I just wanted to post saying how much I still think cups are awesome. I had my third run with mine, and I'm really pleased I had it.

I skipped a period because I changed pills, and then my partner and I had an accident, so I was really looking forward to getting Aunt Flo to visit. And come she did, right on time, only with extra mega cramps this time. And gosh, was day three a gusher! I have a fairly light period generally, but I guess the double period hit with a vengence. I usually only have to check once in the mornings and evenings, but that afternoon I felt a worry I might leak, and checked my cup. Not so much a check, as an explosion of blood on to my hand. :P I kind of had a big laugh over it, cause I wasn't expecting it, must have sounded weird to my housemates. :) Anyways, I guess I'm still learning about removing my cup carefully, but I'm so glad I had it, cause my large lady was full, and I would have struggled to cope without her. Hooray for cups!

Also, I finally managed to broach the subject of cups with my mum, and she took it really well. I was worried because we don't usually talk about these things, for puberty she dumped a book on my bed and ran away. Not only was she a bit interested, but said she had even heard of them before! I showed her the pamphlet I made, and she liked it, so I feel so validated now. :) Even though she doesn't need one anymore.

She also asked if I managed to convince any friends to use one - no luck yet. But my doctor is interested, so he'll get some pamphlets, and hopefully let me put some in the waiting room for others. :)

Thanks for letting me share!

A few weeks ago someone posted this http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups/1951817.html - it was about wearing a menstrual cup if you were in hospital and how would the staff know that you were wearing one.
I have been thinking about this and wondered if something like this would be appropriate http://www.totalmerchandise.co.uk/products/details/Two-and-Four-Tone-Silicon-Wristbands
I am thinking of ordering some as promotional items for my website, if you think they would be of use. I would have my website on there and maybe something like "menstrual cup wearer" on it.
What do you think? Would you wear one while you were wearing a cup, just in case? Would you wear it all the time?
Do you like the text or can you think of something better.
I'm thinking of ordering 1000 and selling them for £1.00 or free with any menstrual cup. They would be 2 colours, the colours in my new logo.

I'm just asking for feedback rather than waste my money.
Thanks

Teresa
http://www.femininewear.co.uk
Reusable menstrual products
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Feminine-Wear/262280740292

I found this funny video on YouTube of a health food store employee talking about a Mooncup shoplifter…  Thought it would give everyone a laugh.  Here’s the link, and the actual video is also in the first comment below.  Guess this means cups are definitely desirable, hm?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXVIzlvnbzw 

Hey I have the small Diva Cup ( I'm only 15) and have a few problems. I can get it to work but as soon as it fills up to the 15ml mark it starts to leak. No  leaking whatsoever until 15mls then no more goes into the cup it just leaks out instead GRRRR.
Any suggestions would be helpful beacause I really need to get this sorted as exams are come up and I need to sit there for 3 hours without making a mess and a super tampon only last about 1 hour for me.

Also anyone else notice that after you empty the cup in to the toliet and flush that there is still a little bit of blood sitting right at the bottom? Know how to solve this ? ( got a younger brother I dont think he would like to find even a drop of blood in the loo).

One more problem wore it last night to bed with a pad back up, about 8mls went into the cup and then the rest into the pad. I have no idea why possible beacause I was lying down??

I need some help its just too hard.

I just went to pick up my MeLuna at the post office.  I still haven't opened it and I'm ALREADY intimidated by it.  So any of you ladies have any words of encouragement for me to take a dry run? 

One funny thing, when me and my dad got home he was like "Are you ever gonna let me see it, i'm interested" haha. I said i would.

fyi, i got a small green stemmed stemmed MeLuna

 What was your first experience hearing about menstrual cups and what was your initial reaction? 

What made you decide to try them instead of scorn them?

