So, I spent a lot of time reading this site and doing tons of research before I decided which cup I should buy, and I picked the Keeper Moon Cup. I did this with a full understanding of the Keeper company's reputation, because I thought that with what I knew about all of the cups and comparisons between them (thanks mostly to this community!), that the Keeper Moon Cup would be the best fit for me.

( Read more... )

Hi all, I just started using a menstrual cup the other day and I just wanted to say that I've had a very positive experience so far. While doing research beforehand, I got really freaked out by all the horror stories on here of people having painful insertion, or even worse, not being able to get the thing out! It sounded very scary so I was reluctant to try it out at first.( Read more... )

Hey gals!
I first read about menstrual cups (specifically the Keeper) in the book Making Stuff and Doing Things, and then again from a friend who has the Keeper Mooncup. I've been lurking this community for a while. I'd been thinking of either the Keeper Mooncup or the Femmecup, and since my period came yesterday and I couldn't stand to wear another tampon, I drove on down to the health food store and picked up the last size B Keeper Mooncup in stock. I had no problem with the C fold and it popped open right away. It immediately felt so much more comfortable than a tampon since it wasn't hitting my cervix when I sat in certain positions like tampons do. I emptied a few hours later just to see, had a little trouble, and then heard the awesome SLOOSH sound and almost had to stop because I was laughing too hard. Reinsertion was fine too.

I'm absolutely loving this cup; I feel that it fits very well for me and I'm so happy to not have to use tampons again!

I've been using a Keeper Moon Cup for over a year but wanted a cup with bigger holes and perhaps more capacity.  (Plus I loved the colors!)  Today was my first day using my new large Ladycup, and I wanted to share some notes about my experience in the hopes it may help someone else who's looking for information. It was a day of learning!

Insertion: In a couple of dry runs with the LC, I was able to use the punch-down method and get the cup to open with little trouble. On my period, though, the cup wouldn't open once inside me, so I switched to the 7 fold to much greater success. I did have to swirl a finger around the cup several times on one insertion before it undented and fully opened.

Wearing: The LC is comfortable. The stem's flexibility made it more comfortablepre-trim than the Keeper MC stem, which I'd cut 2/3 of the way off to make comfortable. For the LC, I snipped a tiny amount off, then beveled it, and the length is not a bother. The stem helps greatly with removal efforts.

Removal: As other forum members have stated, the LC's slickness can make it difficult to get a grip during removal. I have to break the seal at the rim, fold the cup in half (c-fold), and remove carefully. I kept a death grip on that slippery cup so as not to drop it in the toilet immediately after removal! I did two removals at work today, where the toilets are auto-flush. Yikes!

Cleaning: With my Keeper MC, I could wipe it out with a paper towel and reinsert for changing in public. (At home, I rinse and reinsert.) I could even stretch the silicone slightly and wipe out each hole. With the diagonal holes on the LC, I found that cleaning the holes this way wasn't quite as feasible, and that it took a stretch and a wipe on both sides of the cup holes in order to dislodge gunk.

Bounciness: After somehow losing grip on my cup while I was cleaning the holes, I had to watch it bounce under the partition into the next bathroom stall. Thank God I was in an empty bathroom at work.
------
Post-period Edit: I got the LadyCup in hopes of escaping the Keeper Moon Cup suction, but I found I disliked how difficult it was for me to reach up to break the LC's suction. This may be something that improves with practice. I also disliked that I felt some strange, uncomfortable sensations when wearing the LC. I wonder if the slightly larger size is causing these sensations somehow. It's definitely puzzling to me. I do like the LC's capacity (I use the Large) for heavy days, and I was satisfied that I experienced no leaks except for when it was full. After trying the LC, though, I find I prefer my Keeper MC, with my at-home hole enlargements. It's easier for me to remove, comfortable to wear, opens more reliably than the LC (which remained dented several times on insertion), and doesn't cause strange sensations during wear.

Hello everyone!

