortable-can't even feel it-which was my major thing with those damn scratchy tampons... I can't recommend them highly enough. I have started telling my girlfriends about it (and telling them to come on here to have a look at this thread for info) and they are all for it too-some out of the Eco concerns and some because they spend so much on tampons etc. due to heavy flow. I think we're going to start a revolution!

Go Team Mooncup!:D

almostnever

I'm seriously considering getting one. I might be too squeamish,though. At the first sight of any blood,I feel extremely faint,which is obviously a problem =/ Hmmm,I'll see anyway. One of the things I'm worried about is it hurting. I've always been told tampons don't hurt but they just don't work at all for me,I've tried countless times and it hurts like hell. So,is the mooncup awkward and difficult to insert? Or is it one of those odd things that despite being bigger or bulkier,is much easier to use?

WindSock

Is it possible to get TSS from the mooncup?

Das Kitty

TSS is related to absorbency, the mooncup doesn't absorb anything.

It hasn't been linked with TSS no, but they can't outright say you won't get it whilst using them.

Here's their answer.

http://www.mooncup.co.uk/menstrual_cup_faq.html#TSS

Little Miss Cutie

Hi ladies,
Thanks for all the helpful advice in this thread. I had never heard of the mooncup before reading this thread. I bought my moon cup about 3months ago and am still getting used to it.
Does anyone else find that after you take it out, it is like opening a flood gate and you have really heavy discharge? Has anyone any advice to avoid this?

Thanks in advance

serenacat

ztoical wrote: »

Hi all,

I posted this question in the PI forum recently as I wasn't sure were else to post it and didn't know there was a womens forum. I hope its ok to ask this here.

I've been debating for ages about switching from tampons to either using a menstural cup or Cloth Menstrual Pads as they are both better for the enviroment and was wondering if anyone on the fourm has an experience with either?

i bought the moon cup from boots and have never looked back!!

its so handy-took me awhile to figure out insertion and removal after that i'm all set.
its better for environment, better for your wallet and you dont get the same prob with yeast infections.
every women here should try them!:)

briscotti

Quality wrote: »

Yes they are natural bodily functions

Lactating is natural
Menstruating is natural

Breast feeding is the most natural thing in the world from my experience.

However inserting a cup in the vagina is not the most natural thing in the world....

I suppose if it was recommended by a friend I may consider it. But I dont think I will be a pioneering woman for Mooncups...

Tampons are cotton, but they are bleached t'feck! Silicone is natural.

Maple

Zombie thread.

Locked.

Maple.