have anyone used the menstrual cup

KayteeBear

Do you have to take it out when you pee?

Nope. You leave it in until whenever you have to empty it (when it's full or the end/beginning of the day)

Fatty_Melt

My periods are very heavy, very long, and very irregular so I swear by my femmecup! The amount of pads and tampons I'd go through each cycle was ridiculously expensive, but the cup made them obsolete. You can wear them all day (up to 12 hours) and they don't absorb your flow like those terrible tampons. Sure they can be a bit pricey ($30-$40), but honestly they pay for themselves in just a few cycles and I've heard people say that you can use them for 5-10 years!

There's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to using them and they require you to really be comfortable with your vagina and inserting things into it, but once you get the hang of it you'll be hooked for life lol

FionaNiConnor

I can't remember if I've posted in here before and I'm too lazy to read all eight pages to check.

I have a Diva Cup. I am in love. It did take some getting used to but I never had a hard time with it.

Then I lost it. Like, I seriously cannot find the blesséd thing. So I went and bought a pack of SoftCups. For one reason or another, I simply cannot get the SoftCup to sit right up inside my tunnel of love. I inserted them according to all directions, and as soon as I stood up, SPLASH!! a big red mess.
Whether this means I have Mutant Vagina Muscles or I did it wrong, or what, I don't know. I caught my SIL-to-be raving about the SoftCups so I gave her my remaining ones and I'm glad someone can use them.

For whatever reason, (PCOS, I think) I don't get my moon regularly at all. I think my last one was in February? March? Whatever. Anyway, I am going to replace my lost Diva, but I'm not in any hurry. All I know is that with my Diva, I can gym, swim, ride horses, bicycle, lift heavy stuff, and sleep with no mess. I shower twice a day when I'm bleeding, so I pop it out in the shower, dump it, clean it, rinse it, and pop it back in there.

Flab2fitfi

bump to read later.

Ps love mine!!

MzYvonne

Used it once,but didn't really like how to insert it. Just seemed gross. I'll stick with tampons.

rmhand

I love my Diva Cup. There are disposable ones out there by Softcup but they are much larger and I haven't tired them yet.

Smuterella

Used to use it and loved it, and I used the ummm, contents...to feed my plants.

<

---

hippy

juicemoogan

I've had the Diva Cup for about 8 years, I would NEVER go back....

OMG that long post was hilarious... But the stem is pretty much useless, i try to pinch the bottom on the cup itself to remove...

p.s. Tried the soft cup once when i was away from home unexpectedly.. they suck,.

go for the real deal.

sammniamii

I have to think you are talking about something like the "Softcup" - in that case, yes. I love them! Very easy to use, I only suffered one "leak" but i was really hussling my bum that day. I will say they can be slightly messy during removal, but I won't return to tampons unless I really - REALLY have too. 1000 x times better! (Plus, they are cheaper long run - lol, 1 box lasts 2 months, where I was going thru a 36 ct box of tampons a month - i know, TMI but a valid point).

kandire

I have been using the cup for over a year and will never go back to tampons! I don't have to think about it during the day and I can't feel it. I also feel more confident working out with one than I ever did using other methods. The Diva Cup is awesome!

strunkm4

Okay...so I never thought I would ever use one of these. Then my firm picked up Evofem Soft cup as one of our clients, and guess who got assigned their account? Me! So I'm not one to go out and sell something without trying it first and really being able to give a good scchpeel about it. So I tried it. And OMG! Where was this 10 years ago!!!! I LOVE IT! It's so convienent, you can pee with it in, you can bang with it in, whatevsies. I'm definitley pro-Softcup! A little gross when you pull it out, won't lie, but I'd rather take that then buying stock in tampons.

juliep1974

I also swear by my divacup - the best female product ever created! It does take a little getting used to but after 2 cycles I was sold. I will never go back to tampons.

HavocBaldwin

I barely ever post in the forums on MFP but this is one topic I just cannot shut up about. I LOVE my menstrual cup. I have been using the same Diva Cup for 8 YEARS and it is still going strong. I am confident it will last the full 10 years most cups promise if not more! I know some others have joked that it "changed their lives" but that is really how I describe it - I used to be absolutely miserable when I got my period and now I don't ever give it a second thought. A lot of times I even forget that I have my period when I am using the cup! I wrote an article about it for my college magazine and I blogged about it shortly after, if you're looking for some of the benefits (eco-friendly or otherwise). I know I started using it purely for convenience and after the health and environmental benefits started to become apparent I was hooked for life!

http://www.arielservadio.com/blog/2009/04/may-your-cup-never-runneth-over/

AmandaJade9

Since we're on the topic of menstration ladies... does anyone else have a contraceptive implant? I've had one for three years and there is no ease up on the bleeding. It's making me feel constantly self conscious and is sending my sex life with my boyfriend down the pan.

