My Femmecup came a few days ago, I love it :D  I wanted something that was similar to the MCUK but slightly cheaper, well worth it though.  

I also got a cleaning kit from Feminine wear with 8 milton tablets, how much of each tablet should I use in that tub?  I will be cleaning 2 cups at the same time if that makes any difference.

Thanks in advance

This is my second cycle using a menstrual cup.
Last cycle was a mixed success: the very first use was fantastic. Easy insertion and no leakage. Must have been beginner's luck, because for the rest of the cycle my cup leaked.

From the tips I got on here I figured that the leakage was due to the positionning of the cup. My vagina is shortish and the cervix would come to sit on the rim... causing leakage.
So I checked internally to make sure my cervix was pointing into the cup.

That is how I started out on this, second, cup cycle and lo and behold - no more mess!  : )
A wee bit of pink "spotting", probably vag moisture tinged with blood from the vag walls.
I am going to make myself some cotton pantyliners.
It would be great to be able to insert the cup without having to double check internally, but if this is not the case, I can live with that. Any tips on forgoing the internal check are very welcome.

I do not feel my cup, I get in in and out in a breeze. I rode my horse today, no leaks.
I am so thrilled with the concept of the menstrual cup that I told my pharmasist. She looked at me as if I was insane : (
Anyhow, I am continuing to spread the word.

Now I am wondering how to sanatize it in the microwave. How do you do that?

After a 9 day LP   :-(    I  took my MooncupUK out of the closet today.

No leaking so far. I learned on here to make sure my cervix points inside the cup, I have a shortish vag.

No I was asking myself if I could sterilize my cup in water with cold sterilizing tablets used for infant feeding bottles? Is that OK or will it be too harsh on the silicone?

I wanted to post about my experience of using the menstrual cup as a way of giving back to this community - this is the most useful website that I found when I was learning to use it. I live in Australia and was lucky to even hear of a 'menstrual cup' while browsing some forum based in the US. Nowadays I see graffiti on women's toilets at my uni and it's pretty awesome (I frown but the smile)!

I ordered a Divacup from eBay (US) in size 1 (I'm 24). The only cup legally allowed to be sold here is the Keeper (looked kinda icky and not very modern so I picked silicone). Aside from all the pros (you're already aware of) I also based my decision on my heavy periods which ended up costing a fortune in good comfortable pads. Also the cup has helped to minimise infections (yeast and urinary). At the same time I also ordered some cloth pads made locally (also not very big in Australia) as backup. Don't get me started on having a luxury item tax on hygiene products!

It took me 3-4 periods to finally feel comfortable using the cup. Firstly, I used to experience severe pain from inserting it too high (and it ended up suctioning onto the cervix!) and always leaked. At some point I read on here to insert it so it is directly under the cervix, then un-suction it by squeezing air out of it to allow a seal and gently pull it down until it sits comfortably. Funnily enough this is not explained everywhere and was basically all I needed to know make it work.

On the point of cleaning: I'm not willing to import special cleaning products from US/UK and boiling didn't work so opted for Steradent (a denture cleaning tablet :S). It works extremely well (fast and zero effort) but as I read recently it could end up degrading silicon a little quickly and needs to be air dried well.

Too bad I can't manage to get any of my friends interested - and I consider them very open minded on most issues.

Here's to Australia becoming more civilised!

Cheers

I was messing around on Google and came across this article:

http://ats.ctsnetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/68/6/2123

in which a German team mentioned someone examining the surfaces of medical silicone objects disinfected with H2O2 and concluded that there was no damage: "Treated and untreated samples of silicone and polyurethane tubings were studied by scanning electron microscopy (AMR 1200; Fa. Leitz, Wetzlar, Germany). The surface was smooth; no cracks or surface alterations were found as a potential indicator of damage."

They simply wiped with H202, so I don't know about soaking, and I know that some people have expressed concerns, but this seems to at least indicate that it's not going to destroy your cup. I haven't had any problems with peroxide so far and it's one of the safer disinfectants out there, but will update if I run into problems.

Meanwhile, here's another page that rates silicone as having "excellent" compatibility with H202 at concentrations of 10%, which is at least more than 3 times what would be used for disinfecting.

http://www.ozoneservices.com/articles/004.htm

I just got my green lady cup (it accidently went to my neighbors house with "sanitary product" stamped on the box)! It is very exciting. Just a bit smaller than my small lunette. The only sad thing is they sent me a large instead of the small (i double checked my order too), but I don't want to send it back and wait again, so i guess it will be okay. i also got the milton cleaning stuff -- does anyone else use it? There are 28 in a box so i figure one a month will last over 2 years!

Just wanted to say how excited I was- I now have 3 cups : small diva, small lunette and large greencup (all bought within 4 months lol!)

