Hi everyone. I just managed to figure out how to post here. I am here looking for reassurance. I have a mooncup UK which I started using yesterday. I had no problem inserting it and think it's wonderful. I have been doing lots of research prior to get familiarised with the folds and insertion methods. I absolutely love it.

As I said, my period started yesterday and was so happy about wearing the cup overnight. Which I did. I woke up during the night with a strong need to urinate, but not much would come out. It was rather painful to pass urine (or rather uncomfortable), so I decided to take the cup out, and it allowed more urine to pass, but it was still a little sore.

This is the strange bit. Whilst I was sitting on the loo (after removing my cup), I felt nauseous and suddenly, I passed out on the floor. My blood pressure suddenly lowered and I was sweating profusely, but my skin felt ice cold. I managed to get myself up on my feet and tried to go back to bed, but fainted again on the doorstep. I quickly gained consciousness and pulled myself up to bed. My boyfriend wakes up at this stage, but I didn't want to alarm him. I got in bed and I felt as if my heart rate was slowing down, my arms felt numb, my ears were ringing, and my head was about to explode. I was terrified. After a couple of minutes, these symptoms seemed to disappear and my heart rate , albeit slower than usual, felt more stable. I am so scared now, I have no idea what could've caused all this, I do not want to think it has anything to do with my cup being there overnight.

I woke up with a terrible headache and didn't go to work in the morning.

I don't know what to think, i cannot blame the cup for this, but I don't know what to think. Is there any remote chance that I have TSS?? I know that's associated with tampons and absorption, but the symptoms I observed, I have checked online and are very similar to those of TSS. I would really appreciate someone helping me out. I am thinking of ringing the Mooncup helpline and speak to a nurse now.

Thanks for listening and I would appreciate any input.

I have just had an idea!

Well, I don't know how great it is, but hopefully you ladies can tell me.

I totally want in on cup activism. Really. I hang out on all sorts of women's health boards, and the most common thing I see besides "amipregnant" is "tampons are driving me insane."

America, Europe, and Australia all have activism groups, but here in NZ, I haven't heard of anyone informing about cups. I'd like to do something about that.

Now, we have some very talented ladies who have tackled, in particular, the environmental aspects of why cups are awesome.

But I'd like to tackle the health benefits, and this is where my idea comes in.

So, I smoke. Quite a lot. So sue me. And of course, cigarettes have the "Smoking --> bad shit" warning on them.

I was idly looking at my pouch as I was rolling a cigarette, and I thought to myself, "Heh, ya know, it's kinda funny that tampons have the same sort of warning on them."

And then it struck me. It's one thing to have a warning like that on cigarettes - the fact that smoking is bad for you is well-publicized, and you can choose whether you put the cig in your mouth or not.

However, as far as most women know, tampons are the only option if you want to do anything even moderately active, or involving water. Because of a lack of awareness, they are virtually forced to use tampons.

The CDC has stopped tracking the rates and risk factors of TSS, despite the fact that the death rate has been rising. Cases from my home state, Minnesota, tripled from 2000 to 2003. Rates in California doubled in one year (2002).

And yes, the CDC isn't paying attention. This could be because of some shady business, but who knows. The fact is tampon companies KNOW that no one is paying attention, and they may be paying even less attention to the safety of their products, which may be producing higher death tolls.

Tampons are required to carry a warning about TSS, that tampons cause it, and that it's deadly. Just like cigarettes.

People know they have a choice about smoking. But due to massive efforts on the part of tampon companies, most women don't know they have a choice about tampons. They are being forced by ignorance to continue to use a dangerous product (obviously, TSS being only one of the side effects tampons can, and does have).

So, I had an idea. Basically, point out this concept in a brocher about cups, with a picture of a cigarette warning label besides a tampon warning label (Does anyone know if they're printed ON the box? I haven't owned tampons in ages...) with something like "Is this something you want in your body?"

It's rather in-your-face, but I think it's a valid point, and I think that when something which is safer and better than its predecessor comes out, people are entitled to know about it and make the choice, rather than being kept in the dark.

Thoughts?

Love,
Cassie

EDIT: Some have pointed out that, if I wanted to pursue this, it would probably be best to do so without mentioning cups as it may cast suspicion on my motivation.

I think perhaps this is a wise idea. So, this is quickly losing context as far as menstrual cups go. Shall I take it down?

