So, i've been using the Mooncup UK (B, as i'm 18 and no kids) for a few months now, and i've had no problems until now. (This is a great community btw, it helped answer many of the questions when I was first starting out!)
 

( leaking problem )( removal and leaking )

 

Sorry for the long post, and I know, TMI! So I guess my main problem is removal, as I can't seem to remove the cup with all the contents in the cup, and not all over my hand! I have heavy periods btw, and before using the mooncup, I used to have to change my pad every 2 hours. Also, I wear my mooncup high up, as everytime I try to keep it low, it always migrates up.

I hope I explained it well and it's not too confusing

 Hi Guys!

Just wanted to put up a quick success story! I've had my cup for a while now and I can safly say its changed my life! I've always been stuck with seemingly endless periods that were fairly light but occasionally really really heavy! Meaning I always leaked when I least expected it and was worried about things like TSS when I wasn't sure how heavy that day might be! 

My Femmecup has changed EVERYTHING!!! Being able to only have to change it twice a day is fantastic and has meant I can finally not worry about things constantly, I swap it once in the morning and once at night. Occasionally I get the sensation of leaking but ... I go to the bathroom check if it actually is leaking and if it is, its normally just a little,  its easy to clean up and empty it! 

I have never felt so liberated! I was always worried about leaking over things when my suprise heavy time would suddenly appear but now .... I just don't have to! Since getting my cup I haven't leaked on ANYTHING, not even once! I would never go back to tampons! My only regret is not buying a cup sooner!

So if anyone out there is debating if this really works... it does! And it is fantastic! Learning to use it is worth it for finding something that actually works! 

I'm finally having the happy periods all those adverts always went on about! And I wouldn't be if it weren't for finding this community! Thanks all!! 
xxx

Hello =)

I have a question that might seem stupid.. But the thing is, my graduation and prom is coming up, and I probably will have my period both days. I'm kind of  new to cups (I've actually been using a cup for about six months, but recently got a new one, a Moon Cup UK), so the whole changing of cup is still a bit messy. For prom, my dress has a light yellow colour, and for graduation it's white. So I thought, since I don't really want to remove and reinsert the cup while wearing these dresses, and risking getting blood all over them, I would just leave the cup in and were pads and change them IF the cup becomes full.

Now, the question is; when the cup is full, what happens? Will the blood simply overflow so that I would be able to only change pads? I got a little scared when I once saw a post here, where the cup had "exploded" or something, which made all the blood in it just flood out :S

Any tips at all what a newbie like me, who isn't able to remove or reinsert without creating a mess, could to? I am not sure that I will need to empty the cup at all, but in case. I don't feel comfortable wearing just a pad anymore, so I really want to be able to use the cup..

I really want to be able to have a good time and not worry about having blood all over my clothes..
Is there a risk that my cup will "explode"?

I would be very thankful for any answers and tips, especially before Wednesday! (Prom night)

Hi,

I have just learned about menstrual cups and have a question.

I have extremely heavy periods, so usually wear a super plus tampon and then two heavy flow thin pads with wings.  Sometimes when I stand up, or when I work and am on my feet all day, blood floods out of me all at once and I leak.

I was wondering whether once the cup is put in, will it only leak the extra blood once the cup is full and hence still better than a tampon or once it is full, is there a chance that the whole lot would leak out?  I don't like using public bathrooms and as I am traveling soon for an 12 hour journey I was wondering whether with pad back-up it would still be better than using a tampon as long as it is inserted properly?  I know that with a heavy flow, the cup would be full within the travel time, but would only the extra blood leak out and hence the pad back-up would be enough with maybe a change in pads once?  I am mainly concerned about the idea of all that blood up there gushing out of me.

I may not want to risk it, but wanted to ask anyway.  I will be on the flight for 8 hours, so there is no way that I can use the bathroom on the airplane, and would not feel comfortable removing the cup until I got to my destination, a total of 12 hours.

Thank you SO much.

I just changed my cup for the 3rd time in 2 hours. It was beyond full. I don't know what to think. I'm on my 2nd day. Usually for the first 3 days of my period I'm heavy. But I shouldn't be THIS heavy. Usually I have to change it once every 2-3 hours. So I'm about 3 times heavier than I should be....which is heavier than the average woman from the posts I've read on here.

What do you guys think?