I ordered my Diva from iherb today!! YAY. I can't wait to get it. Unfortunately, I am having my cycle right now with my MCUS, but I'll be able to have a dry run with my Diva and use it with my next cycle anyways. I know a lot of ladies on here have ordered cups from iherb, and I am wondering how long it has taken you all to get your orders in the mail?

Also, just out of curiosity ... does anyone else on here notice themselves reading the community more often during their cycle? I usually check this blog and other menstrual cup sites non stop when I am having my cycle, but during other times of the month, I am pretty hands off.

That's all for now (: 

I've considered a lot of options of a new cup to buy (my Mooncup came for free from Celle) and I think I have decided on the Diva. At first I thought I wanted less suction, but thinking further, I think I would actually like a bit more suction than what Mooncup is giving me to help prevent occasional leakage. Also, I think I'd like something a little bit longer than the Mooncup, and from what I understand, Diva meets both of these goals.

Anyone else out there make the same change from MCUS to Diva? How did it go?

Also, where can I purchase the Diva for the lowest price possible?

Thanks guys (:

I just received my Diva Cup today. (Posted asking about iHerb last week)

I did a dry run and i had to get my fiance to take the damn thing out after i tried for 10 minutes. He even had a problem and i showed him on my Mooncup exactly what to do. I can't pinch the cup at all. I can't get 2 fingers around it. I can indent it with 1 finger but that doesn't release suction and there's no way i can reach the rim to release it.

I'm at a complete loss.

Either my vagina is extremely long or I'm too fat to reach the cup. I think i have too much flesh blocking the way, which is odd because this is the only time it's been a problem when it comes to my genitals.

Heres a link to the problem i was having with the Mooncup. (I added more info in the comments.) I'm thankful I'm able to reach it with a paper towel even though my bathroom might look like i killed someone by the time i get it out.

Has anyone had this problem?

It seems like most of you have to cut the stem to stop it from sticking out. I actually need a long stem or else i can't reach it at all. How can i not get 2 fingers around  the cup?  I am so pissed/fustrated/bummed out. I really wanna use a cup, they seem awesome. I don't want to have to remove it by laying down on a bed. These things are supposed to be used in public and i can't even insert one in a public bathroom.

Argh!
 

I have the Mooncup (US). This is my 2nd month using it. I just feel like if the cup was longer i'd be able to reach it. I keep yanking on the damn stem trying to get it lower. I do stop, take some breathes, and try to reach it while squatting but i still need to try and use the back and forth motion while pulling on the stem. (Probably doesn't help that my stem has none of those grippy rings on it.)

I'm 27 with no kids. I don't plan on having kids and it seems like my vag has a death grip on this damn thing, lol. The only direction it moves is up.

I'm thinking of getting a Divacup. They're about the same length. I think the only real difference is that the Divacup has a longer cup and less stem.

The website says it's only 1/8 inch difference between the 2 sizes. Does it really make that much of a difference? I just don't get how such a small size difference makes any difference at all but then again i don't have children, lol.

Okay, so I just got my Mooncup (Keeper) in the mail today and WTF? The packaging had damaged so the post office sent it along in a plastic bag. To make matters even weirder, the package only had two flyers. One for me, and one for a friend....and it was very unprofessional. I also, for my own comparison purposes, bought  a Divacup. While presentation isn't anything, it does influence a consumer. I was just wondering about thoughts on the subject.

I'm a 42 year old woman with two vaginal births (to big babies!) and have been using the Moon Cup US large for the past 2 or 3 years. It worked fine but was never really amazingly comfortable - sometimes I had issues getting it inserted correctly and once in a while it would pinch or cause a lot of pressure. Nothing so awful that I had to stop using it though, and it was way better than tampons or anything else.

Well after reading this community for a couple of months I went and bought myself a LadyCup large (regular color) and let me just say it is Amazing!!!! I'm on my second full day of use with it and I am in love with it! It inserts so easily, first time, every time - no problems, it is really comfortable and easy to remove as well. There is no pressure like with the Moon Cup US, and no pinching or poking stem. The difference in how it feels is really considerable and I wouldn't have expected it to be so noticeably better!

