So I have been using my DivaCup. I cut off the stem mid cycle last month and well......I love it for the most part. I like that it's slender (well in my opinion in comparison by pictures) as my canal is kinda narrow but it also maintains good length. so the length and width of the cup works, plus I get a heavy flow a few days. I just got a meluna, medium size. I was excited to use it, but I inspected it and it looks........I dunno....cheaply manufactured? And with the few posts with meluna tears and breakage, I'm bummed out and apprehensive in using mine. I would however like a new cup closely similar to the dimensions to my Diva. Or maybe I should stick to the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" school of thought?

Oh I also forgot to ask. ( Bartholin Cyst, heard of 'em?? )

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/bartholin_cyst/article_em.htm

This is more for information than anything else, but if it helps anyone else that's a bonus. I've been on warfarin (a blood thinner) for about a month now for blood clots in my leg, lungs and brain. Apparently as a woman of menstruation age I should have been informed this would make my periods 'living hell', or the medical equivalent of that, I wasn't. To be honest it wasn't that bad, all I found was that I had to empty my cup more often and I was a bit more crampy (and cranky) than usual.

However, I was talking to another girl about the same age as me whilst I was in hospital who said that she was unable to go out pretty much during her period whilst on warfarin as she was constantly paranoid about leaking because tampons weren't absorbing enough and she was allergic to the sticky stuff on pads. So I told her all about cups, and now the nurse who runs the warfarin clinic is going to recommend cups to 'women of a menstruation age.'

Hello all,
Newbie & have been browsing around all your interesting discussions. Have just ordered a Lunette, but have one question that's intriguing me...
It may sound a little morbid, so feel free to tune out. I work in a hospital so hence the pondering.

What if you were wearing your cup & you were in an accident?
Like... in a coma?

If you were wearing a pad, it's obvious you're having a period.
If you're wearing a tampon, the ICU nurse would see the string & take it out so it didn't get infected.

But if you're using a cup, no-one would know, right? Even when it started leaking because it wasn't changed, they wouldn't expect a cup to be there. Potentially all that blood would just stay put... & even though TSS isn't an issue normally, leaving the blood sitting there would be a problem.

This thought has freaked me out a bit. Somehow I can deal with the concept of being in a coma but the idea of getting infections due to pooled old period blood grosses me out. Has anyone else considered this?

Maybe I should make a card to put in my wallet, organ-donor style?

So, background on me: I'm 21, have vaginismus (but do physical therapy for it and am improving) and endometriosis. Up until Friday, I have been on the pill for 6 years. I've probably had like 5 very light periods in the past 3 years because I took HBC continuously to avoid menstruation. Friday I got a mirena IUD.

So, I'd like to use a cup. My GYN said it was totally fine to do so.

I've tried a small Diva before and it didn't work for me. I tried it probably twice each period for 5 or 6 periods, then it fell out of my bag and I lost it.
I had kind of a hard time inserting it, but I would get it in after a few seconds, seem to be sealed fine and in the right place, but after like an hour it would be uncomfortable and feel like it had come unsealed or something and slide down lower. I was never able to keep it in for more than a few hours.
I think what might have been happening is that due to the vaginismus, my muscles were involuntarily spasming and breaking the seal.

So, I'm hoping you all can help me choose a cup. I assume I'll have a light- medium flow, although I'm not sure. I have very tense vaginal muscles/ small vagina. Also, I have a pretty low cervix and short vaginal canal.

The issues with the unsealing... do you think my reasoning makes sense? And if so, do I need something with stronger suction? maybe a stiffer cup? Wider cup? Shorter cup?

Do you have any suggestions for what cup I should get? I know preferences are really individual, but it isn't really something I can try out and return if it doesn't work for me. I'm a poor college student, so this is really going to be an investment for me.

Thanks!

Since I'm pregnant, I went through my stash of tampons and panty liners and gave a big bag to my mom. I told her my plans to get a menstrual cup after the baby is born. She was so excited and of course didn't realize they even existed. She's concerned that she may be able to use one, because, well basically her uterus is falling out (I don't know the medical term for it.) We were talking about it and she said when she uses tampons and has a bowel movement that she pushes her tampon out, however, I do the same thing. Is this due to a short cervix? Do you think she would be able to use one?
I found this when I did a search for menstrual cup pictures. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/07/0729_IDEA_awards_students/32.htm
It's very pretty.