I had a friend in high school who told me about the keeper and how she wanted to get one. I was shocked but a little interested. I thought it sounded like a neat hippy thing and would be so good for the environment, but there was also a part of me that thought it was a bit gross.
I found the Instead cups and fell in love with them, even though I found they leaked easily (especially if I laughed) so I always wore pads with them anyway. I kept thinking, what's the point of wearing an instead if I'm wearing a pad anyway!? (I've never been able to wear tampons.)
A few years ago my mom got a free DivaCup (she's a manager at a grocery store and it was a free sample from a health seminar she was attending). I was surprised she was so interested in using it since my mom has ALWAYS been a tampon kinda gal. 
I think she used it a couple of times but hasn't used it recently, which is too bad. 
When I was shopping at my local health food store, I noticed they sell divacups and had been eye-balling it for a while. Finally I decided to get one. 
I got to use it for one cycle before I became pregnant, but there's a small part of me that can't wait until I start having regular periods again so I can use it again.
I did notice that it causes a little cramping/bloating that I would otherwise not have, but in the long run I think it's well worth it. I'm also encouraging my mother to use it again because it really is an amazing device! 
I also just ordered cloth pads, which I am super excited about. I really think that women the world over should get themselves set up with a cup because it just makes so much more sense!

What has your experience been with the cup? What were your pitfalls/successes with it and why would you recommend it to your friends/families/strangers?

I am buying one for my sister and she is 29 , but does not have any children. Would you go for a small or large

Hi, everyone!

This week, I have mentioned menstrual cups to two fellow classmates. I offered to bring a cup to show them, and they're both pretty eager to see a cup in person. Now, for those who remember me, I have been trying for about three years or so to use a cup, but I have an EXTREME learning curve. This means that my cups, although I've tried to insert them, have never officially been used. However, I nearly had success this last cycle, and I have a small Lunette on the way, so maybe next time I'll have true insertion success and finally be able to share ecstatic news with you all. :)

Anyway, even though I haven't used the cups I have (a trial large LilacCup and a small Mooncup UK), they have been cleaned. Before I would attempt to use them again, I would of course clean them after someone else touches them. The stems are still fully intact.

I'd really just like ideas on what cup (or cups) you consider to be a good, basic example for someone who has never seen one. Do you think it matters? Would any cup have initially persuaded you to try them? Would a certain cup scare you away from them? Would stiffness/flexibility have made a difference? For example, because I experience pain, a LadyCup would probably appeal to me more because it's so soft, whereas a rather stiff cup may have made me hesitant. Then again, the LadyCup doesn't seem to be "the norm" for cup stiffness.

I know we all have different experiences. I would probably have been scared off by a large cup since I'm not used to insertion. I figure any cup would have made me research them thoroughly myself, but I sort of wish I'd had the opportunity to see a cup in person before making a buying decision. Right now I think I'll bring both my small Mooncup UK and the trial large LadyCup, just to show them the differences, but your input is appreciated. :)

I posted on here about a year ago, asking about cups. I'm a 15 year old virgin. I've had my period about 3 years, and have always used tampons (super plus a lot of the time). I was set on a lunette, but now it seams like it's impossible to get them in the US. My next options were a small diva (cheaper, holds more), ladycup small or maybe large (because of smaller size and cool colors) or maybe a mooncup US (i would want UK, but that's not possible because i live in the US). I have a pretty heavy flow (I've gone through a super and 3 super plus tampons since i woke up around 7, it's 9 now, so i guess that's about a super plus tampon ever 3 hours and 45 minutes. IDK, just an example. I can fit 2, sometimes 3 fingers. I think my cervix is low-ish, but i have nothing to compare it to. I know i can touch it close to my period, i'm not sure about other times. Which of those cups (or other cups) would you suggest for me?

Also, I'm still a bit worried about asking my mom. I think she might freak out about it, even though she lets me use tampons, probably because it's more "hands on." I feel like she would be a bit old fashioned about it. How would you suggest approaching her about it?I know I can say things like it saves money and no known risk of TSS. I would also offer to pay for it. Does anyone know how to convince an older mother about this kind of thing?