Hello everyone,

I just got my Lunette Selene! 
Before using it, I'll boil it for 4 minutes. For cleaning between cycles, I've decided to try rubbing alcohol. Does anyone know the "official" name of rubbing alcohol? is that ethanol, or what? Thanks for the info!

I work part time in a natural skin care department, so I spend a ton of time reading ingredient labels and learning why different ingredients are in various products. I looked up the ingredients for the DivaWash and Lunette Washing Liquid and decided to decipher the ingredients that aren’t already explained on the label.

( Probably tl:dr )If you want to check out what research exists for some of your own products you use for cleaning your cup or anything, one good place to start is www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

I just wanted to share something with everyone, and I hope it helps. Like many women here, I’ve been REALLY curious about gathering some facts on proper care of medical grade silicone. So I decided to turn to someone who works with this material regularly, but is NOT involved with manufacturing menstrual cups or profiting from their sales-- and ask them their professional opinion. I have forwarded the below letter to the head of a custom medical grade silicone molding company (they take custom moldings from hospitals for patients, and create artificial body parts of various kinds), and he sent me his reply.

( Here Are The Details )

I got a little stain on the rim of my DivaCup last cycle, I could not remove it with water nor boiling. And each day, the stain was getting more "pronounced". I plan to remove it with an hydrogen peroxide/water. I know it's pure aesthetic, but what if I want to show it off?

But with all the conflicting info, I wonder. Has any of you been using hydrogen peroxide on your cup on a regular basis for at least 5 years? If so, how is the cup holding up?

Hello all!

Just a quick question... at the end of my cycle I soak my Diva in a peroxide solution... just my cup full of peroxide, then hot water to cover my cup.
This time I forgot about it for about 3 days.
Is it doing to do any damage to my cup? It's less than a 50-50 solution... didn't seem like anything was wrong with it... just very clean haha.


EDIT: Thank you all!!! I feel a little silly now for not remembering that peroxide turns to water... I never was that good at chemistry :P Now I;m not worried my cup's gonna fall apart on me :D

I rubbed it with rubbing alcohol... would that make it clean?

Also I bought tea tree oil yesterday but don't know how to use it with the cup?

A ways back, I asked for advice on my selection of a backup cup. :D I'm happy to say that I've demonstrated my usual self restraint, and bought myself two other cups.

I used the coupon _relax_replase thoughtfully provided to acquire a smaller Diva, and also splurged and bought an Orange Cup, by Lady Cup.

I realized, when I really thought of it, that while I have a really good relationship with my Keeper, that it's capacity is just way too small for me. I bleed like a proverbial stuck pig, my cycle generally lasting about 3 days (and sometimes less). My small Keeper doesn't leak, but only if I empty it like crazy. So, I went for a larger Orange Cup, and the small size Diva, which I only had to empty every 4-5 hours on the first day, which is acceptable enough given how comfortable I remember finding it. They're of a similar size, to boot.

I decided to spend the four extra dollars and get the 'luxury' Orange Cup package off ebay. I wanted to see what the hullaballo was, about the Milton sterilizing tabs. I'm in the USA, so it's totally foreign to me. I was wondering, does anyone know if these Milton tabs are okay to use with latex rubber?

The luxury package only comes with two tablets, which I understand can be broken up into smaller pieces and used in smaller quantities, but I sort of envisioned chucking all three cups together into a Milton solution, one day, and wanted to be sure I didn't harm my Keeper in the process.

*edit: Or, if anyone knows where I can find a list of materials that these Milton disinfectant tabs can be used with, I'd appreciate it.

I'm actually looking forward to trying out the slightly revised Diva, and the brand new Lady/Orange Cup. Who'da thunk?

I thought I heard something about being able to use a hydrogen peroxide and water mix to sterlize a cup. How much of each are you supposed to use and how long are you supposed to soak it? I've not sterilized my cup, and even though this is only my second cycle, the idea of getting a yeast infection is really freaking me out.

(Is it okay that I'm asking so many questions here?)

I was just wondering why tea tree oil seems to be the cleaner of choice... I've also read about using anti-bacterial adult toy cleaner, and there's a lady on Youtube who soaks her cup in surgical spirits whenever she's not using it.

Any thoughts?

Edited: Why does it say on the Divacup website that tea tree oil is among the cleaners that will ruin silicone? Look at the chart below

Yes	No
The DivaWash	Bleach
Boiling (20 Minutes)	Vinegar
Mild Soap	Hydrogen Peroxide
	Fragranced Soap
	Hand Sanitizer
	Castile/ Peppermint Castile Soap
	Tea Tree Oil
	Antibacterial Soap
	Dishwashing Soap

I have a question for those of you who use the Milton Sterilisation Tablets.  I live in the US and have no experience with these tablets - do you use the full 5L of water to sterilize your cup?  That's what the directions say but that's a ton of water to use for a small cup!  Do you break the tablet in half or fourths or do you just use it full strength?