Thanks to everyone who is repsonsible for making this community and everyone who has posted so many helpful informational posts - it has had a really positive effect in my life!!

Also - I took the "what cup is right for you" poll and the LadyCup came in at number 2 and the Moon Cup US was all the way down at 12 or something, so I think the poll (for me at least) is really accurate.

A question - what to do with old cups that you would probably never use again? Are the recyclable? Is it too gross to sell or give someone a (clean, sterilized) used cup?

Well, kinda.  This is my 3rd or fourth month with the mooncup US large that I got from C'elle.  It is a lot better than the Diva cup.  It feels like it holds more, it doesn't leak as much, I can pee in it without removing, falling out/moving, and it doesn't seem to discolor.  As much as I hate the bad rap that Keeper company has for the mooncup name tiff, the Mooncup US might be the cup for me. Although, I will still try a lunette when/if I have extra cash.

Now, yesterday was amazing for me.  I put in my mooncup and no leaks at all on my medium/heavy day.  None.  i wasn't even wearing a panty liner.  Of course, it helped that I was at home the entire day.  During the night and day, I had a pad on but the leaking was minimal compared to previous months/Diva cup usage and most due to sleeping.  Today I was at work and I don't even know if I had leaks at all.  It was comfortable.  The only time I felt uncomfortable was a few minutes of sitting down after peeing.  This is a heavy day for me and if there was leaking, it wasn't noticible.  Even when I did pee, there was no "spotting" that tends to happen with cups.  Yay.  I had to share my amazing last two period days.  

What I love about the cups is the last year my period has decided to start and stop near the 3rd/4th day.  It was horrible with pads.  By that time, I was itchy, chaffy, red and sick of my period.  Now, I can wear my cup even when my period has "stopped."  No more "OMG WHY ARE YOU HERE AGAIN!  YOU STOPPED 5 HOURS AGO!"  I don't even have to worry about it till the 5th day to take it out for good. ^_^

Overall, I LOVE  CUPS!

Now, my questions:
Now, this is also my 3rd period of being broke.  With all my leak worries, I can't go no pads at all and I've had to search my apartment/car for leftovers from my pad days.  I finally got comfortable with the idea of reusable cloth pads.  Does anyone have links for cheap cloth pads or are practicing and willing to sell cheap?  I mainly want to use them to replace disposable panty liners. What to look for in pantyliners? Are they waterproof?

Also another question, to anyone who has long finger nails, how do you not pinch your insides?  I love having long nails and I've also had to use latex gloves so I don't pinch myself.  I've started to hate this and it was just as bothersome as having to have pads everywhere!  These last two months, I've happened to have short nails during my period at least for the thumb and pointer that goes in there.  I've been able to go sans gloves but I don't want to always trim my nails for my period.

Hey ladies. Final update on my discussions with the Keeper company, and it's not much of an update. If you don't know what I'm talking about, click here.

I had some sources from the legal battle and info about the boycott forwarded to Ms. Crawford and, surprise surprise, she never called me back.

I sent another email a couple days ago letting her know that I was leaving the country on the 25th and can no longer be reached on my US phone after that date (which is true), so if she had any intent of speaking with me she needed to call me back soon.

I would have called her, but she called me on a private number. Again - surprise surprise.

So, it is now 15 minutes into March 24th, and still no call. I suspect I won't be getting one before I leave, so I guess this is the end of our discussion.

To recap, it was basically me citing all the things I've read and researched, and her fervently denying it ever happened as though I should take the word of the president of an unethical company over public legal records.

*sigh*

I tried.

Love,
Cassie

Hey ladies. The president of the Keeper company DID call me (her name is Ms. Crawford).

If you don't know what I'm talking about, click this.