(BTW...I use a mooncup (UK))

EDIT: I went to the doctor yesterday. He wasn't in but the midwife who works with him saw me. They did a sonogram and everything looks fine. She wants me to get a blood test to check my iron levels and to see if there is anything wrong with my thyroid.

Hello again, everyone! I used to frequent this community a few years back when I first got a Diva Cup and then current my Mooncup (UK). I loved using the Mooncup for the year or so that I was able to, but I switched to cloth pads exclusively when I was diagnosed with vaginismus about three years ago. I had been too afraid that inflicting any pain down there might exasperate my symptoms. However, I will be travelling to SE Asia this summer for nearly two months and I can't see cloth pads working out so well on the trip. I want to be able to use the cup on the trip successfully. I leave in late June/early July so I want to get this down before I go.

So far, insertion has gone surprisingly well. I use the the punch down method and ease it in and it works. Everything in that way is ok, except for a few issues I'm having that I hope some or one of you may be able to offer some advice about:

- removal. Whoa. I was in cold sweats squatting in my bathtub for twenty minutes last night trying to get the sucker out. That, er, 'sucked'. I get a lot of suction, and either it sits really high or my fingers are too short but I have a lot of difficulty contorting myself to grip with my thumb and break the seal with my forefinger at the same time without causing my vagina and urethra a bunch of pain. Any tips on removal that doesn't involve shoving almost my entire arm up in me? Something vagina and vaginismus friendly?

- heavy flow. I've got one. Like, really heavy. Today, just as a small example, I overflowed after only about 3 hours, which isn't much time. Should I consider going on the pill for the trip to regulate the flow?

Also, any other tips on using the cup while travelling, particularly in countries where I'll be facing not much more than a hole, a bucket of water, and a scoop, would be greatly appreciated!

-

I've been using small lunette for over a year and have been very happy with it (before that I used small Mooncup UK and big Ladycup but wasn't entirely pleased with either mainy because of their stems).

I also own a large lunette and was considering switching to it for the first two days of my period when my flow is in its unfortunate stuck-pig-stage (smaller lunette tends to overflow after an hour and a half on my heaviest day - two hours if I'm lucky).
Now, is it wise/possible to use a larger size for first two days of the period and switch to the smaller size for the remaining four days?  Would switching to a small one after wearing the large one for a two days make the small one leak afterwards? Or make it entirely impossible to go back to small one permanently?
Do any of you switch back and forth between cup sizes on regular basis without trouble?

I find the firmness of the big lunette somewhat uncomfortable and the removal a bit painful and wouldn't like to switch to it permanently for now.

Now to the question #2 about Lunette Selene:

The lunette I've been using over a year tends to stain a lot on the last two days of my period; and by the end of the period has a uniform light yellowish colour that even hydrogen peroxide seems to be unable to completely get rid of now (my unused large lunette is still its shiney white). Does Lunette Selene stain less perhaps? Or does the staining show on blue as well?

I've been eying it for a few days now in Leastore and I'm looking for a little push to justify buying the pretty blue thing before it's gone ;)

Thank you for in advance for any advice you can offer me!

So I inserted my Lunette Selene (small) around 9pm. At 10:30ish I felt a sploosh! I thought maybe I hadn't inserted it correctly and that I had had a bad seal, but when I pulled it out there was a clot that filled up nearly the entire cup, so that the cup had overflowed.

Just curious--do others here experience clots? How big do they tend to be?

Luckily I work from home so I rarely leave the house AND I still use cloth pads as backup, so I didn't leak all over myself (and if I did, it wouldn't be an issue). Still felt weird to leak, though.

Well first of all, I want to thank you all for this wonderful forum. I wouldn't have had the guts or the knowledge to go ahead and purchase my Lunette, size small, without this website. So, thank you!!!

That being said, this is my first cycle with the Lunette and I'm having a few issues. I'm OK inserting it (c-fold) and even getting it out, which I'm pleased about. (No doubt i found success thanks to all the info on the site).. But, I actually think the cup might have overflowed! I left it for 5.5 hours and it started leaking and when I took it out, it was really full and a bunch spilled into the toilet. Does this seem like an overflow? I am pretty sure that it is, because I checked to make sure the cervix was "inside" the cup. (I also used it earlier that day and checked after 3 hours; no leakage and I just dumped out and re-inserted).  Does this mean I should have gotten a larger size? I'm 24, but not sexually active. I didn't want to go with the larger size for my first cup, but I have to say that I'm pretty disappointed that the Lunette only lasted as long as a super tampon... Will a larger cup fix this problem, or am I just going to have to relinquish the idea that a cup can stay in and hold everything for hours and hours?