I use a cup everyday for what I've considered heavy discharge for a long time.  I was not using cups at my last annual exam, nor had had any sexual partner for over a year.  After last year's exam it was determined I had an "abnormal" pap smear, but it was probably okay.  So this year I go in, and as per usual, she asks if I had abnornal bleeding, pain, discharge...yada-yada.  I have always considered my heavy discharge normal, as it seems to have been that way since aldolecence, so I say no.  After the exam the doctor went to look at one of the slides under the microscope.  She came back in and said I have Bacterial Vaginosis, and that is why I have such heavy discharge, and what caused my last abnormal pap.  She said it was common for those with this problem to complain of always having to wear a pantyliner (or my case a cup) because it's so heavy, and prescribed an antibiotic.  But what I also found interesting is I don't fit any of the suspected risks.  So if someone else has been going through the same thing, ask at your next pap.  Even if you don't fit the causes!

***UPDATE 10/04/09***

After finishing off all the antibiotics, I sure enough ended up with a yeast infection.  The first I've ever had in my life.  :(  Even worse, it was the guy I was having sex with that informed me afterwards of my condition.  Also, after he had his mouth down there even.  :((

Before I started using a menstrual cup and was only considering the possiblity, I was worried it wouldn't work, because I have a septate hymen (about which there is relatively scant information on the Internet. Pretty much it's just a bit of skin that cuts across the opening, so it's like there're two openings even though there's really only one). I was searching everywhere to see if anyone with a septate hymen had used menstrual cups. And now an established cup user, I thought it would be fair to let the Internet know that it works for me, in case anyone has the same concerns. Of course, everyone's different, so my experience can't be a general statement, but at the very least, having a septate hymen doesn't necessarily mean it's impossible to use a cup. :) Btw, I use DivaCup, in case that's relevant.

Edit: Whoa, who added the "disabilities & health problems" tag? Not cool.

Ok so I know this won't sound related at first but trust me, it is.
I ate a mango for lunch the other day, was driving and in a hurry so I didn't cut it up, I just ate it like an apple. Well then I broke out in a rash all over my mouth the next day and today it showed up on the back of my hand and now that I'm thinking about it, I usually change my cup while I'm in the shower. I read up and found out the peel has an oil that is also found in poison ivy which will irritate some people's skin if they are allergic to it.
Is there any way the allergy could irritate me down there? Nothing's shown up yet but if it does it's going to be horrible!

It's so itchy on my face and I'm a little worried about it spreading.....
but my stomach feels ok so I'm kinda wondering if maybe there's some kind of fluid that protects your insides from allergens or something...?

Hi everyone,

I've gone through many postings and tried to find the information I'm looking for, but I haven't found a thread yet that would help determine if should I even try using a cup.  (And sorry for the long post.)

Just a note -- I have endometriosis and fibroids.  I've had surgery for both, and have changed my diet and exercise habits to lesson my symptoms, but while I'm pain free now, I still bleed excessively each cycle.

On my heaviest days, I use super or super + tampons along with pads.  Sometimes I can get away with leaving the tampon in for close to two hours.  But if I do, I will still have to go the toilet several times in the second hour to let all the overflow out.  If I didn't, there's no way the pad would catch it all and I'd stain my clothes.  Mainly, I try to limit how much I leave the house and how much activity I do on days like this.

Now, from what I think I understand of the cups, they would hold more than the largest tampon, so I could potentially use one and change it every 2-3 hours instead of nearly every hour for a tampon.  But (and here's my problem) only if there isn't a lot of clotted blood present?  The majority of my flow at all points of my cycle is clots.  I used to think this was normal, and that it was uterine lining, but it's not.  The clots are formed because too much blood is accumulating on the uterine side of the cervix; as it sits there and doesn't come out, it clots.  I guess it's just the way my body works, but I rarely just bleed.  And on very heavy days, I pass clots that look like they could easily fill up at least half of a large cup every half hour to hour.