My daughter, Olivia, loves my diva cup. I made reference to her love of it on facebook and I got some puzzled responses. "What the hell is a menstrual cup??"

( Olivia Explains )

Hey everyone! Been a while. I moved countries recently, so I kinda forgot how wonderful the internets can be.

Anyway, I was hanging out with a friend of mine yesterday, who asked me if I had any tampons as she'd just run out. She was, moments before, complaining about how annoying they are to keep around given that her job requires her to travel quite frequently.

Of course, I informed her that I don't have any tampons, because I use a cup.

Cue confused look.

I explained it to her, and she said "Seriously? Why did no one tell me about this 10 years ago?" and promptly got online and started looking.

The Keeper/Moon Cup is the easiest cup to find in New Zealand, and she asked me if that one was ok. I told her, sure, as a product, but the company has some pretty appauling business ethics. She's a lawyer, so we got into a bit.

She got back online, and spent about 20 minutes searching through sites. I asked her if she needed help, as surely cups aren't THAT hard to find online, even if NZ is kind of out of the way.

"It's not that - it's that I'm trying to find someplace to buy the Mooncup UK. That'll learn 'em."

I found that a bit hilarious.

Eventually she found someplace willing to ship to NZ, and there ya have it.

Hopefully she'll like it. I anticipate a confused phone call at some point, but that's half the fun. :)

There are so many women who are automatically frightened by the idea of cups, and so many people in general who think I'm a bit weird for caring so much about the ethics of the companies I support. So it was nice to run into someone who is open-minded.

But I thought I'd just let you know: score one for cups!

Love,
Cassie

So just a couple of things.

I've been using my model 1 Divacup for about six months now, I believe. I LOVE it. I think I'm pretty lucky that I found one I liked almost directly off the bat. I think I'm actually getting to the point where I may be brave enough to lop off some of the stem because though my cervix seems to like to stay in the same spot, for some reason the stem will bend against my pubic bone, NOT so comfortable. But I really have no complaints. I'm going to the gyno in a couple of weeks before I head off to college again, and i'm definitely bringing it with me in case she hasn't heard about it.

I've told a few of my friends from college about the cup and some of them seemed very interested in it, and a couple of them sounded like they might actually get one. I told my mom about it as well, and she suggested to me that I tell my two older cousins about it. I'm not sure how to broach the subject to them because although i am close to them, I've never really talked to them about stuff to that nature. I think it will be easier than the other person I want to tell about them, which is my 10-year old cousin who just started her period not long ago. I don't know how to tell her about it because she's so young, but I also don't want her to not know about the other option that is there that most people don't tell you about. I know that I can't stand the thought of using tampons again. Every time I see a tampon commercial, I think for a second, and am like, "I have somethinig that works wayy better for me." I had one in my purse for awhile just in case I didn't have my cup and my period surprised me or I began spotting, but even that makes me shudder a little. Any advice on how to broach the subject with my cousins would be amazing. one of them has had two kids, one has an IUD (I don't know what type), and like I said, the other is 10, turning 11.

Thank you in advance :)

I entered that contest where you write a letter explaining your reasons for wanting to try a cup Keeper or Moon Cup US, and if they like your letter best, you win a free cup!  Well, I just checked my email today and-- I won!  YAY! :)

They said they are having another contest, starting on August 15th.  So if you are interested in trying one of those cups, or if you are not doing so good financially, and really want to try your first cup, here is a link to the contest (I had to browse this group to find it):

http://ultimatemoneyblog.com/my-review-of-the-keeper-menstrual-cup

Just sharing the good news, and encouraging others to go for it!  Also, I think its a good idea for anyone else who wins (I've seen one other person here who did) to let everyone here know, and add the link to your post  keep this awesome contest going for everyone!  This is such a great thing they are doing, gives cup users/fans something to strive for.

Since getting my small LilacCup I have been very happy with it, I LOVE MENSTRUAL CUPS!! I have spoken to my mum about it a lot too.. and she seems very interested in the idea as she HATES pads.

