[ADULT] Menstrual Cups!

[CoolBee]

WARNING!!! This thread deals frankly with the topic of MENSTRUATION. If you're grossed out by this bodily function, you are hereby advised to leave this thread, or risk being grossed out.

[Mod note: Discussion split off from: Ladies - Period Question ]

Mod Edit: Some useful links:

Menstrual cup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
MenstrualCupInfo’s Blog
http://menstrual-cups.livejournal.co...thread=4016400
Menstrual Cups - Divacup, Mooncup, Instead, Lunette, Miacup

What I do recommend - especially for heavy periods - and wish I had discovered way back in my past are 'mooncups'. Save you a fortune on protection AND the environment!

UK Mooncup site

US Mooncup site

There are a couple of other similar things around I believe though I don't know the names.

[Criseyde]

Originally Posted by CoolBee

What I do recommend - especially for heavy periods - and wish I had discovered way back in my past are 'mooncups'. Save you a fortune on protection AND the environment!

UK Mooncup site

US Mooncup site

There are a couple of other similar things around I believe though I don't know the names.

Yes!! I use a DivaCup and it is the best thing EVAH!

[aelle]

Diva cup fan here too! On the down side, many IUD users - myself included - report leaks post IUD insertion that didn't happen before. On the up side, my IUD thinned my period so much that I don't have much use for the cup anymore.

There is a massive livejournal community out there on menstrual cups with super useful information: Menstrual Cups - Divacup, Mooncup, Instead, Lunette, Miacup
This post on different insertion methods, in particular, is great for beginners: Menstrual Cups - Divacup, Mooncup, Instead, Lunette, Miacup - Folding techniques
I use a punch down fold. I find it easiest and quickest, although it does tend to punch you in a delicate place when it pops open.

[ZephyrusX]

I've never heard of Divacups before. I don't think I've seen then sold in retail stores across Canada.

@ at OP - Endometriosis came to my mind as I get insanely horrible cramps and bleed a lot. Do you lose a lot of blood during your periods? My doctor told me that I might have this, but wtf, he never told me that it causes infertility. May be he is just a quack...

There is my random, so not professional post for the day...

Endometriosis.org : the Global Forum on Endometriosis

[aelle]

Originally Posted by ZephyrusX

I've never heard of Divacups before. I don't think I've seen then sold in retail stores across Canada.

Typically, they're sold in health food stores, pharmacies, and on the internet. In theory, a cup can last 10+ years, so it's not exactly a product that can be sold in large numbers. It wouldn't make much economical sense for supermarkets to stock up on them (and I don't want to get all conspiracy-theory-y, but I'm sure disposable pads and tampons make a lot more money for retail stores, and this may be a consideration when deciding to carry a product that will replace 10+ years of tampon usage) although that would be nice for women.

[ButterflyWoman]

I use a Diva Cup. I had to order it online because they're not sold in Australia (to the best of my current knowledge; other brands are available, though, I'm pretty sure, but all the ones I found were rubber and I didn't want a rubber one). I just found an online seller who was willing to ship overseas, no worries.

I love it. I would never, never ever go back to using pads or tampons. Just the thought of it makes me shudder.

I'll also note that since I started using the cup several years ago, I have never, ever had a leak. I've had a few clumsy moments of spilling it, but that was only until I got used to handling it and inserting, removing, etc. For me, using a cup also decreased my cramps somewhat, but I was a tampon user before, and that's probably got something to do with it.

[ZephyrusX]

Ah, ok that makes sense. I think I'll go on a hunt for a Divacup.

Originally Posted by aelle

Typically, they're sold in health food stores, pharmacies, and on the internet. In theory, a cup can last 10+ years, so it's not exactly a product that can be sold in large numbers. It wouldn't make much economical sense for supermarkets to stock up on them (and I don't want to get all conspiracy-theory-y, but I'm sure disposable pads and tampons make a lot more money for retail stores, and this may be a consideration when deciding to carry a product that will replace 10+ years of tampon usage) although that would be nice for women.

[aelle]

Originally Posted by ButterflyWoman

I love it. I would never, never ever go back to using pads or tampons. Just the thought of it makes me shudder.

I've used pads a couple of times since getting my cup (I had forgotten it at home when going away for a weekend) but tampons, yuck. Just the idea of pulling out a too-dry tampon makes me gag now.

That's another cool thing with cups - since they're inert and non absorbent, you can put it in before your period starts (especially for women who are super regular, this rocks) and you can pull it out whenever you want. Use a little silicon-safe lube if you need. Super comfortable. Since it's inert, the toxic shock syndrome risk is low and you can safely leave the cup in for 12 to 24 hours (depending on your flow).