So, while I would love to be leak free and not have to worry about how far from a bathroom I am when I'm on my cycle, would even the largest cups do me any good?  If anyone else has cycles like mine (lots of regular clotting) and thinks the cups help, please let me know.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Ladies,
I have vestibulitis and did prefer using my Diva Cup over tampons and pads. Vestibulitis makes it pretty challenging to be comfortable during Aunt Flo's visit and other than the pain with insertion and removal, the cup is pretty awesome. Anyway, I'm wondering if there are any other cup users with vestibulitis out there, or if there are any discussions regarding this? Also, I am having surgery to excise the painful tissue...Anyone have any idea how long it will be before I can use the cup again?
Thanks!!!

I have recently been diagnosed with a rectocele caused by childbirth, which is likely going to need surgical repair in the near future. I asked my doc about whether it was still safe to use a cup because of the pressure, suction or friction on an already damaged area, and he confirmed that it is absolutely fine and should cause no problems at all.

Hope this helps anyone looking for a similar answer in the future :)

 Does anyone know?

Injured my right hand, so I'm pecking at the keys with one hand, so forgive my shortcomings with this post, thanks.

Toda is day 2 of heavy flow, and I am suddenly forced to do the cup one handed. Removal fine, slightly awkward. Insertion? Uh oh. I did just manage but I was struggling. Without a second hand to help fold and spread labia for insert, it was challenging. I do punchdown but copuldn"t get it tight, no other fold stayed at all w/ one hand. Wiggled it around until it was in but it popped almost too soon but with nudging it got into place.

If anyone has some one handed tips, please help, struggling every 3-4 hrs w/ this. I'm managing but waiting for that comical moment when it flies out of my grasp, lol! Can use right hand only to hold TP and assist only very minimally like that.

addition: Thanks for so many tips and well wishes, it helped me get along all day. I was forced to learn how to remove, dump, reinsert, swirl, wipe--all with one hand. I got brave and skipped wiping the cup, and found out that bit of extra blood is a great lubricant and just wipes up afterward!

Since I'm so used to my cup now (12 cycles, yay!) I figured out how to magically fold it while pushing it in. Knowing my cup and vagina well and being able to relax made that possible. So I pinch/twist/pull it out, dump it out (skip wiping the cup--that bit of blood works great as lubrication!), then squish it flat, push a corner into my opening, then I think I maneuvered it into a sort of 7 fold or maybe closer to a C fold and shoved it in. Who knew you could use your vagina for leverage, lol! Then it was pressed flat and I had to give it a few spins to get some air in it and then push it up into position and wipe the tiny bit of blood left.

With it completely flat, I think I figured out what spinning your cup is supposed to do. Now, I have always been able to spin my cup, but never thought it did anything. Well, when I tried to spin the flattened cup, air started to get in bit by bit until it had fully popped open. At first I couldn't spin it because flat objects just don't spin. So I did a few 'faux' spins by pinching and attempting to turn the base. Voila! Air started to get in, and with each subsequent spin it slowly filled like a balloon.

psst! thanks mod for the tags, I could barely type when I made this post and skipped them.

I've spent quite a bit of time on your website,but haven't yet found an entry to assist me.  I'm interested in using a menstrual cup, but am concerned because I have limited finger strength/dexterity due to multiple sclerosis.  I can touch the tip of the cervix, have had 2 children, and from the info on your website I have a pretty good idea size-wise of what to look for.  With my limitations, which cup brands do you think would be easiest for me to use?  Thanks!

that if you just insert a punched-down Diva and let it be, there is way less hastle. I find that at least in my case, if I jostle it around till it thwacks open, it leaks whereas when it's left alone and opens when it's good and ready, everything is just fine... good seal, suction and no leaks.
Also, I think my Diva knows I can't see all that well 'cause it started to have a pretty bad odor right from the start of my cycle this time around and today, I noticed that the smell was gone and so was Aunt Flo. I'm pretty pleased.

This is my mother's amazing story of her journey with Instead (behind the cut).

