I’ve been looking all over the internet for good lubricants to use with cup insertion (both for myself, and to recommend for others). I had all these demands about it, lol. Mostly for personal purposes, as I also wanted to be able to use it for intimacy.

So basically, I was trying to find something that was water based. I don’t like oil-based, because that’s not very biocompatible with the vagina. I also wanted it to be glycerin-free and paraben free, because as I’ve experienced, and heard from others in this forum-- those things cause yeast infections and irritation for lots of women.

( Details on what I found here )

hi all,

thanks to my horrible last lube experience - a lube wanted for in between cycles - (silicone based, sticky, smelly...ugh) I bought another one today. Because the package doesn't say if it's water-based, oil-based or silicone-based, I wanted to ask you gals. I'd also like to know if it is likely to promote yeasties (couldn't decipher if it contains sugars or not).
I can return it within a week if the ingredients are not what I wanted, so I'd be really happy if you could help me out :-)

Ingredients are: 
(INCI) Aqua, Propylene Glycol, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Saccharin, Sodium Hydroxide, Aloe Barbadensis leaf juice.

If it's not cup compatible, I'll go back to my good old water-based lube. Costs 4 times as much as this new one, but that's ok with me:-).

Thanks a lot!

hi again,

I have another question, this time regarding lube.
Due to the fact that I wanted to try some new type o' lube, I bought a silicone based lube today. Now I've been wondering: 
During my period, I definitely will only use water based lube. But how long do I have to wait before I insert my MooncupUK or Lunette after using silicone lube for the last time before my period starts? Is a shower/douche necessary before putting the cup in (because of lube residue in the vagina...)?

Thanks for your input :-)

Hey I'm a first-time mooncup-user, and just bought water-based lube. I bought it from Superdrug (UK). It contains:

• Aqua
• Glycerin
• Xanthan
• GumSodum Benzoate
• Potassium Sorbate
• Citric Acid

Are these ingredients safe?


I've noticed on the boards that Glycerin isn't too good for people with YI- how do you know if you're prone to them? I vaguely remember having an infection down there, it might have been on my thighs, I can't remember.

xxxx

I mentioned this in passing in a comment in another post, but I'm curious: how many of you use spit as a lube when inserting your cup?  It dawned on me recently that maybe this is a "weird" thing to do.  I usually lick a finger or two of my left hand (cup in my right) and run it around the rim of my cup before folding and inserting it.  For me, it makes inserting my cup 100% easier so I'm not going to give it up, but I guess I was just wondering if I'm alone in this.

 Mega gross secret confession:  When my cup is totally clean, I have been guilty of licking the cup itself.  :-0

Ok, this is really weird and I'm hoping someone can help me out b/c my period is about to start!!

I've been successful with the Diva cup for my last 2 or 3 cycles. I totally love it! In between cycles I boil for 15 minutes, put it in its little pouch, put the pouch in a makeup bag and stash it under the sink.

So just now I got it out since my cycle is about to start, and my cup was really gummy and sticky! It was very strange. I noticed that some Astroglide had spilled in the makeup bag (I use a dab Astro on the rim to ease insertion), but the cloth pouch wasn't saturated. After handling it, my hands were extremely sticky and it was hard to wash whatever residue it was off!

Does this sound like my cup is degrading? I washed it thoroughly with some Cetaphil (so now I'm scared I'm going to cause irritation, so I'll have to double and triple rinse), and washed my hands like, 5 times. The outside feels pretty normal now, but the inside of it is still a little sticky, though not as much as before. It is just so weird!

Has anyone ever experienced something like this before? Anyone have a point of view -- could it be the cup degrading for some reason, or maybe the Astroglide just leaked on it and sat there for a few weeks, causing the sticky residue.

Thanks in advance, ladies!

Hey, I've got a question about silicone-based lube.  I know silicone-based lube can degrade silicone cups like my small Lunette, so I would never, ever use it as a lubricant for insertion/removal of the cup.  However, I have some very nice silicone-based massage "oil" that says it's okay to use as a personal lubricant as well.  If I were to use it for this purpose, how long would I have to wait before it were safe for me to use my cup again?  Thanks in advance!