Unfortunately she did so while I was out, so we had a limited discussion about the MoonCup fiasco, and she told me she would call back Saturday or Sunday... which so far she has not.

But this was the gist of the conversation we DID have.

She almost acted like this was the first she'd heard of it. Which is impossible, because I have public legal records of disputes they've had in court. She kept saying things like "it must have had to do with them not being FDA approved," and I kept saying "no, they have been prevented from shipping because of copyright issues WHICH YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR."

I've read up on this. I am quite sure it has nothing to do with the FDA, otherwise the Lunette, FemmeCup, etc, would all be banned as well.

She kept saying they've used the trade name for years, which is just flat out untrue. The Keeper MoonCup wasn't released until several months ago. MoonCup UK has been around for years upon years. I don't know if she was implying that since the Keeper company is older than MoonCup, they can just take whatever name they want? I don't get it.

I felt like the conversation just went in circles and she used a different straw man every time. She asked me for some sourcing, so I sent her the link to the legal dispute, the boycott post from this community, and the letter one of the members of this community got from MoonCup UK in regards to this issue.

Somehow I don't think she's going to call me back.

Any hope I had of having a real discussion about this has kind of gone out the window.

So, I'll let you know if I get a call back, or anything interesting happens. But as it stands... pretty much what I expected.

Love,
Cassie

I wrote an email to the Keeper company expressing my disappointment with the whole MoonCup shenanigans. I also said that as a result of it I wouldn't be buying their products, and would be sure to inform others in the market for a menstrual cup of their actions as well.

And this was the very interesting and unexpected response I got back a few days later:

"Thank you for your email and the information. The president of The Keeper Inc. would like to speak with you. Would it be possible to reach you via phone? If so, may we please have your contact information."

Wow. Wasn't expecting that. I wrote back that I would be more than happy to talk with them. I'll let you ladies know how it goes.

Love,
Cassie

EDIT ( My first letter - a bit long-ish. )

EDIT: Well, seems that I've been bumped to the front of the email line since my first letter. Took them 3 days to respond to the first one (which really isn't that bad, and I'd not expected any reply at all), but they've just sent me another saying that my number has been passed to the president of Keeper Inc. whose name is Ms. Crawford. Not sure if I should expect a call today or not, but my phone is turned on. :)

I bought a Size A Mooncup(US) a few months back, and while I'd already decided I was going to have to try out a different one evenutally, I was relatively pleased with it.  BUT I LOST IT!! Waahhhhh!  We've looked everywhere and I'm convinced my husband threw it away, although he won't admit it.. Perhaps its in my childrens toy chest, all I know is wherever it is I'm glad I thoroughly cleaned it after I last used it! haha

Anyway I'm in the market for a new one, I'm currently ON my period, using Nasty pads, I HATE them! I'd never realized what an attachment I'd made to my cup! I've had it since November.  And I'm very uncomfortable sitting here typing without it in!

Here's what I really need,  The mooncup was a little rigid, I'd posted earlier about having an urge to pee, but not being able too, So I need something a little softer, more flexible maybe? And I was a little disappointed with the amount of time I'd have to clean it out, At work in an 8 hour shift I'd take it out once or twice because it would start to leak,  Are there any a little larger?  I remember LadyCUp being suggested to me once, would that fit the bill for both these things?

ALSO, They sell them pretty cheaply on Ebay, would you buy your cup off ebay?

Hi! I've been reading posts like crazy and got very valuable tips from the community; I still have a couple of questions...

( My past experiences... )

The Mooncup (UK) seems like a good choice but since it has ridges at the base I'm not sure, I think I might feel them just like with the Diva. I'm also a heavy bleeder (chronic anemia heavy, already in treatment), so I think I might need one with higher capacity, maybe just the large size? I'm not sure. This made me think about the Moon Cup (US), since it is smooth as the Keeper, but we're back at "I might be more comfortable with a shorter cup"...