I went to the doctor a couple of weeks ago to have mine removed and to discuss different options. I've discovered there pretty much isn't anything else I can have. I used to have migraines with aura... black spots infront of your eyes before the pain set in and the doctor told me that most of the other options could cause me to have a stroke.

I've not had these kinds of headaches in 3 years but the doctor won't consider any of the other options for me. Anyone had any problems like this? Can anyone suggest anything I could try?
[/quote










I have had the marina for the last yr and it last up to five yrs i think, it has been my life saver helps with heavy bleeding and my partner doesnt feel it

porcelain_doll

I wore a Diva cup for a couple of years, then it started hurting me during the insertion and removal process for some reason, so I stopped. I had even switched to the next size up because I had turned 30 and the smaller one stopped fitting correctly. So I don't know if my body just changed or what. I might try and give it another go after reading all of these posts, though. I loved not having to buy tampons every month when I used mine.

One thing I started doing was wearing plastic gloves when I emptied mine on heavy days.

mellabyte

"So one of the many new devices I purchased for this trip was a Diva "Moon Cup". Since feminine hygine supplies would be hard to come by and waste-producing, I opted instead to buy a thing like a Barbie Deluxe Toilet Plunger, and stuff it up my hooha.

The theory is that the cup catches your pan drippings, and you empty it a couple times a day, washing it with hippy soap, and reinserting. It presupposes you are enough of an Earth Mother to be OK not only with your monthly outpourings, but also with generally fossicking around in your flaps. Now, I am no stranger to gore. Nor am I squeamish about my delicate rose of delight, except that I have no such illusions about it and indeed am always reminded of nothing so much as stuffing an oddly-warm raw turkey. So, when after several weeks of teasing, the Period Fairy threatening to postpone the Communist Invasion until I was actually getting on the plane (I was about ready to scream and cry at some hapless unwary male just as a sacrifice to appease her) at last I greeted the rosy-fingered dawn and set about embarking on my new life as a eco-friendly Diva.

The Moon Cup comes in two sizes; Size A, for youthful nymphs under 30 who have never given birth and have silken tresses and tinkling laughs and are all size 0, and size B, for Big Ol' *****es like m'self, who have either spawned, or are so old (ie over 30) that they might as well have been poppin' them out like Duggar Donuts, because their sugar walls are now echoing corridors full of cobwebs and slackness. Of course the packaging phrases it more nicely, but I was miffed to see that despite having never replicated, I was still doomed to the Big Gulp size because of my age alone.

So, chalice in hand, fingers washed, and let's fold that thing like a taco (no, not THAT thing, the other thing!) and cram it up where only one man has gone before and even then not for a damn long time even when he WAS still around. I'm sure I imagined the rusty creaking sounds as I tried to shove something which was larger than anything previous (with the exception of various medical speculums which, I believe, were constructed by the same person who designed the Montlake Drawbridge)into the Gaping Maw.

Now, you're supposed to roll the cup up, smuggle it past the border, let it expand, then turn it clockwise (or counter clockwise, or then one way and another, stopping when you hear the click, or something...) anyway, you're supposed to be able to turn this thing like a dial in there."If the cup does not turn easily, you did it wrong" Oh, of course, I'll just grasp hold of a thing about the size, shape, and slipperyness of the pointy end of a peeled hard-boiled egg, which is now buried in the meaty folds of my innermost femininity, which, I may add, are well-sluiced with the special effects from a Quentin Tarantino film, and spin that sucker like a dredel.

There is, also, a small stem at the base of this cup, which, being made of the same slippery silicon and about a centimeter long, is about as helpful as providing a live, untrained earthworm for a handle. More on this later.

So, rotate this thing in situ, to ensure a good 'seal' and a comfortable fit.

Does. Not. Happen.