I've decided I'm going to get her one, and as she doesn't go on websites such as this she won't know how the best way to insert, different folding methods, emptying/cleaning in public toilets, and all the other tips I have discovered on here which can't be found on the small leaflet which comes with a cup.. so I am going to have a look through the memories and print out some things which would be useful to her when I purchase one.

I was hoping you guys would be able to help me out with what cup to get her...

+ She is 46 years old
+ She has VERY heavy periods, she can usually feel it coming out in gushes, and she'll have to change her pad even if she has changed it within the last hour - as usually it is completely filled once she has felt the dreaded 'gush'. When she is on her period it completely disables her, she can't go swimming, she can't bike, she doesn't like to go out too much incase she leaks, she can't wear tampons as in the past they have started to significantly migrate downwards and she was too scared to use them after that. So from that, I hope you realise just how heavy her periods are!
+ She was very sexually active when she was younger (good on her!! :D)
+ She has give birth to two children.. I was a caeserean, my brother was a twin but she miscarried the twin and my brother was born prematurely - although I think she still had to have an episiotomy whilst giving birth to him.
+ Me and my mum are both similar in body shape, except for I am taller.. although obviously I have no idea about her downstairs, I wasn't even born from there lol!! At pure guesswork I would have chosen a larger LadyCup for her, seeing as my small one is so nice for me, but as her periods are so heavy I am thinking a cup with a larger capacity is needed.. and maybe one with more suction as tampons have failed her in the past... although I am not sure if more suction is what she needs! I was thinking on a large DivaCup but I'm just not sure..

I really want to do this for her as although it is a bit too late in her life (if this works I know she will be gutted as she has suffered for so long with pads and tampons), at least she might have some peace before her menopause starts!!
Do you think a cup would work for her?
Has anyone else suffered with the above and has a success story about getting a cup?

Any help would be awesome! :)

 Hey. I've been lurking here for.....4 months now. I am coming out of the shadows. WHEE.

Anyways, I'm 14 years old (virgin...obviously), currently using tampons, and I really want to switch to cups. I;ve down 3 months worth of research on them and they sound so much better, as I have a paranoa of sleeping with tampons and getting TSS because I sleep like...10 hours a day (yes, I sleep way to much) and I hate the anticipation of your period coming. Like, I went to the waterpark a day before my period was supposed to start, and I was in constant fear of the water around me going red.
I think they seem really great and not nasty at all (I never found them nasty. o_o. My friendswere like...EWWW. How are they less nasty then pads? Really, I have trouble understanding why people find them nasty. With pads, you can still see the blood and you squish in it whenever you sit down, and tampons, you still see a red little stick of cottom. I've even seen a cup full of fluid. It's just red fluid and maybe a small clot.....They dont seem anymore evasive them a nonapplicator tampon [btw, ob tampns are horrible for me]).

Ok well...First problem, my mother wont let me use them. At all. Shes old fashioned and believes nothing goes in your vagina till youre married and want kids. She doesnt even approve of tampons. She just puts up with the fact that I use them. She says "You're too young for such techniques". She's also very protective of my 'innocence'. She didnt reallly even explain to me why I cant use them, just using vague replies and saying "When you're older, like maybe 20".
I tell her I want to feel more comfortable and better during my period and not wake up, go to the washroom, wash my panties, and then spot wash the sheet. She retaliates "You're not supposed to feel comfortable during your period. You should use naturel things like pads" (yah, cause having plasticy-cottony material mixed with your own menstrual fluid next to your skin is more 'naturel'). Anyways, she said to stop arguing and she'll 'do some research on the subject to decide'. I gave her some websites and pamphlets, and now she thinks I want to use it because "I saw it in an ad". -Sigh-. She also said "Did they teach you about this in school?". They didn't, but I lied and said "yes", and I think I somehow made it worse....
I would really like to get used to them before school starts in four weeks because then it would be harder to try them, what with the fact that I'm starting high school. My next cycle is in two weeks. D=
Any tips on persuading my mom? Or getting around her because I obviously cant boil a cup in the kitchen..