Hi everyone,

New to posting, but longtime reader. You guys have been sooooo helpful as I've learned to use my Diva! I'm encountering a potential problem, though. I swam in a pool for the first time with my Diva on Thursday. I was a little worried about flooding due to some other users' experiences, but thankfully had no such problems. However, I felt a little funny when I was swimming, but maybe I was just really focused on my vagina haha. Anyway, like I said, no cup flooding, but right after the swim, I started to feel a little funny. My vagina just felt kind of swollen - like it was harder to fit my fingers up there to insert and remove the cup. But then again, I have definitely noticed that my vagina changes throughout my cycle - it is definitely more "open" at the beginning.

Anwyay, now, a few days later, I am having some discharge. I still have my period, but it's almost pink, which I assume is blood mixed with white discharge. And it smells kinda bad, I think. I'm having some irritation - not like I want to scratch my vagina out with a bottle brush or anything, but I just feel dry and a little irritated. Does this sound like BV to any of you? If so, do you think I could possibly head it off with yogurt - both eating and inserting some of it? If possible, I'd rather avoid trying to make an appointment to see the GYN - it's always such a pain. It's normal for me to have some irritation towards the end of my period, so I'm not sure if this is anything. What do you guys think? Thanks so much ladies!!! :)

xoxo
PineappleBear

hey all,
STILL waiting (impatiently) for my cup. However, I've been researching, and I found the video that was posted a short while ago (on cups causeing Endometriosis). As a result of a combination of curiosity, procrastination from actual work, and a genuine interest, I've done some research. I'm compiling what info I can find from both sides. To be honest though, there seems to only be one person on the "cups cause it" side and many on the "don't be ridiculous" side.

I'm going to post it into my blog, so check that out if you like. It's kinda still a draft, so any furthur info would be appreciated, and please excuse the current editing state.  I'm searching for more sources on the "cups cause endo" side but honestly, all I've found so far is people quoting that one guy, or affiliated with him.

I got my DivaCup a few months ago, and I've been in love with it, but the other day I had it in and I needed to adjust it in a public restroom and I dropped it in a public toilet. I'm worried about possibly contracting STDs if I use it again. Will boiling the cup get rid of the risk of STDs?

 I read recently on the Diva Cup website that you can not wash or rinse your cup with non-potable water.  They say this can lead to serious infections and health problems, and provide a faulty link for more information.  I'm living in a developing country, and have been washing with non-potable water, and just realized this is a problem.  

Does anyone have any more info on this?   Anyone else in this situation and have tips for washing? 
 

Before buying a cup, I talked too both my doctor and mom, and both said the cup was fine for me to use. I've used my Ladycup for about 4 months now, during the summer and a bit during school. But now school is starting again, and my mom said she's a little worried it's not safe to use the cup during school or all day. I am on the pill right now for acne, but of course, my periods are a lot different. I usually empty my cup once or twice during the day if I'm at home (usually doesn't need it, but I like to rinse it out).  My mom seems to be getting a little worried that I'm using it all day during school.
Has anyone had any problems with all day use? I know 12 hours is usually the maximum, but I don't want my mom worrying about me misusing my cup or getting infections or something.
Thanks!

I just had my first period on the cup--rough at first, but trying a different fold helped. But then after four days off, I started having some flow again. I used the cup for a few days, but then I was worried it might be part of the problem so I switched to pads. It's tapered off some, but I'm not sure if it's really gone. This isn't anything that's normal for me--obviously, it could be coincidence (I am of an age for things to be going out of whack), but I was wondering whether anybody else had had spotting after using the cup when they weren't having it before.

Just checking...you could autoclave a silicone rubber cup, couldn't you?

I'm not planning to, but it came up with a friend who was saying she was totally grossed out by the idea of buying a used cup, and while I understood, I am pretty confident it could be made safe. Couldn't it?

EDIT: Just to answer some of your questions, I think my friend is just mentally grossed out by the idea of sticking something up her vagina that was in someone else's (who she didn't know) vagina. That makes this kind of an academic discussion at this point, as she won't be buying a used cup. I'm new to cup usage, but I think I have one that works for me (Diva) and hope I won't have to buy another one for a bit. However, when I do, I would consider used. I understand the initial mental gross-out factor, but, logically, I can't find that it's any less safe than sex (and by safe I mean likely to give me some disease the other person had, be it yeast infection or STD). Thanks all for your responses!