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by aelle

Since it's inert, the toxic shock syndrome risk is low and you can safely leave the cup in for 12 to 24 hours (depending on your flow).

Especially good if you're someone who has a day or two of very light flow that tapers off slowly, sometimes so slowly that you're not sure if you need a pad or not (can't use a tampon for such light flow, or at least, I can't). That's one of the things about the cup that I love.

It's totally unlike me to enthuse about a menstrual product, by the way. Totally not my thing, but I feel almost evangelical about menstrual cups...

[Criseyde]

Originally Posted by aelle

Since it's inert, the toxic shock syndrome risk is low and you can safely leave the cup in for 12 to 24 hours (depending on your flow).

I don't recommend forgetting about it and leaving it in for ages though... it won't hurt you, but the smell...

[ssandra]

Originally Posted by ButterflyWoman

Agreed. It's a good idea to check it regularly, if only to give it a rinse.

If you guys don't mind... I am interested in this..

One of the reasons why I like tampons (the Dutch ones, not the Mexican ones!) is because you don't have to see or touch anything bloody! I really find that kinda gross.

So, how does that work with this cup thing? When you take it out, do your hands get dirty? Or only in the beginning and not after you are used to it? And do you then just tip it over into the toilet, rinse it in the sink, and put it back in?

While rinsing it, do your hands get dirty? Do you use a special sponge or something? Or toilet paper?

[CoolBee]

The mooncup has a sort of tail (you trim it to suit yourself) which you use to pull it out. You can put paper on your fingers to pull it. Once you are used to it, you can do it with no touching - tip the contents down the toilet bowl and wipe it out with paper. Then you can wash it - no reason you can't dedicate a special sponge for the task!

The beauty of it is that unless you are having exceptionally heavy flow, you are able to go a whole work day or longer without touching it at all!

It took me a couple of days to get used to, you have to sort of fold it up to get it inside, and then you have to NOT push it too far up for best performance!

After that, very very rarely any leakage even with some phenomenally heavy bleeding.

I so wish these were better known and I so wish I'd known about them (if they existed!) 40 years ago! I bought my niece one for her birthday but she has never used it, just dissolves into silly giggles every time she looks at it Her loss!

[Criseyde]

Originally Posted by ssandra

If you guys don't mind... I am interested in this..

One of the reasons why I like tampons (the Dutch ones, not the Mexican ones!) is because you don't have to see or touch anything bloody! I really find that kinda gross.

So, how does that work with this cup thing? When you take it out, do your hands get dirty? Or only in the beginning and not after you are used to it? And do you then just tip it over into the toilet, rinse it in the sink, and put it back in?

While rinsing it, do your hands get dirty? Do you use a special sponge or something? Or toilet paper?

Well, yes, you do have to touch it. I definitely do not recommend it for the squeamish. You have to put it into your vagina with your fingers, there's no applicator. Then, when you want to take it out, you have to pinch the base to break the suction and pull it out carefully (mine gets really good suction, I could never get it out just by pulling on the tail... that would probably cause uterine prolapse or something). Once you get good at it, and as long as the cup isn't very full, then no, you don't really have to touch blood. But I've had some episodes with it where the bathroom/shower/my hands/what-have-you looked like a murder scene.

I kind of enjoy the gross factor, honestly.

[CoolBee]

Well there you have it - two totally opposite experiences!
I guess you'll have to try it and see!

[aelle]

Yes, there's a lot of touching going on. The thing is, I still find it cleaner than a tampon or a pad! Those get gross from a lot more than blood (perspiration, the evil string that gets in the way of your pee stream ). On the other hand, as soon as you give the cup a rinse it's squeaky clean. I like to take it out in the shower. I suppose that way you could be rinsing your hands as you take it out, you wouldn't even notice if you got blood on your hands. Then I empty the cup in the drain, clean it with hot water and soap, clean myself, put the cup back in and rinse myself again to make sure no blood got out in the meantime. I wash the cup the same way I wash sex toys: lots of hot water and lots of rubbing with soap. I don't dry it before putting it back in.

Oh, to take it out I squat, bear down (push), grab and pinch the bottom of the cup (not the stem) and pull it out. If the pinching is not enough to break the seal I run a finger up along the edge of the cup. In theory there is no blood on that side of the cup, but I can't say that I've paid it much attention.

You can choose to boil the cup at the end of your period to sterilize it.

[votoshka]

I have looked into the divacup before...but I have a feeling I could never wear it. I find it hard enough to use tampons and even when I do, I never feel that I get them quite right, because I can usually feel them up there and I'm sure you're not supposed to be able to!!