Ok, second problem. I was contemplating ignoring my mom and buying a cup from a local store (cant buy online, have no cards...). I live in Canada, so the only cup I can buy that way is a DivaCup. Its also very expensive  (45$ incl. tax), and me, being 13, cannot afford something like that without knowing its good. So, I think I have an average vagina length ( I heard that divacups are extremly long). I have trouble reaching my cervix, but I have rather small hands, so I think it evens itself out.  But I heard that Divas are pretty big, and I am extremly tight(barely fit two fingers in there), so...
what fold should I try first? I dont want to try a fold and have trouble getting out when I figure out the base is too wide to go in there. Like, when I first tried tampons, it hurt like hell getting it in and had to stop midway and take it out multiple times.
Any experiances with divacups? Bad and good...???

First...QUESTION~~ Are there any cons...at all about cups? Other then the 'steep learning curve' and 'more hands-on approach'. I have no problem with either. Is there anything bad at all? I've been trying to find some on the internet, because I'm one of those people that research EVERYTHING. Anything AT ALL about cups that are BAD? not healthy? wear and tear? leaching chemicals? I'm beginning to think this is like the perfect feminine hygiene product, because there seem to be no cons.

Long post, I know. I just need some help. I'm usually very independent, but my mom is being impossible right now.

I'm screwed: I was browsing some menstrual cup sites, and while on the ladycup one, i accidently bought one.....how I did it? No idea. But I acidentally ordered one, but I didnt pay for it. I'm so confused. So...I havd a panic attack because obviously I cant buy one and if it comes, it'll be really weird. ARGH. How will I pay for it? o_o
Anyways, so, I sent like....three emails to them asking them on how to cancel an order.
I paniced and I unregistered my account.
I wonder...will it still come? I dont get the payment method of "cash in advance"....what does that mean????
i am seriously panicing right now.
Really.....WHAT...to DO?
I'm not sure if anyone can help, but I just need to vent.

So, my mother and I were discussing periods and how you should handle them with my little sister today. Shes 12, 13 in about a month, and has had her period for a little under a year. My mom bought it up because she just did my sister's laundry and found her underware all stained from her last period. My sister got sort of angry at my mother, who won't let her use tampons, for lecturing her since she isn't giving her any other options. My mom got pretty grossed out and so my sister came to me to talk.

My mother told me not to mention the cup to my sister, because my mother is extremely closed minded on the subject of menstruation, but I explained to my sister that she really shouldn't use tampons because they aren't very good for your insides. She asked me if there were any other options aside from disposable pads and I told her there was but that mom didn't want me to tell her about it. She already knows about reusable pads and thinks they're weird... but shes 12, so thats understandable. She doesn't like the idea of carrying a bloody pad around with you until you get home and can wash it.

Now, my sister is pretty physically active. This is one of the main reasons she doesn't like pads. They make her itch, and when shes running around, she often has to stop and shift them back into place since they move around. The moving around also causes leaks. Also, she sleeps on her back, and doesn't like waking up with bloody sheets because she wasn't able to sleep on her tummy all night.

I know shes young, and I know my mother said not to tell her about cups, but I did anyway. At first she laughed at the idea, but then she started seeing the benefits of it as well. She saw the eco-friendly aspect right off the bat before I even mentioned it, and was really excited about the fact that it means she won't have to carry around pads in her purse. She was intimidated by the cup I showed her, the small Diva, but I told her that cups come in MUCH smaller sizes than that, and that one was made for older people like me. She wanted to see, so I showed her the small LadyCup and MeLuna cups in comparison to the small Diva. Like many others, she absolutely loves the MeLuna website and wants the purple model with the ball stem. I told her I'd get it for her birthday, but here is where my big problem is: I leave for college in about 3 weeks.