Hello All,
I've been lurking on this site and happily using my Diva cup for one year.  This is my first post.  I love the Diva cup and would hate to have to live without it.  One week after my July cycle my internal hemorrhoid flared up in a major way.  I began thinking it was due to bearing down to remove the cup during my cycle.  Like I said I've been using the cup for one year and have never had problems with the hemorrhoids during this time.  Other than the cup I had a  VERY stressful two weeks at work and I had acupuncture for the first time to control cramps and heavy flow.  What do you think cup users am I doing something wrong when removing the cup or do you think the hemorrhoid flared due to other issues (stress, acupuncture)?  BTW my BMs are like clock work and my diet is good.  Thanks for any light you can shed on my situation.

Joni

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 :)

Ok, so I'm all healed up and I think I'm ready to try going back to cups now...  But I also wanted to give out some advice on being super gentle with your body during your cycle when using cups, because being too fast / rough appears to be what got me into trouble...  

( Read more... )

if you have hemorrhoids, does your cup cause or exacerbate any problems with them?

probably tmi, my cycle is due in about a week and just wanted to know if anyone else has had problems here.

I am a new Divacup user. I just purchased it last week and used it for the first time last night. All went well so I decided to try it at work today. I didn't get it in right this morning and was having some leaking, so I decided to take it out and reposition it while I was at work. When I put it in it seemed to unfold, then as I pushed I felt the cup fill with air and the air push into my vagina. I know that air in the uterus can be very dangerous. I am wondering if there is anything to worry about with it pushing some air up there, then suctioning so it can't come back out.

Any thoughts? Has this happened to anyone else?

I am completely traumatized right now.

During intercourse with my husband I noticed that I was quite a bit wetter than normal. I didn't mind it until I also noticed there was a slight off odor along with it. I have had problems with BV in the past. The odor did not smell like it had before, but I assumed that was probably the problem.

Anyway, when I went to check a little closer on the off odor, what did I feel but the stem of my cup! Umm... my period ended over a week ago.

The smell was due to the poor cup being nearly full of cervical fluid. My husband confessed that the last couple of times we've had sex something didn't feel quite right. And now my cup is out (and I dropped it in the toilet from pure shock at it's fullness of non-menstrual fluid) and I'm wondering what sort of infections I've subjected myself to. I'm also rather horrified now that I know the source of my extra wetness and the smell.

So, has anyone else left their cup for several days by mistake? Am I going to die? How can I ever trust my cup again?

EDIT: My cup REEKS, and I think if I want to keep using a cup I'm going to have to buy a new one. Between leaving it in that long and dropping it in the toilet I am just completely squicked out at the prospect of using it again.

I need it in 10-15 days, and I think the LC I ordered on Ebay took longer than that the last time. Any idea where I can obtain a LC quickly? I'd love to try another cup, but the LC works so amazingly well for me that I don't know that I'd find another cup that I'm as happy with.

Hello!
Sorry in advance, this post is pretty long...

I just had a pretty awful experience with my cup.  I don't want to scare off future cup users or anything, but I'd like to know if anyone else has experienced something like that...

I've been using a DivaCup for about 3 years, and 3 or 4 months ago I switched to a Lunette.  I've been happy enough with the Lunette so far.  I got my period last night, so this morning, I put in my Lunette, and all was dandy, until later when I took it out and put it back in.

All of a sudden, it was ridiculously painful.  I figured, from posts here, that the cup was hitting my cervix.   TMI, but I tend to be slightly prone to constipation, and it was the same feeling (could it be that that feeling is from my cervix and I never realized?  I do eat a lot of fibre, after all).  

I tried to take it out, but I couldn't, it hurt too much.  It felt like it could be the suction that was making it painful (even though I usually never feel suction), but the weird thing is that the cup wasn't open, it was folded in half, so I don't know where suction came from?

I tried to move it around the release the suction, pull on it, do something, but it hurt too much.  I tried to walk around to give it time to open up, but I started to feel really sweaty (as can happen when one's in pain).  I kept alternating between standing, sitting and trying to get it out, but nothing worked, the pain was too strong, especially when I tried to get it out.  Then my hearing got all fuzzy, like I was under water, and I was shaking a lot, and I could tell I was about to faint. 

I don't know if the panic was enough, or if the pain stopped, or if I just got numb (I was completlely out of it, my hearing and vision were odd, I was sweating and shaking, I couldn't stand properly), but the cup, thankfully, came out.  I almost instantly felt better and lay down, and now all's fine.

Does anyone know what happened?  (I'm sure no one knows for sure, but if anyone has an opinion, I'd love to hear it.)  Was it the beginning of toxic shock syndrome?  Was I about to faint because the cup was cutting off blood flow or something, or because of the pain, or  just because I panicked?  (I have fainted once before, and it was after feeling VERY slight pain --a small cut on my arm--, so I'm not sure what happened then either.)  And the scariest thing: what would have happened if I couldn't get the cup out?  I would have fainted, and then what?  Would there have been permanant damage?