Also, I need a bit of help regarding the stem. It was poking out past my folds, so I trimmed it (a little at a time, as suggested), but my nail file on my clippers aren't sanding the edges, so the stem is really sharp! Any other suggestions for how to smooth out the sharp corners? Also, I remember someone drew a diagram of how the stem tip should sit, like this (( | )) not (( -- )). My problem is that it sits like this: ((| )). It's always rubbing and poking on that one side more than the other, and I can't seem to move it over. I think it must be the way my vagina is shaped. I'm a little scared to take off the stem entirely. What would you suggest?

Also, how much of the cup are you really supposed to feel? I feel "full" in there  - is this normal? It also makes me feel like my bladder's full, which I'm disappointed about, since I thought the Lunette was supposed to be a good one for bladder sensitivity. What do you think about this?

Thanks in advance for your help! I really have learned so much about this stuff from reading the site, and I'm determined to make the whole menstrual cup thing work, but I know it can take a few cycles to get the hang of it....

I have one hell of a period. It's inconsistent flow-wise and it's very frustrating. I have countless stories of bleeding through SUPER tampons AND a pads (yes, frequently used in conjunction), sometimes within an hour. Sometimes (though this is extremely infrequent and only seems to last for a day or only a few hours) I feel like I am drying out my vagina by using tampons, but I HATE pads. Earlier this week I started my period for the second time this month, which has never happened to me before and I'm just basically fed up with my entire period situation (I will also be going on a cruise in a few months and with a finicky period I want to make sure I'm well covered).
And tired of constantly worrying if I'm going to bleed all over something (car seats, chairs, clothes...)
So I've decided to get a cup. I've done a great deal of research over the internet the past few days, but I am certainly undecided as to which would be best for me. I need suggestions.
I'm 19 and have never had sex. I've also seen people complaining about the size not being suitable for their size. I'm about 5'7 (not especially tall or short) and a average to thin frame.

I've also read posts about menstrual cups lessening flow, is this possible? I'm also a twelve year vegetarian and have read something about possibly being anemic and that perhaps being the reason for my heavy flow. Though it's a bit off topic, does anyone know anything about that?

Thanks so much to everyone being in this forum, it's really helped me to realize I'm not the only one in this boat!

Hi, All,

I am having some issues with my daughter using her cup.  Back in October we both purchased the Lunette cups (size small for her and size large for me).  Personally, I LOVE my cup.  It did take me a few months to really get the hang of it, but once I figured it out I was all set.  Now that I have figured it out I wouldn't give it up for anything (well, maybe a BETTER cup, but . . . . ).

Anyway, I have addressed some of the issues about my daughter before.  She has a VERY heavy flow that lasts for as many as 18 days and she was easily using 100-150 tampons a month and about 30 pads a month too.  This was one of the main reasons why I wanted to switch her over to using a cup - the cost of the tampons & pads was killing us!  Over time though, her periods flow has been not as heavy and the number of days has decreased, so that is getting better, but it is still very heavy and about 2 weeks of bleeding.

Well, when the cups first arrived, she was apprehensive about using it.  I gave her printouts from online that she could refer to, I gave her the instructions that came with the cup, I gave her website addresses that she could browse for help, and I encouraged her to come to me to ask anything that she wanted to ask.

The first new period after the cup arrived she did try it out.  After the first day at school she said that she thought she was going to love it, because she had been able to go all morning until lunch without having to rush to the bathroom every hour to change a pad/tampon all morning, and she was then able to go all afternoon after lunch until she got home without a change.  However, that night was a totally different story.  She leaked overnight and completely flooded her bed, not to mention the mess on her pajamas and herself.  She was FURIOUS!

She went back to using tampons and pads for the rest of that month.  She then continued to use tampons and pads every month thereafter until they ran out this week.

Yesterday she sent me an email explaining that she HATED the cup, that she thought it was great that I was able to use mine with success but that she had failed at it , and that she thought it was unfair that I was not going to be purchasing tampons and/or pads for her because she had a cup now, and on and on and on she went.  She said that every month she would only use the cup for about 1/2 a day at the beginning, but that she didn't like the way it felt, and she just didn't feel like she could "get the hang of using it."