Ladies (and gentlemen, although I hope for your sake none of you gentlemen are reading this), I tried. I hauled that thing in and out of there more times, and with much less joy, than Eeyore with his birthday present, and not once could I get that thing to "turn easily". I finally gave up, since it seemed, at one point, to be "fully inflated" and more or less in the right place. Frankly I think that having left my furrow unplowed for so long, I'm not exactly the proper degree of hotdog-hallway that the instruction-writer was intending to address, but so be it. Let's give this thing a whirl, if we can't give it a twist.

Fast forward a few hours in which I've done nothing much. To its credit, I don't feel the presence of THE CUP at all, no discomfort, not even a vague sense of "eugh" as I sometimes have when knowing all that stands between me and my khakis is a small cottony Dutch boy. In fact, I'm getting rather concerned that the Diva Cup has wormed its way in like some form of parasitic jellyfish and is now eagerly migrating up my fallopian tubes, with me all unknowing. Time to go fishing.

And that is where I discover that, while it's difficult to try and 'turn' a Diva Cup newly lodged in your sanctum sanctorum, it's a freakin' log-fall compared to trying to recover said Cup after it has gotten comfortably settled in the downy folds of your blood-engorged tissues. Yes, indeed, if cram my fingers up there to the point of pain, I can just, tantilizingly, tickle the end of that goddamn silicone 'stem'. Grasp it? Not in hell.

Of course the instructions say, if this happens, DO NOT PANIC. Well, thank god for that, because I was already running through the list of people I'd trust with a flashlight, a set of forceps, and an experience that would scar both of us for the rest of our lives. There were instructions for different positions, and "bearing down" and so forth, which I tried, to no avail, and I was pretty sure that my ham-fisted efforts (ahem) were just making things worse on the "swollen" front, so Diva and I took a break, and retired to our respective corners for an hour or so.

Now I brought out my secret weapon: Beer. If, gods help me, I ever have to have a baby, I intend to be drunk off my *kitten* for the delivery, and I surely hope that the Fairy Prince Unicorn Elvis who is my chosen Babydaddy will provide a bedside IV of godly ambrosia, or at least Jim Beam. But anyway, two beers and I'm good to go spelunking in quest of the Holy Grail once more.

Either the beer, or the break, or the combination of all of these and squatting on the bathmat like a Neanderthal crapping, finally, produced enough of that goddamn 'stem' to grab (which was good, because I was dreading having use the kitchen tongs Up There or something) and, with a surprising amount of horrible suctioning "discomfort", the invader was routed! And, wonder of wonders, it was indeed partially filled. Not filled with DELICIOUS CANDY, no, but it did seem to have been, you know... -working-, before I so rudely dislodged it from its parasitic feeding. I felt a combination of grudging respect and intrigue, as one might upon meeting a foe worthy of their steel. Provided we could agree to disagree on the whole "turn 360 degrees in place" aspect, perhaps this could indeed be a workable partnership. Better than bleeding into the Rupununi and attracting every caiman, pirahna, and candiru fish for fifty miles.

But not without some boundaries first. I tied a ROPE to that stupid stem this time."

Best thing I've read. All. Week.

Bravo.

Wattyz

Another diva cup lover. If you have issues putting it in, there's videos on how to do it. Not on a real 'hoo hah' but in a champagne flute or vases. Til your hips up a bit, fold it up (I usually just do the opening) and insert, and screw it in, like a lightbulb, but like a lightbulb.) The easiest way for me to insert it is sitting...like on the toilet. And try to relax.

I pretty much use the tip to help pull it out. If you don't like it, trim it down, just make sure you're not cutting it entirely off, or you'll be cutting a hole in the bottom.

I don't feel it. Used it for over seven years. The same one. yep.

Heavy flower too. TMI here. Usually you don't have to dump it all day, but on those 'heavy' days, wear a pad just in case, and prepare to have to be somewhere to possibly dump it mid day.

Wattyz

"So one of the many new devices I purchased for this trip was a Diva "Moon Cup". Since feminine hygine supplies would be hard to come by and waste-producing, I opted instead to buy a thing like a Barbie Deluxe Toilet Plunger, and stuff it up my hooha.