Should I stop using a cup?  I definitely won't use it again this cycle, but after?  I would be so sad to give up cups, but I definitely do not want to go through this again, and it's likely that I will be too stressed to put it in next time.  Maybe I should switch back to the DivaCup?
And a last question, I was thinking of getting and IUD in a couple of months, do you think this experience means I should leave my cervix alone for a bit?  I usually have a high tolerance for pain, but this doesn't seem like a good sign.

Thank you so much!

Hi-ho, hi-ho ladies, I've a couple questions for you knowledgeable people.

I've been a loyal Diva user since April of last year and I recommend it to everyone. One of my friends has expressed enough of an interest that I asked her, "if I bought you a cup for your birthday, would you use it?" She gave me a definite yes to "I would definitely try it". The problem is that she has frequent (or more accurately, persistent and nagging) UTIs and is wary of the friction and pressure that would be on her urethra. How would different cups generally affect this? Are some, like the squishier ones, better than others? Any pros and cons anyone can put on the issue would be great!

I've never had this issue and frankly, it's never even crossed my mind. Now, to segue poorly into my next question, since I don't want to go out and spend $30+ on just any cup for her like I did myself, I want her to be able to choose one she likes and thinks, based on the research she and I will do, will work out best for her. Are there any online stores that will ship to Canada that carry several brands of cups so I can just get her a gift certificate or something to avoid the immediacy of missing her birthday? The only brand that is readily available in person is the Diva.

Thanks!

Hi all,

This is my first time posting here.  I'm so excited that this forum exists!

I've noticed many of you post about menstrual cups reducing the flow of urine when you pee.  I have been using a Divacup (small size) for about five years, and over time, the slow urination problem seems to have gradually gone away.  I'm now able to urinate normally when wearing my Divacup.  However, I find that when I am NOT wearing my Divacup, I have trouble holding my pee long enough to get to the bathroom.  That's not to say I actually wet my pants, but sometimes a little urine leaks out and I have to make a beeline for the bathroom.  The whole situation is rather uncomfortable! I'm healthy and 26 years old, so it's probably unusual that I'm experiencing this problem.  I've lately been doing Kegels as often as possible to tighten the muscles down there, in hopes that it will help.

Here is my question: because menstrual cups tend to partially block the urethra, and therefore cause additional pressure on the unblocked part of the urethra as the urine exits, does it seem likely that with a long period of use, the urethra could actually become enlarged, thereby causing urinary incontinence?  I'm not looking for a concrete answer, but I would like to know if anybody else who is a long time menstrual cup user has had similar experiences.

The next time I visit my ob/gyn, I plan to mention this to her for a more "authoritative" answer.  :-)

hello!

I'm having what seems like the same problem as cuteblood talked about in her Jan 20th post, except I don't think calcium is the problem (at least in my case) because the white film only occurs when I boil my cup, and only after the cup is submerged in the water. When I take it out after boiling for no more than 5 mins, it looks chaffed, as though some of the silicone came off.
I have a lunette (or rather, had  one - I believe one of my housemates accidentally threw it out, so now I'm tragically back to tampons until I can afford to buy a new cup), and I was wondering if only lunettes have this problem, and if so, should I switch to a different brand, or is it really not a big deal? I quite like my lunette, so I would prefer to not switch brands. Is there another solution to the problem, like boiling with 50/50 water and vinegar?

please help!

Hello Everyone,

I have recently bought a menstrual cup (Lunette), following all of the wonderful advice I received here, and have since used it during my most recent period. It worked wonderfully, and I am very happy with my decision.

I have since noticed the I have developed a hard lump on my cervix, just below the cervical opening. The appearance of the lump appears to coincide with my first period using my menstrual cup.

I have a doctors appointment in a couple of days to get this thoroughly checked out. I will be telling my doctor that the lump seems to coincide with my new usage of a menstrual cup and I'm afraid she will tell me to discontinue use immediately regardless of whether the lump is related or not.

I wanted to ask here first if any of you have experienced this before, or have heard of people developing lumps following use? My partner has suggested that perhaps it is a callous resulting from the suction of the cup, but I'm not so sure...

I'm, obviously, a little worried and any information you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

I've been using a size 1 Diva for years now. It's worked fine, I don't really leak, but the Diva does seem a little too long for me and I'm looking into shorter cups (I'm about to order a Selene, probably).