Any advice? :D

I know South Coast Shopping has received many posts in this community about offering cups at more affordable prices but actually, if you are ordering from an international location (I'm in Mexico) you'll get a better deal ordering from their ebay store than from their own webpage, the price might be a bit more expensive than on their website, but the shipping is WAY cheaper (about 8 times cheaper, that's a lot) and makes a difference on the total price.

EDIT: Forget about it, I bought a cup and they refused to ship it at that price even though it was an available option (clickable). I know everyone can ship at whatever price (fee) they want but is not ok to say $4.33 and after the payment has been made say "you know, it's not $4.33, it's $20.50, why did you select that shipping option?"... they could have just disabled it if they never intended to offer it...

I see, if I click-click-click through all their fine print, I eventually can find the countries on the "black list" (come on! I've bought from all over the world and never had a problem--fuming--), but again... they could have just disabled the cheap option if they never intended to offer it...

At least I got a refund, but you bet I'm angry right now... (sorry about the rant :$) If your country is on the "safe" list you can still get cheap shipping...

I have a book about ethical consumerism (The Rough Guide to Shopping with a Conscience) that made a point. I've heard that petitions (especially on-line ones) don't carry much tout with companies. And boycotting does no good if you don't let the company know what you're doing. The book mentioned writing (or emailing) the company to let them know specifically that you are boycotting, and spreading the word to your friends to do the same).

The book gave Wal-Mart as an example, and said you can make more of a difference, even if you still shop at Wal-Mart, just buy contacting the company and telling them you don’t than by not shopping there, but not letting them know you are doing so.

This brings up an important point about the Keeper (or any "alternative" menstrual product, really). They can't really advertise effectively, and word-of-mouth is a powerful tool for these companies (especially with the way many of us sing the praises of our cups to anyone who will listen). How many of us found cups because we heard someone else (either in person or online) talking about them? Even the stickers we may have seen in the bathrooms were put there by a cup lover spreadin' the word. Now how many discovered them on our own (tv adds, radio adds..)? Probably not many.

This gives us a bit more power in this situation than we would have against a company like Wal-Mart or KFC. Even people who use and love Keeper products can help the effort (if they so choose), by writing to the company telling them they aren't going to support the Keeper or Moon Cup (US). Saying you read about the problem on an on-line menstrual cup community will also let them know that many others are seeing it. If we have any power as consumers, it would be in a situation like this.

Just a suggestion.

In keeping with the recent post about why Mooncup UK can no longer sell their product to people in the US, I followed some links and found this link: www.petitiononline.com/keeper/petition.html. The petition states that we feel that Keeper made a decision that is both confusing and unethical, and that Keeper should re-name their Moon Cup to something else. I thought it may be something that many of us would want to sign or promote.

Furthermore, someone mentioned setting up some sort of third-party system, wherein someone else would recieve packages from Mooncup UK and send them on. I live in Canada, and if anyone had some ideas on how to set that up, I'd be willing to help.

EDIT: I always wanted to say that personally, I won't be purchasing from this company because their practices are wrong, but I realize that some people will/have and there's nothing wrong with that. If you still like Keeper products, by all means, go for it. There's nothing wrong with the products, it's their business ethics I have an issue with.

I wrote to Mooncup UK asking if they could reveal why they no longer ship to the USA. They wrote me back and were very nice. I doubt I'll be getting over there any time soon -- although I don't really need a new cup, if I do travel to the UK I'll be buying a new one. Heh.

Dear Andi,

Thank you very much your email and please accept our apologies for the delay in responding. As you can imagine we have been inundated with emails like yours asking about sales to the US.

I’m afraid it is no longer possible to buy a Mooncup for delivery to a US address from our website or any of our distributor’s websites since the 31st January 2009. Sadly another menstrual cup company has trademarked our name Mooncup in the USA, which leaves us with no alternative than to cease all Mooncup sales to customers based there. We are obviously very disappointed about this but as an ethical company it is important to us to do the right thing and abide by the law. Please note this applies to the USA only and not to Canada or any other countries.