When I finally got the chance to sit down with her and discuss the issue of the cup, she explained that when she used the cup it felt "like a balloon was hanging out of her vagina" and that it didn't matter how hard she tried to push it up inside her she just couldn't get it up there any higher.  She also said that she has "never been able to get the cup to spin or rotate while inside" so she's not 100% sure that her cervix is inside the cup.  However, she said she is assuming that it is, because it doesn't leak, just that she did NOT like the uncomfortable way the bottom of the cup stuck out of her vaginal opening.  I had this problem myself, but after a few months of just not giving up I was able to get it higher without problems.  I just had to be persistent and keep trying.

Furthermore, she said she has tried EVERY fold that she has been able to find online, in forums, in chats, etc. and has not found one that will allow the cup to be positioned any higher in her body before it pops open and just stays where it popped.

My questions are these:

Is there any other cup that might help with the popping open issues?  I know that the Lunette cup is of a rather firm type of silicone that doesn't have a lot of give.  It did take me several months of using my cup everyday of my period to finally be able to figure out the right fold for me and the right way to hold it to get it inserted high enough before popping open.  I just don't know if another brand of cup would be better, and I would hate to spend the money for her to use the cup ONE time and refuse to use it.

Would a different SIZE cup help?  I'm really not sure what to suggest for her.

What other suggestions can I give her to help?  I did explain that she just can't give up immediately.  I thought that she should at least keep trying, but she is very resistant (being a teenager and all).  Mainly, she just thinks it is unfair to expect her to try and like something just because I do.  Even though I have explained that I didn't LOVE my cup right away - it took me months of continual use and practice and tweaking to get it figured out and "just right" - she doesn't seem to care.  However, I just don't think I can afford to continue providing her with 100 tampons and 28 pads a month!  The cost is insane!  Her flow has lessened over the passed several months, but it is still heavy and long - just not AS heavy and long as it was 6 months ago.  I am hoping that over time it will become less and less (both in heaviness and length of days).

Thanks in advance for any help you can extend on this.

EDIT:  Seeing that SO many of the replies have asked if my daughter has seen a doctor, I thought I would edit my post.  YES!  She has seen a doctor.  My daughter is currently 16 (turned 16 in February).  She started her first period in August 2007.  I didn't think much of the issue of the heavy flow and the length of the period at first, but after she had been consistenly having her period for about 5 months and they were ALL very heavy and long, we visited with her doctor.  He has monitored her cycles since.  We have chosen not to use hormonal therapies to resolve this issue, but we have noticed that over time the periods have been less heavy and not as long each month.  We are waiting for another year before we decide to do anything hormonal to help.

1 ) 
I just started using my Diva Cup.  My period is usually heavy.  I had a baby a year ago (vaginal birth) and I'm using a size 2 Diva Cup.  My muscles may possibly be very loose because I had an episiotomy and a 4th degree tear during the birth - the baby came out with her hand on her head!   After I inserted my Diva Cup for the first time, it started leaking after 4 hours.  When I removed it, I realized it was leaking because it was filled to the brim.  Is this normal?  This was day 1 of my period.  It has slowed down since.

So I inserted it again.  I had some spotting on a pad that I wore (just in case).  It didn't fill up as quick, it was comfortable, and I was very happy.  I suspected the spotting would stop after I tried inserting it a couple more times to get the hang of it.  I don't mind spotting - my periods are so heavy, it is nice to not have my period leak on my underwear and clothes! 

Any advice to prevent spotting?  Do I not have it suctioned?

2 )
I took it out and cleaned it right before I went to bed.  I inserted it and wore it to bed with a pad.  I had some spotting when I woke up in the morning.  the cup was half full when I woke up.  But I had a horribly difficult time trying to remove it.  Through the night, it had gone up so high - I couldn't find it!  I started to get really nervous.  I was squatting in my bathroom, pushing with my kegels, working really hard for about 15 minutes...  When I could finally feel the tip (which I have not cut), my hands were so slippery, I couldn't get a grip on it.  I wish there was a string attached (like a tampon) that could help me pull it down.  I'm so scared, I haven't worn it since Sunday.  Does anyone have any advice?  Does it get better with practice?  I couldn't squat like that if the Diva Cup got lost while I was in a public bathroom!  Would Kegel exercises help?  How can I prevent it from going up so high?  Does this usually happen at night?  If I change it more frequently, would it give it less time to ride up really high and less of a chance of getting lost?  I understand it isn't lost for good - but it is scary to put my finger up and not feel the Diva Cup!