My question: 

I have a herniated disc in my back that I have been told will need surgery to correct. It doesn't hurt badly all the time (thank goodness), but when it does hurt it's BAD. I've noticed that sometimes when I have my Diva Cup in, my back pain intensifies incredibly. I'm not sure if it's due to regular old period cramps or if the cup is actually pressing against something inside me that is causing pain on my herniated disc. I don't remember exactly but I think it's between my L4 and L5 vertebrae. I'm not great with anatomy (I can't even find my cervix for certain), so this question might be really stupid, but is it possible the Diva is making my back pain worse? Has anyone else had this problem?

Anyone know if there is any information out there on whether cups can increase the risk of urinary infections? 

I've never used a diaphragm or cervical cap, but it's my understanding that they can press on the urethra and slow down the flow of urine, which can promote bacterial growth in the urethra, leading to infections. A menstrual cup seems like it could potentially do the same thing. Anyone have difficulty urinating when the cup is in place or have any experience with cups increasing the rate of infections?

I've been lurking here for a while now, and I'm pretty interested in cups - all the information and discussions here have been really useful. I'm a teenage virgin and slightly concerned about stretching. I know this has been asked before but I'm kind of making a point as well (ish).

Firstly, I think I would have issues with persuading my mum to let me use a cup. She won't let me even try a tampon because she swears that they stretch you out inside. She'll probably have even bigger problems with letting me use a cup.

And me? I'm not particularly worried about using tampons (heck, I've even tried two because we got some free samples from school...and they worked perfectly. But shhh my mum doesn't know about that.) Anyways, in terms of hygiene, cups sound way better. But with cups, I am slightly concerned about stretching.

I know everybody says that cups don't stretch you out and the vagina can go back to its original shape, but there are many stories about how people have had to stretch their vagina out to fit a cup in or that their cup has been easier to insert after a few months because they've got looser. Surely this means that they've been stretched out as a result of the cup and so the cup does stretch you inside? What do you think?

PS. I don't really know where to tag this except family & friends...

I want to start by saying that I love love love my cup and will continue to use it. I'll just be more careful next time.

See, usually when I'm about to get my period I'll start wearing my cup. My periods are never ontime so that means I might wear my cup for a week or more before I get it. But I do that incase it is ontime so I don't ruin my clothes. I used to do the same thing with pads.

The bad thing is that when my cup isn't filling with menstrual fluid I might forget to take it out and rinse it off. Usually this isn't a problem. I just wash it off when I remember. However this time something happened.

I had forgotten my cup for a few days. Lots of stuff going on and in the chaos I just forgot about it. I remembered when I started getting itchy and began to feel pain in my vagina.

So I took out my cup and sterlized it. But the damage had been done. I was itchy, swollen, in pain, and had a clumpy white discharge. I had never had a yeast infection before but I assumed that's what it was. I went to the doctor to be sure. He said it was indeed a YI and it was also pretty severe. He gave me medicine and it's helping thankfully.

Lesson learned. Don't let the cup stay in for a few days. Better yet, don't let it stay in for more than 12 hours (as everyone on here suggests). Next time I'll be more careful. TRUST ME! I'll be careful. I don't ever want to have this problem again.

Oh, I still haven't had my period. lol After the YI is cleared up I'll go back to using my cup.

Thanks to help from people on this list, I was able to get the hang of inserting and taking out the diva cup so it wasn't too painful to wear, which involved putting it in much higher than I had been.   However, with the cup higher, I think it pressed on my colon too much, and I don't think I'm going to be able to use it.  I have had chronic inflammation in my colon for the last few years..... was diagnosed with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) about five years ago; my diagnosis has switched back and forth between Crohn's colitis and ulcerative colitis (it can be hard to tell them apart, but my doc leans towards Crohn's).  I'm not flaring, but I'm not in remission either .... have symptoms every day, but they don't hamper my life too much now (I was really, really sick a few years ago, including 18 days in the hospital)..... but the cup definitely exacerbated things, could feel the difference when I took it out, and it still hurts some 24 hrs later.

Just wondering if there's anyone on the list who has IBD focused in the large intestine and has been able to use menstrual cups.....    or others who tried and decided not to.  I didn't find anything searching under IBD, Crohn's etc.

I'm seeing my gi doc soon so will check in about it.....     I know some of what's in the mix for me now is fear because that's always there when you have a chronic illness that gets better and worse.......  and I am a little annoyed w/myself for taking more than baby steps w/the cup, as there clearly was a risk for me ..... I just wanted it to work......

thanks again.