( Read more... )

Hi,
I wanted to thank you guys for all your help a couple of weeks ago. I was able to figure out how to use my Diva Cup thanks to you all and am very happy about it! I also just created a community for blind/visually impaired cup users. I know you've got a tag for health problems and such and it's nothing against this community at all. However, a couple of people said when they commented to my post, that they would like our own community for us to talk about our own specific blindness related cup issues, so I made one tonight. maybe a maintainer of this community could put a link to mine on your info page? I have a link to yours on mine. I'd like for us to be sister communities. My communi is called:
blind_cup_users
Thanks,
Dawnielle

Hello,
I just bought my Divacup a week or so ago and it arrived yesterday. My period just started yesterday as well. I have a pretty small vagina, and I've read lots of information on how to insert it however, I don't really understand still. I'm blind and so obviously, pictures do not work for me. I have tried to insert it stem end first and cup end first but I'm not even sure which way it's supposed to be inserted. I also don't understand how it's supposed to be turned when it's inside. Is it supposed to be just twirled around like you would spin a pot lid that would be sitting on it's top, or actually turned completely around so that it's facing the other direction, like if you put the stem in first, you'd have to turn it around so the cup end is facing inside, or what? If it has to be turned completely around, how is this done? I don't have any sighted people around here really and the one I do have is my mental health worker, and I don't feel comfortable asking her to help me get this thing inserted and stuff. I've tried folding the cup in half length wise and then folding it in half again length wise, which creates the C shape I've heard talked about. The problem I am having is it seems to pop open in my fingers when I get it inside my vagina slightly, but before It's gotten completely in. And since I don't even know which way it's supposed to be inserted and am unsure about the turning concept, this doesn't help. I've figured out how to turn the cup inside out and how to bend the rim down backwards if I needed to. I've read that you can fold the rim inside the cup as well, to make it smaller,but I can't figure out how to accomplish this.
Any help on all this would be appreciated. I was really looking forward to using this and I thought it would be relatively easy, but it's not turning out to be for me.
Thanks,
Dawnielle

I just got the Mooncup. (Keeper, i guess? Got it from mooncup.com)

I'm on my 2nd day using it. Insertion is very awkward, I'm using the C fold at the moment. I can't seem to push it in far enough. I believe this is because I'm obese and my stomach is in the way. I also seem to have a little bit more flesh down there than most women so everything is kinda cushioned i guess. (I can't really explain it.)

When it's finally in, it keeps moving up until its almost completely inside me. I've read it's supposed to do this, but I can barely reach the stem even when pushing. (If i cut it, i would of been screwed.)

Removing it is pretty weird too. I have to pull on the stem pretty hard until i can manage to reach the cup. It seems like the rim is irritating me when i remove it. (I can't reach that far inside so i can't fold it.) The real irritation happens when i have to pee, it's not my urethra that's burning but the skin further down. I think the lack of moisture is screwing everything up.

Right now I'm using tampons because I'm afraid of hurting myself more. I'm not really sure what to do about the irritation problem. I've only used lube once with painful results, so I'm kinda afraid of getting an infection. Any suggestions for a water based lube or any other suggestions as to how to stop the irritation? I really want this cup to work, it seems like it would be great if i could get used to it, lol.

Hi! I've been lurking for a couple days now, just reading through tag after tag trying to gather enough information to make me feel really comfortable with this. I initially heard about the cup some months ago and was pretty squicked out, thought it was weird and gross and not at all something I'd be interested in trying. The health benefits, the financial benefits, plus a new effort to feel happy and comfortable with myself have pretty much convinced me it's a good idea, I need to get over the idea that my body is something to be cautious with and wary of. I haven't ordered a cup yet and I'm honestly still a little freaked out by a couple things, so I'm more just looking for reassurance and .. positivity than anything else. Haha.

( Read me, read me! )

Sorry it got so long! I tend to ramble on anyway, and this community has been so helpful to me already, I just wanted to make sure I got everything in there. Thank you all for being as nice and supportive as you seem to be--I'm still a little uncomfortable with talking about these things and even more with this exploration stage. Time to get past it, though. I'm actually pretty excited about the cup idea itself, looking forward to buying it and trying it out. Not quite sure how to tag this, so hope I got it right.

I ordered a Lunette off e-bay earlier this month and it came really quickly. I've never been so eager to try something for my period. My period showed up this morning and ( I had some troubles )

First, I want to thank this community for being so amazing and great with the advice.