I didn't want to use a whole tablet if it would harm my cup (Pink Lady cup).

Thanks!
 

Hello, everyone, 

I've been occasionally watching this community since last spring, when I bought myself a Lunette cup. Unfortunately (then again, maybe not) even one and a half year's regular use hasn't really given me case for membership in support groups. I haven't had a single problem that needed solving, nor suggestions for what to do when there's a problem, since I haven't had any. I can only conclude that my parts and periods must be smack dab in the middle of the bell curve. One issue arose earlier this evening, however.

<LURKER DELURKING>
Hi

I have been using the MoonCup, UK almost solely for the last 18 months and I have to say I love it. However I was just wondering. Is it ok that I use boiling water straight from a kettle and baby steriliser? Its just I don't have a way of boiling the cup at the moment.

thx Girls

I was wondering if it would be safe to bleach my cup with NapiSan? The active ingredient is Sodium Percarbonate? (I use it at the moment to bleach my baby's nappies before washing them.) I would still sterilize the cup after - I just want to get the colour out, preferably without buying yet another cleaning product. I will get hydrogen peroxide as well if I have to, but was hoping to avoid it.

Separate question:

Would it be too weird to put the cup in the same sterilizer as the baby bottles? I mean, clean silicone is clean silicone - this is just the sterilizing bit after the bleaching and washing. They both came out of my body, after all, but I think my husband would be freaked out by it. OTOH, what he doesn't know what won't hurt him since he doesn't wash or sterilize the baby's bottles - but that's a whole 'nother issue!

Any opinions?

Menstrual cup love is... feeling slightly smug as one of your friends rushes frantically around a foreign city in the middle of the night trying to find an open shop where she can buy tampons because her period has come unexpectedly early and she only has one tampon in her bag.

I do feel a bit mean about that. On the other hand, it's coming up for 1 year 6 months since I first starting using a Mooncup (uk) and I can't imagine ever going back to tampons. Eck.

Now to the question. My year-and-a-half old cup is totally grungy looking. I put it in sterilising solution last night for about 20-30 mins and then spent a further 15 mins scrubbing it with an old toothbrush to try and get it looking a bit nicer. The problem is the lettering, which is still absolutely disgusting.

Is there something stronger I can use on my cup to get it clean? I've read that some of you guys use a Hydrogen Peroxide solution... is it possible to buy it in the UK because I've never seen it here.

Thanks.

Hi,

I've found that denture cleaning tablets are fantastic for cleaning retainers, removing tea stains in cups, and removing icky water bottle slime, and since they have antibacterial functions, I wonder, would it be a safe/effective silicone cup soak? Don't worry, I'm asking out of curiosity. Does anyone know how those things work, anyway? I can't seem to find any info on my box of generic tablets.

I left my cup in a solution of about .77% sodium hypochlorite (2 tablespoons of 6.15% NaOCl bleach in a container that holds a cup of water) for a little over 18 hours, and when I took it out, it felt a little sticky to the touch. I rinsed it and then soaked it in some diluted white vinegar for awhile, trying to neutralize any residual bleach (I actually sat for awhile trying to figure out how much acetic acid was necessary before I remembered I'd poured most of the solution down the sink. I really need classes to start soon). Then I scrubbed it with soap and water and boiled it. After all this, it doesn't FEEL sticky anymore, but if I press it firmly so that the insides are touching, it kind of SOUNDS like they are becoming unstuck when I let go.

Do you think it is vagina safe? If not, can I keep using it as a novelty shot glass?

I have been reading many of the posts but I have not seen the answer to my question.  What kind of soap do you use to clean the cup after you remove it?  I have a diva cup and I was thinking of buying the diva wash.  I find it to be a little expensive and I would love to hear about less expensive alternatives.

My heart has joined the thousand, for my friend stopped running today.


I killed my Divacup.  :(  Please learn from my mistakes.

A couple random questions:

1. I'm not having any problems with the cup smelling weird when using it, but my hands smell awful after I change it and I can't get them clean. It's grossing me out to wash my hands for, like, 2 minutes in hot water with three uses of soap and still smell that metal-blood smell when I'm eating. Does anyone else have this issue?

2. Is it safe to sterilize the cup by rinsing it in rubbing alcohol before soap and water? I've been doing this, but it just occured to me that I might be harming the cup by doing that, but I don't know.

3. (The most random of all.) How in the hell can some of you guys leave it in for longer than, like, four hours without it leaking? Do I just bleed horribly? Bleh. I have a size 1 divacup and it works great for the first, fifth, and sixth days of the cycle, but the rest is just too heavy and I have to use a maxi pad as backup, just like I had to with tampons. I don't have to change it as often as I had to change tampons at least, thank god. But dammit! I want to have it not leak after a few hours! (It's not an issue of suction-- the cup is completely full after, like, a few hours on the heaviest day.)