The theory is that the cup catches your pan drippings, and you empty it a couple times a day, washing it with hippy soap, and reinserting. It presupposes you are enough of an Earth Mother to be OK not only with your monthly outpourings, but also with generally fossicking around in your flaps. Now, I am no stranger to gore. Nor am I squeamish about my delicate rose of delight, except that I have no such illusions about it and indeed am always reminded of nothing so much as stuffing an oddly-warm raw turkey. So, when after several weeks of teasing, the Period Fairy threatening to postpone the Communist Invasion until I was actually getting on the plane (I was about ready to scream and cry at some hapless unwary male just as a sacrifice to appease her) at last I greeted the rosy-fingered dawn and set about embarking on my new life as a eco-friendly Diva.

The Moon Cup comes in two sizes; Size A, for youthful nymphs under 30 who have never given birth and have silken tresses and tinkling laughs and are all size 0, and size B, for Big Ol' *****es like m'self, who have either spawned, or are so old (ie over 30) that they might as well have been poppin' them out like Duggar Donuts, because their sugar walls are now echoing corridors full of cobwebs and slackness. Of course the packaging phrases it more nicely, but I was miffed to see that despite having never replicated, I was still doomed to the Big Gulp size because of my age alone.

So, chalice in hand, fingers washed, and let's fold that thing like a taco (no, not THAT thing, the other thing!) and cram it up where only one man has gone before and even then not for a damn long time even when he WAS still around. I'm sure I imagined the rusty creaking sounds as I tried to shove something which was larger than anything previous (with the exception of various medical speculums which, I believe, were constructed by the same person who designed the Montlake Drawbridge)into the Gaping Maw.

Now, you're supposed to roll the cup up, smuggle it past the border, let it expand, then turn it clockwise (or counter clockwise, or then one way and another, stopping when you hear the click, or something...) anyway, you're supposed to be able to turn this thing like a dial in there."If the cup does not turn easily, you did it wrong" Oh, of course, I'll just grasp hold of a thing about the size, shape, and slipperyness of the pointy end of a peeled hard-boiled egg, which is now buried in the meaty folds of my innermost femininity, which, I may add, are well-sluiced with the special effects from a Quentin Tarantino film, and spin that sucker like a dredel.

There is, also, a small stem at the base of this cup, which, being made of the same slippery silicon and about a centimeter long, is about as helpful as providing a live, untrained earthworm for a handle. More on this later.

So, rotate this thing in situ, to ensure a good 'seal' and a comfortable fit.

Does. Not. Happen.

Ladies (and gentlemen, although I hope for your sake none of you gentlemen are reading this), I tried. I hauled that thing in and out of there more times, and with much less joy, than Eeyore with his birthday present, and not once could I get that thing to "turn easily". I finally gave up, since it seemed, at one point, to be "fully inflated" and more or less in the right place. Frankly I think that having left my furrow unplowed for so long, I'm not exactly the proper degree of hotdog-hallway that the instruction-writer was intending to address, but so be it. Let's give this thing a whirl, if we can't give it a twist.

Fast forward a few hours in which I've done nothing much. To its credit, I don't feel the presence of THE CUP at all, no discomfort, not even a vague sense of "eugh" as I sometimes have when knowing all that stands between me and my khakis is a small cottony Dutch boy. In fact, I'm getting rather concerned that the Diva Cup has wormed its way in like some form of parasitic jellyfish and is now eagerly migrating up my fallopian tubes, with me all unknowing. Time to go fishing.

And that is where I discover that, while it's difficult to try and 'turn' a Diva Cup newly lodged in your sanctum sanctorum, it's a freakin' log-fall compared to trying to recover said Cup after it has gotten comfortably settled in the downy folds of your blood-engorged tissues. Yes, indeed, if cram my fingers up there to the point of pain, I can just, tantilizingly, tickle the end of that goddamn silicone 'stem'. Grasp it? Not in hell.

Of course the instructions say, if this happens, DO NOT PANIC. Well, thank god for that, because I was already running through the list of people I'd trust with a flashlight, a set of forceps, and an experience that would scar both of us for the rest of our lives. There were instructions for different positions, and "bearing down" and so forth, which I tried, to no avail, and I was pretty sure that my ham-fisted efforts (ahem) were just making things worse on the "swollen" front, so Diva and I took a break, and retired to our respective corners for an hour or so.

Now I brought out my secret weapon: Beer. If, gods help me, I ever have to have a baby, I intend to be drunk off my *kitten* for the delivery, and I surely hope that the Fairy Prince Unicorn Elvis who is my chosen Babydaddy will provide a bedside IV of godly ambrosia, or at least Jim Beam. But anyway, two beers and I'm good to go spelunking in quest of the Holy Grail once more.