3 )
Also, how would I know if my uterus is tilted?  I see a lot of people on this post have said that there are different tricks for a tilted uterus.  But I don't know if mine is tilted or not.

I have been using the large Diva cup for 18 months.  I am not happy with it and never really liked it except for the convenience.  The Diva cup is usually uncomfortable and pokes me even though the stem is completely cut off.  When I insert it it's "in" it's not really "in", KWIM?  I encounter leaks and there is no rhyme or reason to it.  I started doing some reading on here and I'm pretty sure it is way too long for me.  What cup would you suggest for me?  It seems like if I get a shorter cup it won't hold as much and I'm wondering if I'll run into problems with the rim also not being as wide.  Are there short length cups with wide rims and larger volume? 

ETA:  Where should the bottom of the cup fall?  Above pubic bone? Even with the bottom of the pubic bone??

Here is my experience with the Lunette 2 (Larger size), I'm 29 years old, and have what I thought were pretty heavy periods. Also, one vaginal birth. Just hoping that my story may help someone else :)

( Read more... )Just one question, does it seem normal to have it so high, to the point where I can barely touch the end of the stem? Thx for this board, I couldn't have done it without all of your input!

hi hi everyone! I've been a member of this comm for a while now, but I'm just mainly been sitting back and reading everyone else's experiences. After reading all the posts and responses it has brought a very interesting question to mind. A bit of background on me first just so everyone knows what's going on, etc.

( Background type stuff and ? under here )

Hi. I have had a Diva(S) since 5-6 years, but the latest year my period have been heavier and have caused me a lot of leakage. So I have checked a size-guide on the Swedish distrubutorpage and concerning my age and my period they recommend me size L. I can choose between a Mooncup, Ladycup or a Lunette. But I have no idea wich one to choose. Any help/advice?

The most fantastic thing about being introduced to the world of menstrual cups is that I got a total new area to get curious about and search for data! Like how heavy my flow is (or not).

I just proceeded to precision measurements of the Lunette Selene. Selene comes with to three « gripping lines » on its bottom (see on the picture below), 2 measurement lines respectively at 7.5 ml and 15 ml, then one « enlargement » of the cup that leads to the rim, and the holes.

I took some measures to the referent points other than the measurement lines, because I like precision... I use the metric system, so I apologize for those who do not.

• up to third « gripping line »: +/- 1,25 ml
• 1^st measurement line: 7,5 ml
• 2^nd measurement line: 15 ml
• Base of the enlargement of the cup: 20 ml
• Under the holes: 30 ml

I found out that this first cycle with Selene had a flow of 104 ml. Where would that fit as far as light/normal/heavy flow go? I lately read an interesting discussion on the subject here.

 

OK, now som pics of Selene (I trimmed the 3rd of the stem):
  

Hello Ladies!

So I've narrowed my search down to either the large LadyCup or the large Lunette. I was a Diva user who has decided not to use the cup anymore due to the risks it *may* pose to my IUD being stiffer and longer. (I am aware that all cups may pose a slight risk, but it's a risk I'm going to take as I can't do without a cup!!)

I am most definitely a size small, but due to my heavy IUD flow, I've decided that I'm going to make a large work. Now I'm having a hard time deciding which one (I'm SO indecisive sometimes!) and I was wondering if you ladies could PLEASE give me a hand. I can get the LadyCup for cheaper (which is a big issue right now), however, I don't want to become a cup collector as I can't afford to. So I need to chose which one. This is what I'm looking for in a cup:

1) Easy to pop open
2) High capacity- I've been bleeding through super plus tampons like crazy!
3) Doesn't make it difficult to pee

These are pretty much in order of importance. As I said, I can get the LadyCup cheaper, but for some reason I feel like I should go for the Lunette because of the slightly higher capacity and ease of popping open. Does anyone have any other opinions? Please do offer them! REALLY appreciate any advice you can offer.

 

Thanks!

Hi,

I am a twenty year old virgin using my mooncup for the second cycle in a row. I am loving the cup so far. However, I have an extremely heavy flow on my third day. I seem to leak all the time. I do think I am inserting the cup correctly and getting a good seal, because I never have leaking problems untill day three. My cup leaks every two hours on my heavy day. Is this normal? Does anyone have any advice for using my cup during my heavy day?

