have anyone used the menstrual cup

samb330

"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."

This is glorious.

Someone read it!

I think a few of us did. Love it!

Nette_54

Never heard of it. Just sounds weird..Lol! I'll have to google it ;-)

I just did and now I'm even more weirded out... haha

I agree this is something crazy never heard of this one..

I have never heard of them either and just googled it too......... :noway: I stopped using tampons over 27 years ago because of Toxic Shock Syndrome and I am glad I did, pads are annoying I know but they are so good these days particularly for me as a heavy bleeder and bad cramps. I just could come at using a cup !

What really freaks me out is how the heck do you get it out again ! I even found tampons hard at times !

Lucky for me I don't have to worry about such things anymore as I had my oven and egg baskets removed

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

What on earth, I never heard of it LOL

Me too :huh:

keri1292

I've used the Diva Cup for years. Tampons suck the natural moisture out and leave me dry for several days after. I think it's fairly simple to use. I insert after my shower, it doesn't leak so it isn't messy if you have to stick your fingers up there a bit to find it, though I rarely do because another benefit is that it tones your vag muscles. I just bear down a bit until I can reach the stem. If it wasn't easy to reach, I'd let it be and go on with my life and check on it later. It can't get lost up there. Public restroom routine which rarely is necessary if I empty before I leave...remove as usual, dump contents in toilet, wipe out with some TP, reinsert. You can skip the wash every now and then. I love it and plan on getting my 12yo one to try when she starts her period. One of the smaller cups, of course. If a certain one was too big or too small, research the different brands to find one that may fit better.

NotAllWhoWanderAreLost

"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."

This is glorious.

Someone read it!

I think a few of us did. Love it!

:laugh: oh this was HYSTERICAL!! She made several newbie errors, which were fabulously funny to read about :laugh:

yes, you can wear this swimming, overnight, working out, if you're a heavy bleeder, have an IUD (use caution when learning the removal process so you properly break suction before pulling down/out). My cramps have almost disappeared, which is really notable as i am a heavy bleeder and have a ParaGard (copper IUD). THere is a learning curve, but most women get it things figured out within 2 cycles and then its freeeeeeeeeeeeedom!!!!!! YES!

Its weird, yep. And periods are gross, no matter what. Diva Cups aren't bad. I swear you will wonder why you didnt know of this SOONER!

NotAllWhoWanderAreLost

No, you do not need to get it from your doctor. It's at a lot of health food stores, amazon, online, etc. It's not a prescription.

I've been using mine for 7 years with an IUD and no problems. . Definitely not to wear during sex.

For 'cleaning' like at work/public, i dump it in the toilet, wipe it out with toilet paper, and pop it back in. Then whenever I am in a private bathroom I give it a proper rinse. It's really no grosser to me than tampons. It's actually less of a hassle in my opinion.

I have converted dozens of women to it and have had no complaints from them.

To each their own - but I think it's FANTASTIC.

^^ this!

andeey

"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.

<SNIP>

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

Seriously, one of the funniest things I've read in a long time!

ladyraven68

They are called mooncup in the UK - http://www.mooncup.co.uk/about-the-mooncup.html

Bought one about 3 years ago, and never regretted it.



* edited to remove large picture

Josie_lifting_cats

I also have crazy headaches and there is a non-hormone IUD you can get. Ask about that. It's just copper which from some reason disables the "little swimmers".


ETA: This was in response to the girl who talked about her headaches...I apparently need to learn how to use the quote function.

Just FYI, non-hormonal IUDs do not stop your period like a hormonal one eventually will. They work by blocking the sperm's entry to the fallopian tube, as well as "convincing" your body it's already pregnant and therefore not allowing a fertilized egg to implant.

Yowzers. Okay, I did a ton of research when I decided to get an IUD. There are two common ones - the Mirena (hormonal), and Paragard (non-hormonal). Paragard is wrapped in copper, which repels sperm - but they don't know why. They just know it works. It also changes the uterine environment to make implantation difficult. So it does not block the fallopian tubes - you can still conceive, it's just likely to not implant. Also, while both rates are low, the rate of pregnancy in clinical trials with Paragard was higher than Mirena.

But what sealed the deal for me is the clinical inserts that explicitly say that they don't know how it works. Pair that with my crazy love for women's health and endocrine system, and my belief that the uterine environment is probably something I don't want to mess with when we "don't know how" something works... and I just wasn't interested. I decided to go with Mirena.

Also, Mirena has a 20% chance of you not having periods all together. Paragard more consistently results in heavier periods than without an IUD.

If thinking about an IUD, I highly recommend finding the clinical inserts for both and reading them. Some of it is like another language if you're not knowledgeable in pharmacology, but some of it is really useful information for anyone to know.

Josie_lifting_cats

I know that The Feminist Breeder blogger rants and raves about the Diva Cup. I think she's even given them away on her blog a couple times. I have friends that use them and love them. I have Mirena and was one of the 20% that doesn't get periods with it in, but once I go back to periods I'm definitely picking up some sort of cup.

will a red solo cup work?


Red solo cup, I fill you up
Let's have a party,
let's have a party
I love you red solo cup,
I lift you up
Proceed to party, proceed to party

I think it would last a lot longer! You could leave it up there for a few months..... :huh:

AlaskanBluEyes

REI carries the Diva Cup. But you might have to ask the sales clerk where, I found mine in the travel area.

KayteeBear

I use the Diva Cup and it's AMAZING! I could never go back to tampons. They give me cramps and I always leak within a few hours even though the tampon is barely soaked (no matter the brand). If you have the cup in right you shouldn't feel it at all. For the first little while you might feel a bit cramped. That's just your body getting used to it. Once you've used it a cycle or two you shouldn't feel it at all (I forget to empty it half the time because I can't feel it). Some people think it's gross to empty it, but it doesn't bother me. It's really quick and easy to empty and put back in, too.

Ocarina

I really am interested in trying this. I hate the whole TSS-shock risk from tampons and disposing of all the extra crap is iritating. Only issue for me at the moment is the upfront cost. Come payday I'll see if I can afford. I definitely would prefer something like this over tampons especially if I can just simply change it in the shower.

lindsy721

So I saw this thread the other day and I just happened to be on my period so - I've now tried the Softcup, and... I wish I'd known about it before!! Man, this would have been SO convenient in high school and college!!

I used my first one yesterday - easy to put in, no leaking, can't feel it, easy to take out and dispose of. I got the disposable 14-pack type. These will be great for my vacation the end of August - I'm irregular, so vacations are always kind of like, "ok, might get my period around that time, grr..." but these things are the perfect solution! I can put one in if I think I *might* start, and then just change as needed!

briebear77

I love it. Started a few months ago and now it's all I buy. Softcup is great because it's disposable. I wouldn't use a reusable one. But I do save SO much money. I have bought two boxes this year and that is IT. Granted I almost never have periods, but still I freaking love it. My mom looked at me like I was crazy but whatever haha.

wheezybreezy

"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."

OMGGAWWW.. I am at work, and I cannot stop laughing.

InnerFatGirl

Best sanitary product I ever bought. Haven't looked back since. Saves me a ton of money, discomfort and hassle, too.

JonathonMars

I swear by the menstrual cup. Try it if you haven't already. It will change your life.

beckyskeens

It has completely revolutionized my time of the month - less skin irritation, less pms symptoms, shorter cycle time - so so worth it! Cloth pads also help, especially with skin issues. I highly suggest this to anyone, especially if you have a hard time.

Tamizzle_90

Do you have to take it out when you pee?