Either the beer, or the break, or the combination of all of these and squatting on the bathmat like a Neanderthal crapping, finally, produced enough of that goddamn 'stem' to grab (which was good, because I was dreading having use the kitchen tongs Up There or something) and, with a surprising amount of horrible suctioning "discomfort", the invader was routed! And, wonder of wonders, it was indeed partially filled. Not filled with DELICIOUS CANDY, no, but it did seem to have been, you know... -working-, before I so rudely dislodged it from its parasitic feeding. I felt a combination of grudging respect and intrigue, as one might upon meeting a foe worthy of their steel. Provided we could agree to disagree on the whole "turn 360 degrees in place" aspect, perhaps this could indeed be a workable partnership. Better than bleeding into the Rupununi and attracting every caiman, pirahna, and candiru fish for fifty miles.

But not without some boundaries first. I tied a ROPE to that stupid stem this time."

thank you for my morning spittake. Wow.

stufie

I've had the Diva Cup for 2 years now and I love it. It is amazing. I will never go back to pads or tampons.

For anyone who is curious about it or doesn't know how they feel about it, read the Q&As and they will hopefully help answer your questions. http://divacup.com/assets/DivaCup-FAQs-PDF-Guide.ENG_.pdf


I know it's not for everyone, but it's worth reading into and giving it a chance. I'm so glad that I did.

beckajw

Try for a couple of cycles to see how they work for you. I just recently began using the Instead softcup (from Walmart), and I find it works perfectly for me on light days (no leakage :-), but on heavy days it I need some backup (i.e., thin pads). Once you get the hang of inserting, removing and emptying, it's not that different than using tampons. You can wear them longer, you're not exposing your body to potentially harmful chemicals used in treated tampon fibers, and it's less waste! Plus, you can wear them during sex (added bonus!).

I think the Instead is different from the cups - same basic concept, but still different. For instance, the cups definitely cannot be worn during sex, simply because of where they sit. Instead is kind of like a diaphragm, right? I'm not sure, have only seen it once. I don't want to get too graphic here, so I'll just say the cup is not inserted that high up.

Instead is shaped like a diaphragm. You can wear it while having intercourse. I've used it before and found it was okay. However, I almost always end up spilling it all over my hand when removing it and I've had little leaks. So, I wear a pantyliner too.

kathymillard1970

I use it all the time and love it. It is easy to use and great time and money saver,

_HeathBar_

Anytime I feel hungry today I think I'll just refer back to this thread to curb my appetite. Thanks pals!

GodsGirl37

honestly I never heard of it??

mellenorris

I've been using them for four years now.

I could never go back! I started early once and was forced to spend some precious laundry quarters on a tampon machine. I CAN NOT BELIEVE the rest of the world puts up with those things. I never had a real problem with them before I made the switch, but going back was pretty mind blowing. How uncomfortable!

As a college student, my cups have saved me a ton of money. I lurked forums full of tips, advice, and ravings before I made my purchases. I bought the Diva, Lunette, and LadyCup over a few months' time. I gave my Diva away - too long. Lunette is by far my favorite in terms of capacity and the stem (I forget the thing is in, it's so soft), but took some practice to get it in place/popped open properly, because of its softness. The LadyCup is firmer and pops in with zero hassle, but it also has a slightly smaller capacity. I love them both! I haven't had to replace any of them. Money well spent!

roslynds9

I had never hear of these until I read this post. I am on a contraceptive pill that has stopped my cycle altogether so I don't need one at the moment. However, even in the future I'm not sure I'd fancy it. Wearing them lower down than a tampon just sounds uncomfortable, they also sound much more fiddly and surely they're mess when you pull them out? At least with a tampon it's all trapped in the cotton, the idea of pulling out a loose cup of fluid sounds a bit icky and very messy =s

royaldrea

interesting...someone told me about this and i thought it was weird, but now i might try!

TOPSrainee

A menstrual cup??? WTH???

TOPSrainee

Anytime I feel hungry today I think I'll just refer back to this thread to curb my appetite. Thanks pals!

LOL! Exactly!

MrsSWW

Turtlehurdle your response has made my day, LOVE it! :laugh:

Smuterella

Sigh. I am constantly disappointed by women who are disgusted by what is a perfectly natural bodily function.