But pads are gross... Still I've been using them over 20 years now, so I'm used to it .

[Curious cat]

Wow i'm glad i read this thread. It's very educational! I too have never heard of these cups before.

I love how detailed some of the responses are.

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by votoshka

But pads are gross...

I get very painful and unpleasant grazing and chafing from using commercial pads. I hear that's not as much of a problem with reusable cloth ones (I considered them before I tried a menstrual cup).

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by Criseyde

Well, yes, you do have to touch it.

You also need to be very comfortable with your genitals and with touching them.

When I first started using a cup, I had a few spills, but once I got used to it, I found it pretty straighforward, and not particularly messy. Generally, I wash my hands after, anyway, so if I end up with some menses on my hands, it's not a big deal (and I'm really not squeamish about that, so it's hard for me to guess how someone who is squeamish would react).

Originally Posted by Criseyde

Then, when you want to take it out, you have to pinch the base to break the suction and pull it out carefully (mine gets really good suction, I could never get it out just by pulling on the tail... that would probably cause uterine prolapse or something).

This is where having good muscle tone pays off. You can give a push while tugging the tail and it makes it easier to remove. (Kegel exercises are good for all kinds of great stuff! )

Originally Posted by Criseyde

I've had some episodes with it where the bathroom/shower/my hands/what-have-you looked like a murder scene.

HAH! Me, too. But not often, and not lately. I do recall once my husband complained about the blood on the toilet seat and I said something snarky like, "Well, excuse me for menstruating!" and he retorted quite indignantly, "If I'm not allowed to pee on the seat, you're not allowed to bleed on it!" (And he was quite right, too ).

Originally Posted by Criseyde

I kind of enjoy the gross factor, honestly.

Yeah, me, too. I sort of like seeing the volume and checking that it's all a healthy colour and consistency, etc. I once saw art work some woman drew with her own menstrual blood that she collected in a menstrual cup. I've never wanted to try it, but I kind of like the idea that I could. Or that I could use it in some magickal charm/spell (some protection spells, for example, use menstrual blood). I never do any of that, but I like the possibility.

(Yes, I am WEIRD. This is not in dispute. )

[Criseyde]

Originally Posted by ButterflyWoman

This is where having good muscle tone pays off. You can give a push while tugging the tail and it makes it easier to remove. (Kegel exercises are good for all kinds of great stuff! )

Pardon moi! I have good muscle tone. My cervix is pretty high so I have to give the thing a good push just to be able to reach it. Hrrmmmmph.

We so need a menstrual cups thread.

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by Criseyde

Pardon moi! I have good muscle tone.

LOL! My dear, I wasn't attempting to impugn the quality of your muscle tone. I was just making a general statement about the value of Kegel exercises. (I'm still giggling, this is amusing as hell!)

Originally Posted by Criseyde

My cervix is pretty high

Mine, too, but I've pushed a few babies out and that changes the shape of things. It might make it easier to use a cup, actually, I don't know. I do know that they make different sizes for women who have given birth versus those who have not, so...

Originally Posted by Criseyde

We so need a menstrual cups thread.

Yeah, actually. Might split this thread off.

[ButterflyWoman]

Bumping to note that this thread has been split from: Ladies - Period Question

[Criseyde]

Ooh, we have a thread now! I've been holding it in because this was somebody else's thread, but now you're about to see the full scope of my capacity for TMI! (Oh, by the way, I added an exclamation point to the title... hope you don't mind.)

Originally Posted by ButterflyWoman

LOL! My dear, I wasn't attempting to impugn the quality of your muscle tone. I was just making a general statement about the value of Kegel exercises. (I'm still giggling, this is amusing as hell!)

Oh, er, I see.

Mine, too, but I've pushed a few babies out and that changes the shape of things. It might make it easier to use a cup, actually, I don't know. I do know that they make different sizes for women who have given birth versus those who have not, so...

I bet it does! Probably anything would make it easier to use a cup than my status. I was determined, though. I limped around sore for days. Not that I don't prefer this to childbirth...

I do have the under-30/pre-babies size.

[Lioness]

Ladies, these only hold 1 oz. How can this work for heavy flow? I'm estimating this won't hold much more than a super-plus tampon. What am i missing?

[Criseyde]

Originally Posted by Lioness

Ladies, these only hold 1 oz. How can this work for heavy flow? I'm estimating this won't hold much more than a super-plus tampon. What am i missing?

The absolute biggest tampons only absorb about .6 oz.