We are grateful for your positive feedback about the Mooncup and wanted to ask if you would be happy for us to post your comments on the testimonials section of our website. Please could you let me know?

I’m sorry that we are not able to help you to get a new Mooncup. If you are planning a trip over to this side of the pond at any stage, get in touch and we can provide you with the details of European stockists.

Kind regards

Hi, I'm new here, so please be gentle.

I thought I'd share a quick story from my last cycle (cycle one with my Moon cup) and an important lesson I learned about "spreading the word" on menstrual cups and cloth pads.

( Long winded. )

Anyone else have a great RL cup buddy? I think it's nice to have the local support.

Cross posted (sorta) to cloth_pads

***SOLD***

A friend of mine ordered a Keeper Moon Cup Size B, tried it one time (not for a whole period) and promptly gave up on menstrual cups altogether.  I still hope to get her to reconsider in the future.  But for now, she asked me to sell this for her.  She paid $25 with shipping at southcoastshopping and would like to get $15 including shipping (first class with delivery confirmation).  It has been boiled to sterilize, has an intact stem, and comes in it's original pouch, box and with instructions.  You can send me a message here if interested.  I can take paypal or a postal money order.

( Picture )



Also, you can check out my feedback at ebay (same username) to make sure that I'm honest.

So, I recently got my Keeper Mooncup in the mail and have given it two dry runs. Insertion hasn't really been a problem, and I think I've felt it pop open ok, but removal has been a bit of an issue. I reach up and pinch the bottom but if I pull down it's painful and feels like there's still suction, so I put a finger up the side of the cup to try and break the suction and hook my finger around the rim or something. When I got to the top of my cup I found that I couldn't get it around the rim at all because my cervix was in it! I think it must be rather low or something. I eventually broke the suction and got it out.
I just did the second dry run and had the same problem. I'm good at relaxing, so I don't think that being tense was the problem, but it was difficult for me to get it out and painful. I don't see how I'm going to use this on my period without spraying blood all over myself and everything else. Also, I read that usually the cervix is lower during one's period, which worries me as it already seemed quite low. Could I be hurting my cervix? It's hard to break the suction and I think the suction even reforms after I think I've broken it sometimes.

I have felt kind of bloated and my stomach has felt sort of gurgle-y after removing the cup, and then I felt sort of unwell for awhile after removing it the first time (this could be unrelated though). Has anyone else experienced these sorts of problems?
Thanks so much

A friend of mine ordered a Keeper Moon Cup Size B, tried it one time (not for a whole period) and promptly gave up on menstrual cups altogether.  I still hope to get her to reconsider in the future.  But for now, she asked me to sell this for her.  She paid $25 with shipping at southcoastshopping and would like to get $16 including shipping (first class with delivery confirmation).  It has been boiled to sterilize, has an intact stem, and comes in it's original pouch, box and with instructions.  You can send me a message here if interested.  I can take paypal or a postal money order.

( Picture )

This is still available.  Feel free to make an offer!

Also, you can check out my feedback at ebay (same username) to make sure that I'm honest.

Ok, I know that several of you are worried about getting the cup from Celle and it being the wrong size.  I answered N/A on the baby question, and got a size A (the larger size).  I currently own a small Diva, and this is the first month I've used it.  Well, since I've been bleeding for nearly two weeks, and my Diva is developing a real stink, I decided to clean and try the Mooncup today.  I put them together...there is a size difference...not much though, about the thickness of the Mooncup ridge.  The mooncup is shorter with a longer stem. I put it in with no problem, and the fit is fine.  The stem is too long, though.  The only issue I have is that I was going to trim that and can't grasp the bottom of the cup to break the seal.  I am getting ready for work,a nd havin't been feeling terribly well, so I figure I can deal with the stem for tonight and try again tomorrow, hopefully when I'm more relaxed and will have better luck with it. 

Just wanted those to know that I'm not having any real issues with the size.  Looks like it will be just another learning curve in removing this one.  Good luck, everyone.