I'd love to move my sister over to cups. She is very excited about it, and just loves the idea. But I don't want to get it for her and then go off to school. My mother has apparently placed parental restrictions on her text messaging, and so she can't text certain words(so silly!), so we came up with a secret phrase already... if she needs help, she will text me "I need help with my cookies! Please call me!" and thats that. I'm just concerned that she'll freak out or something to that extent and that no one will be able to help her, because my mother isn't cup-friendly.

While I'd really like to wait until the XL comes out so that I can order both cups together, but I'd rather have her cup for her so that she can use it on her period and come to me in person with any questions rather than on the phone. I can't show her a better fold on the phone, and I can't demonstrate which angle might be a better way to insert, and I can't give her an encouraging hug on the phone either.

Also, heres a question from her, what size should she get? She goes through about 3 maxi pads per 24 hour day on her period, but since she moves around so much, she leaks. We were leaning towards the small of either the LadyCup or MeLuna, and are ready to order, but I'm not sure that her period won't be too heavy for these cups. I suppose this is a silver lining to having the XL out later, so that if she has to change the cup too often, I can just order her the next size up if she needs it. We looked at the charts in comparison to tampons, but she only uses pads.

Pretty much any insight into going from pads to cups would be helpful, preferably from the youngest users on the site, or those of you who have young daughters/sisters who you've given the cup to with success.

Edit: Just wanted to add that while my mother won't buy her tampons for her to use, she has used them before when a pad wasn't available. Its not that she isn't comfortable with penetration, but that my mother isn't comfortable with making it readily available to her, due to her own experiences. My mother got a tampon stuck in her after somehow pulling the string off, hence her apprehension on letting my sister, or myself, use them. She wouldn't buy them for me until I got to high school, and even then she only wanted me to use them for swimming, but since I ran track, pads were just inconvenient. Sorry if that didn't make sense the first time, just thought I'd clarify.

Also, its only for protective reasons that my mother doesn't want her to use a cup, but the things she wants to protect her from aren't really applicable in the same way that they are with tampons.

My father was in a cleaning mood today and ventured into my room and got the glasses I left in there.  When I walked out into the kitchen I saw my special mug, the one I put my menstrual cup into and pour hot water over, being put into the cabinet by my father.  As I reached and took the mug out of the cabinet my father asked what I was doing.  I then began to explain that I had a menstrual cup and....... before I could even explain that I used the mug to clean the cup my father walked away. WEIRD.  Needless to say I don't think he will be cleaning that mug again.

So recently I've been building up my collection of cloth pads and I just bought a menstrual cup off of eBay (yay BlueCup!). It's going to be my first menstrual cup ever and I have an IUD which I'm a little wary about. I have yet to go for my initial check-up because I'm waiting for my first period which is taking for-frickin' ever! Anyway....

My mom, sister, and limited friends who I've told are like absolutely disgusted by the idea of using a menstrual cup or cloth pads! I don't know how to present these two methods of menstrual leakage protection to them in a way that does not gross them out. I want them to support my decisions to be eco-friendly. Ever since my IUD and coming across these communities I've become more open to the idea of other forms of period protection and I think it's great! However everyone around me doesn't seem to think so. My boyfriend's jaw just dropped and freaked out saying "WHAT IS THAT?!?!?!?!?!" when I told him I was getting a menstrual cup. Quite funny, but he's a guy. It just really hurts that my family and friends don't even like the idea.

What should I do to tell them it's not a bad thing? 

I won a LilacCup bidding on ebay and I am so happy because I hate how whenever I have my period I always really want to go swiming but I am afraid to use tampons because of the risk of TSS. I was hoping to get it before my period started but my period started almost a week earlier than it usually does so I guess I will just have to use it next month. Anyway I am really happy about it but my mum keeps saying I can't use it because I'm still a virgin and she is worried it will break my hymen for some reason. I am 13 and I don't really care if it breaks my hymen but mum is still all "They are no better than tampons." Does anyone know how I can convince her that virgins can use cups and it probably won't break their hymens, I've tried telling her but she won't listen.