Onto the meat of the post:

I received notification today that my Lunette is in the mail (I don't think I've ever been this excited about a menstrual product before now). I'd been reading up on how to take care of the cup, since this is a real investment for me (the currently unemployed student). I bought a mug at the the dollar store that can be my Lunette-cleaning mug (it's huge, certainly big enough to hold the cup) and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide.*

I am anticipating some issues with the cup (as I mentioned in my last post, I have a neurological disorder that might affect things). I was looking on this site and others and saw that some people use lubricant to help. I went to check out lubricants at the drug store and wowza. Expensive! Is it worth the money? Is there are place to get it cheaper than $13 or more a pop? (I'm in Massachusetts, USA if that helps any.)


*Is hydrogen peroxide likely to irritate my lady parts? I looked at some cup washes but they mostly had sodium laureth sulphate. I know that sodium lauryl sulphate - or most anything in the sulphate family - in my toothpaste will get me oral thrush within a matter of days and I assume my mouth is hardier than my vagina.

I'm finally decided that the C'elle cup probably isn't coming through and I am going to just have to buy a menstrual cup for myself. I'm just floundering a bit on where to buy cups/what to buy.

I'm a 22 year old student in the northeast USA. I'm disabled - I have a neurological condition, dystonia - so I think I want to start with a small and/or a softer cup because I anticipate having more-than-average difficulty in inserting it (I have some difficulty with fine motor skills). (My flow is not terribly heavy, so I'm not concerned about that.)

Any suggestions? The cups that are easier on the hands/require less manual dexterity?

New here. Hi. :)

1) Since having a baby, it feels like I've collapsed in on myself. (Same thing happened with my mom, grandma, etc. Lucky us.) Anyone else had this after childbirth and how has it affected using a cup and which size you purchased? I hesitate to get the giant cups since I'm all collapsed in and my periods are light. (I've looked this thing up and have come up with a couple of things... vaginal prolapse... pelvic floor dysfunction... not sure exactly what it is. My dr. said nothing at my 6 week post-partum appointment so I dunno.)

2) I can't seem to find the lunette or lady cup for sale in the U.S. Only online and my husband doesn't want me to order outside of the U.S. because they add some funky charge to your credit card to convert dollars to euros or something. Currently trying to spend as little money as possible due to financial constraints.

3) Speaking of the ladycup, is anyone concerned about dyes in her menstrual cup? We generally try to buy everything we own dye and fragrance free, so I'm not thrilled about this.

4) For those who use FAM, do you ever use the cup during your fertile time? Since having a child, my body apparently thinks I need to do it again... and is extremely enthusiastic with making ewcm. I don't want to have to wear liners anymore to catch all that fertile cm. Anyone use their cup for this purpose? If so, how's it work out for you?

Thanks all.

((FWIW, my daughter is almost 2.5 years old and I'm 27.))

And before I get in trouble for making another post, hear me out--these questions are entirely unrelated to my previous post. I'm sorry anyway though--I realize this is a busy community.
Anyway, things with the pink cup are only getting better! I took the advice of you guys and pretty much cut the stem right off, and now when I insert the cup, it's as if the cup knows what to do all by itself!
On to my question. As I've mentionned in a previous post, I'm blind. I also share a bathroom with a guy (he's just a roommate, so it's not nearly as comfortable a situation as it would be with a SO), and I'm very worried about leaving blood, like, everywhere. What I'm wondering is the exact sequence of events that take place when you sit down to change your cup. Do you take it out before you pee/crap? after? when you do take it out, clearly one of your hands is kind of bloodied and dirty--so you dump the contents in to the toilet. But then what do you do with the bloodied cup while you wipe yourself etc.? surely, regardless of what surface you rest it on/in, that surface will get blood on it as well? (I've read that some of you rest it in the sink--does blood stain the sink though? will running water and swirling it around the sink for a while get rid of it? and, that same bloodied hand--clearly you can't use that same hand to get toilet paper (or you'll get blood on the roll!). for those of you who use the wipes (cottonel and stuff like that), how do you find them helpful?
Thanks so much guys-I am just so, so scared that I'm getting blood all over the place! It wouldn't b nearly as awkward with just girls or with a SO, but oh gosh I don't even want to think about it!!
Again, thank you. I realize you guys most likely aren't used to questions likt his one-but I feel so accepted here!