I thought this was cool...
The June 2009 edition of the journal Contraception features a study called Duet® for menstrual protection: a feasibility study in Zimbabwe - you can only view the abstract here, but it gives the basic idea.

As I understand it, in an effort to increase acceptability of diaphragms, such as the Duet, as a form of contraception and STI prevention for women in developing countries, where women are disproportionately infected with HIV, it's use as a menstrual cup is being explored.

It seems the reason behind this big push to introduce (or re-introduce as is the case in India) the diaphragm is related to an increased awareness of the cervix as a vulnerable site for transmission of STIs and HIV and the need for female controlled protection.

Thanks to jordanhollya </span>for posting this link back in April which got me interested in this topic. :)

so i'm wondering... does anybody know of a good LJ community for diaphragms?

i'm interested in learning more about them and i want to go beyond what planned parenthood's website says. i want to hear some real women talk about real experiences with their diaphragms.

i just want to try non-hormonal birth control and i don't really dig the idea of an IUD. punctured uterus? no thank youuuu!

thanks:)

<3 becky

hi everyone,

i'm new to this community, but i've been using the keeper for 7 or 8 years now. i found the community because i'm in the market for my first replacement cup and i was checking the intertron to try and figure out if i should get another keeper or one of these newfangled silicone cups. i'm tending toward buying the keeper brand silicone cup, because i feel customer loyalty to the company for being the lone supplier of this product for so many years, which now has to compete in an all of a sudden very crowded market. however, it looks like the diva cup costs half as much. so i might go with that, but i feel guilty doing so.

anyway, the real reason i posted is something a little off topic, but i know it's been discussed here before (about 2 years ago, in the memories). you see, i've also used the prentif cervical cap for birth control for about 6 years, and it's worked great. unfortunately, the company went out of business (their product was too good, you only needed to buy one!) and now i'm having a hard time figuring out a replacement for it. there are all these other cervical barriers on the market - leah's sheild, the femcap, and some non-US caps that look interesting but hard to get in the states. i'm curious if anyone on this community is using any of these (i figured, once you start putting rubber cups up there, you just can't stop! ha.) and if so, how it's working out for you, where you got it, etc.

i live in the boston area and i can't for the life of me find a doctor or midwife or clinic that has ever even heard of these barrier methods, let alone someone who sells and fits them. i read in the memories that there were people on here who were trained to do cervical cap fittings, and i'm curious if anyone still is in this new post-prentif cervical cap market.

any tips would be very appreciated. :)

Following on the diaphragm theme, it occurred to me that it could be a useful option for the financially challenged in the UK, since they can get one for free.

Does anyone know which other countries have free contraception?

Okay, a couple people questioned the capacity of the diaphragm used as a menstrual cup. So I measured, and found that my diaphragm holds just about (or a hair over) 2 oz (57.5 ml).

(Different diaphragms will vary, since they come in different sizes.)

I opened an Instead for comparison, and it holds about 3 oz.

According to past posts in this community and here:
http://sew-in-love.com/menstrual-cups.html
The largest of the bell-shaped cups holds about 1.5 oz.

So, I don't think capacity with a diaphragm should be a problem. :)

I see that there are only one or two posts about this in memories, and they're pretty old. Right now I think I'm moving toward using (cloth) pads more often, but I just wanted to share that I have used my diaphragm as a menstrual cup, with good success, for years.

Being fitted to me, it spills much less often than Instead. Recently I've had a couple spilling incidents, and I suspect it's probably because I haven't had my diaphragm re-fitted in so long (I don't actually need it for birth control, so I haven't bothered).

I usually empty it about 3 times a day in the first day or two, then twice a day.

Also, a trick I found in some discussion forum years ago and, once I got used to the idea, took to using: when I'm not in reach of a sink, I just pee on my cup to rinse it. Sounds gross at first, but urine is normally sterile as long as you don't have a bladder infection. And if you've ever tried wiping all the sticky blood off your fingers in a public restroom with dry toilet paper before leaving the stall... well, it's a lot easier to wipe off pee than blood.

I have also had sex with the diaphragm in during my period, and had my partner not even realize that I was on my period or had anything in. Given that advantage, I can't personally imagine preferring the bell-style cups (smile).

I think it would be good to put information about the diaphragm as a resusable menstrual cup option on the info page for this community.

I just discovered this and wondered if anyone has an experience with it or knows anything about it other than what's available on the website. http://www.leasshield.com/how.htm

I ended up there while looking at diaphragm information. Since a diaphragm can be used as a menstrual cup, I assume this can too? Thoughts?

Edit: Hmm, here's another one. Yes I know these are not designed as menstrual cups, but I curious about what you all think as you know a hell of a lot more about this topic than I. FemCap, http://www.femcap.com/ - This one looks much smaller.

I don't think Instead or Lea's shield will work for intercourse for me. I just don't believe they will stay in place and not bother my boyfriend. This little one looks promising tho.

Sincerest apologies if this has been asked before. I've had a lot of trouble finding adequate information. Has anyone here experience with use of diaphragm as a menstrual cup? If so, care to tell me about it (how well it worked, potential concerns (with use of diaphragm as opposed to, say, the Keeper), sex during period, etc.)? Much thanks! :)

Sorry to create an entire seperate post for this.  I wanted everyone that wanted the information to be able to get it without having to reply to all the comments individually.  A new cervical cap made of silicone was recently approved by the FDA for use in the US. 

Also, the Dumas is now made of latex.

Cervical Barrier Advancement Society

Hey, the last post with the end note about the cup going around the cervix reminded me that menstrual cups are based on cervical caps. I actually just use my cervical cap as a menstrual cup. It doesn't have a handle, but I already owned a bunch for fitting, (I'm a trained cervical cap fitter) and so I just started using my cap.

I'm wondering if anyone here uses a cervical cap for contraception. It's a great form of birth control compared to the diaphragm, although the application is more precise, it doesn't cover the G spot and therefore sexual pleasure is much creater. It's also more effective. I thought maybe some women in here might be familiar since the cup is so similar.

Also, can someone tell me which of the mainstream cups is made from natural rubber? I can't remember. Thanks.