Feminine Problem

How's it handle, pain wise, I mean? Tampons can actually make me sore, both being in and inserting. By the end of my period I'm like OH GOD IT FEELS LIKE SOMEONE TOOK A SLEDGEHAMMER TO MY VAG WALLS! So the idea of inserting something even bigger near my cervix really freaks me out.

Has anyone found that it's less painful than tampons?

I use the "instead" cups that can be found at Walgreens (at least my local Walgreens). They are single use and don't rely on suction so I haven't had any of those issues. I also had issues with tampons and these literally feel like nothing to me. Once I put them in (and they are super easy to put in) I completely forget about it. I actually forget that I'm having my period from time to time. I'm usually surprised at the end that I'm done. No discomfort for me whatsoever.

TMI warning:
I'm adding my hat in the ring for menstrual cups! Pads squick me out (I feel like I'm wearing a diaper, ugh) and tampons gave me issues with the string becoming damp (sweat, urine) and causing rashes and such, not to mention they were expensive, dried me out, smelled funky (and scented ones don't help, my clothes from high school STILL smell like scented tampons to this day), and I hated the amount of waste they created. Menstrual cups fixed all that. No more rashes from wet strings or damp pads, no more funky smell, just clean it out morning and evening when I take a shower and no more waste.

Highly recommended!

Oh yeah, I use a lunette, it's smaller than a Divacup. My cervix tends to drop during my cycle too, so I turn the cup inside out -it makes the cup shallower when turned inside out. I trimmed the stem to nothing but turning it inside out made it even better for me to use.

Edited to add: Forgot to add this is another reason why I like my cup over tampons: http://consumerist.com/2012/03/28/dont-worry-thats-just-bread-mold-on-your-tampon/ Bread mold should NOT go up there!

Softcups Reduced my cramps, too, which used to last 2 days and nearly debilitate me. Now, maybe a couple hours, and not nearly so bad.

I think I will try it. Can I find menstrual cups in Walmart or do I have to order it online???

I know that walmart has "SoftCups" but I haven't ever used them. I ordered my DivaCup online. I prefered doing it that way because they last for a whole year and only cost $35ish.... I felt like even if I used it for just 4 months and decided it wasn't for me, I wouldn't have wasted my money because thats how much I would have spent in tampons.

Do you mean the DivaCup lasts a year? ... Because as long as you clean the cup properly it will actually last up to 10 years.

My instructions said that it was recommended for 1 year use- but I don't doubt that it could last longer.

Interesting. I don't know anybody who replaces theirs once a year. Meh. I'm too lazy to do that. I've had mine for probably 2-3 years so far.

However, if it's in the instructions from the company it's most likely a "cover their a$$es" thing. They kind of have to just to be on the safe side but if you clean it well/boil it between uses then there's absolutely no reason you need to replace it every year.