So this is my first entry. I've been using a keeper for about 6 or 7 months now with ups and downs. My husband found it on the internet bless his heart. He suffers right along with me. Very heavy periods, rotten p.m.s, many, many pads per month and don't even bother with tampons.
I waited with bated breath for my keeper to arrive having read all the success stories. Actually being able to leave the house without fear of flooding! Oh the joy!  It arrives with days to spare and off we go. Way too over confident in it's ability I went pad free and lucky I was at home. Ok so maybe I didn't put it in right? More attempts and 7 cycles later I still have 'leakage' which I have learned to live with. One to two pads a day is way better than 5 or 6. I found the '7' fold to be more successful. The first two  days of my period I seem to be emptying it around 4 times a day and then it tapers off. I wouldn't go with out one now. It's given me much more confidence to go out on 'those' days and most of the time it's out of mind out of sight. Now for the bummer...... I'm pretty sure I have an irritation to latex after reading other journals. Thrush like symtoms appear during my period and continue for a week or so after. Itching, burning and very sensitive around my genital area with tearing skin.  Thinking back I always blamed the pill for giving me thrush but once hubby had the snip - no more condoms, no more pill and no more thrush. Could have been the condoms.
Usually the week after my period is 'on' week and these symptoms have put a dampener on that. Poor husband wants to trade me in for the updated model.  So after much reading I have ordered the silicon Moon Cup. Just finished my cycle so I wont be able to test it when it comes so I'll wait patiently..........

 Ok, so I did a couple of quick searches and didn't really find what I was looking for.  I have had my Diva for a couple of years now and I love it!  It took quite a bit of getting used to at first, but now that I am used to it I find it much easier than tampons and pads.  This period I had something very odd happen to me that has never happened before.  I can only assume that my cup overflowed.  I was going about my normal business and all of a sudden there was this sudden whoosh and I had blood everywhere.  Usually I have a bit of an inkling when I need to empty my cup and if I ignore the feeling it leaks, but nothing like this.  This happened more than once, unfortunately.  Does this happen to anyone else?

My main question, however, has to do with normal flow.  A couple of months ago I measured my flow using the mL marks inside my Diva.  It was a normal period for me, and I totaled 345 mL.  This month I'm up to 120 mL and it's only the middle of the second day.   I've done some research and it seems that the average flow is 30-40 mL with anything up to 80 mL being normal.  This doesn't seem right to me.  I get up to 30-40 mL DAILY.  So my question is--what is your normal flow?  Am I really as abnormal as my research seems to indicate?  Or is the data I found wrong?

I've used my keeper for two cycles (I've had it for 4 months but keep losing it, which tells you how organized I am. :D) The troubles I have with it are for one, when it pops open I feel as though it is shwacking my cervix.. pretty much like getting smacked in the face with a glove. Then the suction is almost unbearable and I feel as though it is making my cramps worse.
Then on the first day of my period my flow is so heavy I have to empty it every single hour on the dot or else I have major leakage, and even if I'm on time sometimes it still leaks. I have cloth pads for protection, but like the idea of being free from the constant scrubbing and soaking involved with them. Another problem is I think it shwacked my IUD out of place, which means another joyful visit to my gyno. I've considered trying a different cup for my heavy days like the diva, but I fear the learning curve since I'm already have so much trouble with the keeper.. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I snipped the remaining 7mm of my Mooncup stem off the other day, as I knew I never used it to remove the cup so I thought I might as well... however I didn't consider for a second how much I used the stem for putting the cup in!  I tug on it etc to check the seal and when I tried using it stemless (just a little nub left) it was kinda hard to do!  D'oh!  Has anyone else done this (realising they were wrong to snip, not snipping in itself)?  Did you get used to it?

I'm using my new Lunette today, but I'll probably switch to my Mooncup UK (B) this evening as it'll be the start of the last 36 hours of my period and the Lunette will be overkill (and I still want to use my Mooncup because I *do* love it) so hopefully I'll get used to it stemless!

I'm getting on well with my Lunette.  It arrived yesterday lunchtime when I'd been on for 24 hours.  I was worried by the seemingly-vast size (I got the bigger cup for the capacity) when I saw it, but I just put it out of my mind, boiled it and tried... it worked first time (7 fold) without much discomfort going in.  I found it slightly harder to fold than my Mooncup, but the firmness meant that it popped open a bit quicker - more of a forceful pop than the Mooncup but not uncomfortable.  I got a seal first time.  It's very comfortable and I like the flat stem as it's not jabbing me at all I think it's a better design for comfort and ease of cleaning.