I probably shouldn't care what she thinks anyway maybe I'm just being stupid.

EDIT: Thanks for all the helpful comments.

Ugh, I think my MIL tossed out the pouch that came with my Diva Cup. My partner and I had to move in with my in-laws because of money troubles. I had it in one of my plastic bags and it must have fallen out and she threw it away during one of her sporatic cleaning sprees, and the thing is if I ask her about it she'll have no clue what I'm talking about because when she gets in one of those modes if her brain thinks something is trash then she'll toss it, but not remember later what she tossed out, which makes asking if she threw something away pointless and everyone in the house just has to assume something they can't find anymore was tossed and move on, unless they have the fortune of finding it again later in some other place other than where they last thought they left it. Anywho, does anyone have any ideas on what I could put my cup in since I'm done using it for now, or if someone could make me a pouch and mail it to me then that'd be awesome. The only problem is I'm flat broke so I wouldn't be able to pay anyone if they were to offer to make another pouch for me. Any thoughts?

We all know the wide variety of reactions that cups seem to bring up.

Probably one of the more interesting ones has been my husband's. He's gone from "omgz, that's horrifying. It's your body do what you want, but please don't tell me anything about this terrifying device," to actually liking the thing. I seem to cramp less, not that I cramped much before, and (probably a decent motivator on his end) am *much* more into sex after my period has ended. Disposable pads were leaving me tender and making my skin peel, which let me tell you *that's* all KINDS of sexy **eyeroll**.

Anyway, I was just wondering, how many of you ladies had experienced "turn arounds" with your significant other or someone else close to you?

Hi everyone!
Well, I returned last Thursday from backpacking the Grand Canyon. I wasn't due to get my period until today, but I brought along my cup anyway, just in case. I was actually kind of hoping it would start while on the backpacking trip so I could get experience using the cup in the "wild," but that didn't really happen. What did happen is that my period started our last day hiking out, when we were just 1.5 miles from the South Rim. At that point, I didn't want to risk dropping my cup in the pit toilet so I just let it go until I reached the top and could use an actual bathroom (my periods start out light).

Anyways, I'm still totally in love with Anastasia (that's what I named my Diva, my Lunette is "Leslietta"). But, I wish my period had stayed on schedule or else come a few days earlier. I guess the physical exertion could have triggered it or it's possible that the girl I was backpacking with and sharing a tent with threw my cycle off - she said hers was about to start any day.

I guess I'll just have to plan another backpacking trip to coincide with one of my periods :).

LOL, never thought I'd say that!

PS I told one of my friends about menstrual cups at women's Bible study the other night and she was totally excited about it! It was so awesome! Afterwards, she and 2 others I had mentioned it to a few months ago stood outside and asked me more quetions about it. I'm so happy they were actually interested/excited!

I just have a fun cool story to share. My mom has always been very open with me, great relationship and all that, but since I'm in my 30's it's been a very long time since we've discussed feminine hygiene products in any detail. When I got my cup, I eagerly wanted to tell her about it but the timing wasn't right because we had some life/death family stuff going on this past year. In the past few months she tried to pawn off some old maxi pads on me and I passed on them, then she was rummaging in my purse a few times and finally asked why I didn't have my stash of "supplies" in there (I've always been irregular and stashed pads in every single purse I owned). I casually said, "Oh, I don't use them anymore." I was totally not thinking what I said would be alarming, I think she feared I was in an early menopause or something was going on. So I quickly explained how I was trying a new product and absolutely loved it.