If you have a really heavy flow, do expect to empty it more than once every 12 hours. I never got through the night with pads/tampons, but I generally do with my cup. I've experienced bouts of menstrual hemorrhage and it wasn't enough to get through the night during those, but I was really bleeding atrociously (during a time of high stress, I guess ). But it's still more friendly to your vaginal flora, the environment, and your wallet than tampons.

[CoolBee]

GROSS ALERT GROSS ALERT
MEN DON'T READ unless you want to know too much information about what women have to go through and still have to function at work and pass exams while in excruciating pain feeling like their entire insides is try to crawl out...

They hold about the size of a big chicken egg. And on **very** heavy flow days you might need to empty 4-6 times a day. (What I mean by very heavy flow is days when i might have got through 20 or more super-plus tampons at both excessive financial cost and excessive environmental cost - and all those trips to the bathroom at work! Can you imagine sitting in a long meeting with the senior management and you KNOW you are leaking buckets?).

.
REALLY GROSS ALERT
.
.
The other advantage is when you hit the 40s and 50s and start getting peri-menopausal / menopause and start passing large plum-sized clots which tampons can't cope with and just slither on by, these can.

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by Lioness

Ladies, these only hold 1 oz. How can this work for heavy flow? I'm estimating this won't hold much more than a super-plus tampon. What am i missing?

According to Wikipedia, a menstrual cup can have a "capacity 3 times greater than the absorbency of a Super tampon".

A cup does work well for heavy flow, though you'd have to empty it more frequently, like every 6-8 hours instead of every 8-12 hours. Still, that's a lot better than the every 2 hours (or so) for tampons. AND a menstrual cup won't leak, or at least, I've never, ever had a problem with leaking in the years I've worn one. I can't say the same for tampons, certainly.

The Wikipedia page on menstrual cups is actually pretty good. I learned something, from it, too. Apparently the DivaCup (which is what I use) is manufactured in Canada, eh? I also learned that there are disposable menstrual cups, but to my mind, that kinda defeats at least part of the purpose.

Menstrual cup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also a couple more links of possible interest:

MenstrualCupInfo’s Blog
Menstrual Cups - Divacup, Mooncup, Instead, Lunette, Miacup

I also learned a few things and changed my folding technique after reading this page:

Menstrual Cups - Divacup, Mooncup, Instead, Lunette, Miacup - Folding techniques

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by CoolBee

The other advantage is when you hit the 40s and 50s and start getting peri-menopausal / menopause

Clots aside (I haven't had any issues with that, unless I've just had a baby or a miscarriage), they're very good for the perimenopausal because your flow can become unpredictable. Mine has always been, really, and as I've hit perimenopause it's actually gotten MORE predictable, but the flow still goes in fits and starts. You can wear a cup when you're only barely bleeding, or when the flow is very heavy, and it's equally comfortable for both (unlike tampons, yuck).

EDIT: This thread is certainly bringing out my usually-in-check tendency to engage in TMI. Heh. I have no shame.

[Criseyde]

Originally Posted by ButterflyWoman

According to Wikipedia, a menstrual cup can have a "capacity 3 times greater than the absorbency of a Super tampon".

A cup does work well for heavy flow, though you'd have to empty it more frequently, like every 6-8 hours instead of every 8-12 hours. Still, that's a lot better than the every 2 hours (or so) for tampons. AND a menstrual cup won't leak, or at least, I've never, ever had a problem with leaking in the years I've worn one. I can't say the same for tampons, certainly.

Mine actually has leaked. It leaks if I don't get the seal right (which hardly ever happens any more cause I've become baller at this), and it leaks if it overflows. One time, when I was studying abroad in England, I woke up in the middle of the night to soaked pajamas, soaked sheets, soaked everything (luckily there was a mattress protector, otherwise it would have soaked down into the mattress too). When I went to the bathroom and took out the cup, it was full. And when I emptied it and got everything cleaned up (as best I could)... it had filled up again by the next morning.

Do those of you who normally bleed heavily also get bad cramps? It was interesting to me that I usually don't bleed anywhere near that much, but I usually have killer cramps. But when I was bleeding like I was about to die (that's what it seemed like ), I had none.

Oh, and ibuprofen can actually reduce the bleeding.

And russianrocket... no sympathy.

[ButterflyWoman]

I get much less severe cramps with a cup than I did with tampons. Various theories as to why, but I suspect the tampon actually kind of impedes the flow by being pressed up against the cervix.

I've never had a leak, but I caught on to how to use a menstrual cup super quickly, probably because I had previously used a diaphragm.

Ibuprofen is an excellent anti-inflammatory, so if the excessive bleeding is due to inflammation, it can, indeed, decrease the blood flow somewhat.