I kept it in 8 hours before my first emptying which is getting on for twice as long as with my Mooncup during the second day - I only emptied it because it had started to leak (just a drop but I felt it and went to empty).  When I looked I saw that it was only just past the first measuring line so I don't think it would've leaked except the position I was in (slouched on the sofa with my laptop on my tummy and my legs up on the back of the sofa) caused it to lose its seal somehow and I noticed when I stood up.  The same thing happens sometimes with the Mooncup.

I emptied it again just before bed (2am) to be sure, and then this morning I hadn't had any leaks at all.  I was up to just past the first line again.  After I had emptied and washed my cup I got my Mooncup out of the cabinet and filled my Lunette with water to the point it was at and emptied it into the Mooncup - it came up to the holes!  

Breaking the seal has been much harder than the Mooncup because it's longer, less squishy, and takes up more room; so it's more difficult to reach to hook a finger or thumb over the rim, but I've not had any pain on removal as I've used folded it to remove it like with the Mooncup.

The very smooth inside of the cup is nice from a hygiene point of view, BUT I've found a couple of times that the angle I'm holding the cup at causes the water to bounce straight out like a fountain (luckily not going all over me or the floor!) without filling it up!  So I'm going to have to be careful of the angle.

I'm now really really really REALLY excited about Shark Week coming around again so I can work out exactly how often I need to empty on each day - I'm hoping I might be able to empty just 4 times on the first day which will be a huge improvement from every 2 hours with my Mooncup!   I might even take a pencil and paper into the bathroom and make a chart for future reference!

I posted this on IUD Divas...but thought I'd share it here too as I learned everything I know about cups here! Thanks!
I've had my paragard since Feb 08. The insertion was painful but mostly just felt super-weird [i've never had kids nor been pregnant].
My period is longer, stronger and meaner now that I have the Paragard - but it's totally worth it.  And my period has gotten less intense with each month. [The first two months were pretty insane]

Anyhow, I'd never really heard much about menstrual cups until I started doing research about IUDs. I finally got a Lunette in May 08 -- I picked that one because it's supposedly ok to use with IUDs. I love love love it. It was kinda hard to get used to it - but it's so much better than tampons! Not to mention greener etc. I highly recommend use of a menstrual cup with IUDs. I didn't start using one til after my third period. I'd been using tampons and I don't really see how tampons are any safer than a menstrual cup! Especially with my heavy-ass paragard period, I was blood-letting through super & superplus obs like every 3 hours.

Now before I switched to the Lunette, I was sorta worried about strings and expulsion cause I definitely could feel the strings more when I was on my period [cause the cervix sits lower or whatever]. Plus my BF [who's not huge or anything] could totally feel them and said they were really pokey. so I had my gyno trim my strings at  my yearly appt.  Awesome! Now I don't worry at all about yanking it out AND my bf can't feel pokey strings anymore. Everybody wins!

I've just started my second cycle with my DivaCup :]

Usually I'd be happy about this (I get to learn more and gain experience), but I'm spending all day with three guys and my best friend. I'm going swimming with these three guys (ugh!) and then going to a movie with the guys and my friend. And since this is my first day and my second cycle, there are going to be plenty of trips to the bathroom (I have fairly heavy flows) and the trips will most likely be long since I'm still getting used to things.

I'm stressing out, and actually pretty close to just wearing tampons for the day. Someone talk me out of it.

But on a more optimistic side, I really do love my cup and take the opportunity to discuss it with anyone who asks. I'm still baffled by girls who call it "gross." I don't think having a period is the most clean thing in the world, but it's a natural process and I wouldn't go so far as to call it "gross" or "disgusting." I think pulling out a bloody wad of cotton is worse than dumping out the blood.

Things that happen with tampons that don't happen with cups:

I was camping with one of my best friends. I was getting ready in front of the mirror and she was in one of the stalls. I suddenly heard this horrified gasp from the stall and asked what was wrong. The night before, she had put in a tampon while she already had one in. It really, really freaked her out.

The rest of that trip was pretty bad for her. Leaking, cramps and making me carry tampons in my backpack because she refused to carry a purse. Granted, a cup won't completely take away leaking and it certainly won't eliminate cramps. However, I've basically talked her into getting one but the price is scaring her away.