You know what she said? "Oh honey, those aren't new! I tried those before you were born!" And then she had a good laugh at me! I only meant the silicone version was relatively new, but since I was bringing it up for the first time I wasn't going to start with the entire history of the cup, lol. She even remembered what the packaging looked like, that they were disposable, they were sort of gold colored, etc., and then I showed her the pic online of the old Tassaway  and she said that was exactly what she had tried. She went on about how she never could get them to work right, but they seemed so great, and then never saw them for sale again and forgot all about them. After seeing the new silicone version and hearing all about it, she said she didn't know whether to be happy for me or absolutely jealous and hateful! She decided on jealousy and hatred after finding out it made my cramps go away, my clothing and bedding is never stained, and she didn't want to hear another word about how freeing it is, ha ha ha! Too bad she threw the rest of the box away, she said it was in the back of the cabinet for years until she realized she was silly for hanging onto it and threw it away--it would've been fascinating to see now.

I was fully expecting her to think the whole idea was a little odd or unsanitary, solely because it is far different from pads and tampons. Okay, so she did give me the whole motherly talk about making sure I kept it clean, and I had a good time teasing her about being so much of a mommy, lol. When I first heard about the cup I was, quite frankly, grossed out, and imagined it would be messy and awkward; then I had yet another pad/tampon leak and after washing and stain removal finally decided that the cup couldn't possibly be any worse. I'm just so glad this community exists, because otherwise I could've had the same experience with cups that my mother did. Because of information compiled by some of you wonderful gals, I was able to choose a size and shape cup that I knew would likely fit me, as well as many different folds and insertion/removal methods, and all of this information and communication prepared me to try the cup and be successful with it.

So it's a dry run...mostly (Maybe this is TMI, but I tend to have excessive, at least in my opinion, amounts of discharge throughout the month. Especially a bit before my period, which is where I think I am), but I was finally able to test out my cup today.  

I have both a large and a small PinkCup.  When I first opened the package I thought Holy shit! There is no way that thing is fitting in my vagina.  I was intimidated to say the least... and  a bit scared.  I've seen pictures and videos and all that jazz, but It just seems so much scarrier in person!  I initially tried the C-fold with my small cup (I've yet to try the large; I'm still a bit intimidated), and just only look at it made me realize that I needed to start with something that was smaller at the initial insertion point, so I think I tried the oragami fold-- or at least what my interpretation of it is.  It took me a couple tries to get it in; initially I tried and it somewhat popped out, I guess it was not inserted far enough in.  The second time was a success, though it did not pop open at first.  I was unable to get it to open with my fingers, but after a little while, when I tried again, I think it opened on its own.  

After that I walked around for a while and expected to feel it, but I didn't!  What a great relief that was.  I've read of a few people talking about being able to feel the cup, and I was certainly not looking forward to that.  After about five minutes, I was ready to remove my new toy and put it away until I needed it...
And thusly the madness began.

That sucker did not want to come out!  It was higher up than I originally thought it was, and I cannot reach above the rim to get it out (I have long fingers...I guess my vagina is longer than I thought!) so I'm not able to really break the seal and kegals didn't really help too much...I say this in the present tense because I still have my cup in.
I decided to take a nap afterwards and had to go to my cousin's graduation party-- I forgot about the cup (Yup, it's pretty damn comfy).

So. Does anyone have any advice? I haven't tried working with the whole "extraction" bit for quite a few hours now...I guess I'll do that after I post this.  Also, was anyone else shocked by the shere girth and size of their cup upon arrival?  Or any advice with attempting the large LadyCup?

One last note, are anyone else's friends still freaked out by the cup?  I keep trying to convince my friends and sister that the cup is SO much better than anything else on the market, but they continue to think I'm a freak.
Ha.
Ha.

P.S. Stem wise-- hasn't bothered me at all! I haven't cut it.
Sorry for continually posting to this, but I am just so fascinated by everything...

I don't think I've ever seen this topic on this community before, so here goes... has anyone ever worn their cup while getting a wax? I mean, could the beautician notice it? Probably not, right? I might get a wax today, and I'm at the "dark discharge" stage of my period. Any thoughts/suggestions?

Btw, I have no idea what to tag this under...