As veteran cup users know, there are some things that are said by the cup companies that just aren't true. Maybe they're saying them to cover their butts. Maybe they're saying them to sell more product. Maybe they're just... saying them, and we don't really know why. Whatever the situation is, these myths can be off-putting for some potential users and can even make people think they're using their cups incorrectly when they're working just fine.

Here are some of the myths that I've seen.

Myth: You must replace your cup every year/every five years/every X years.

( Reality: You probably don't. )

Myth: You must use our branded wash/tablets to clean your cup.

( Reality: There are many ways to safely clean your cup. )

Myth: Your cup must sit at the bottom of your vagina, way below your cervix.

( Reality: Your vagina may vary. )

Myth: There are only one or two ways you can fold your cup when you are inserting it.

( Reality: There are at least eight different folds you can use. )

Myth: You have to rotate your cup to make it seal correctly.

( Reality: Rotating your cup is only one way to make sure it's sealed. )

Myth: You can't use any lubricant with your cup.

( Reality: Water-based lubes are fine, but they must be water based. )

Myth: The size guidelines are hard and fast.

( Reality: Not really. )

Myth: Menstrual cups can only be used when you're on your period.

( Reality: As long as you remove and clean every 12 hours or so, you'll probably be fine. )

This is by far not an exhaustive list, so if you can think of any other myths, please mention them in the comments!

I just wanted to share something with everyone, and I hope it helps. Like many women here, I’ve been REALLY curious about gathering some facts on proper care of medical grade silicone. So I decided to turn to someone who works with this material regularly, but is NOT involved with manufacturing menstrual cups or profiting from their sales-- and ask them their professional opinion. I have forwarded the below letter to the head of a custom medical grade silicone molding company (they take custom moldings from hospitals for patients, and create artificial body parts of various kinds), and he sent me his reply.

( Here Are The Details )

Hi everyone, (waving to all)

First of all, I just want to say how awesome this community is! I've been lurking for a little bit, learning so much!  I finally got my Ladycups today (Lilaccup yay!!) in small and large as I wasn't sure which one to go with.  I'm 29, light flow, and not too big "down there" LOL.  So I figured, oh what the heck, get one of each and give it a whirl!

I decided to try the small one first, I cleaned it, got out my glycerin and paraben free lube (again, something I learned here! - I didn't know that glycerine was a no-no for YI, and that my silicone lube would've eaten my new purple pal LOL) tried a 7 fold, and away it went!  I sat down this evening and practiced the different folds (again thanks to all the great posts with pics - you guys are the best!)  I was pleased that it seemed to go in ok, and on the first try it went up fairly high, and with a small kerflumpf I felt it open.  It didn't hurt, just a little surprising is all.  I tried to Kegal as others have recommended and it went up a little more so the stem was completely up.  Im thinking wow this is great!  I decided to poke around because I was trying to test the seal, and it seemed to be ok.  But hey, what do I know, right? I'm a cup virgin lol. 

Then it came time to get it out...ummmmm...ok challenge time.  I tried to really relax...lowered my jaw as I read earlier tonight...haha that actually works! I could just reach the end of the stem, so I tried to pull....stuck.  Ok...don't panic, they all said not to panic....breathe...breathe...LOL.....all of the great posts were floating in my mind, and I was trying my darndest to adhere to them.  I finally was able to reach the bottom of the cup and tried to squeeze it, but there seems to be quite the suction.  Anyways, I tried to to ease it out slowly, but I felt like my insides were coming out with the cup - is this normal?  

So when I finally got it out, sweating profusely, and shaken, I tried again a couple of times, but the second and third time I didn't get it up high enough before it opened, but I don't think it opened right either...and the stem was hanging out.  I was able to break the seal more easily those times, I think because it was that much easier to reach.  So I've given it a rest for tonight, and I will try again tomorrow when I get home from work. 
I was expecting a learning curve, and I'm hoping once I get more comfortable with mucking about "down there" I will have an easier go.  I will admit Im a bit freaked thinking about having to empty it once it's full.  I dont want to make a big mess everywhere :S    As someone who is proned to YI and UTI, I am also concerned with germies and soap residue. Another reason why I thought I had better give it a rest after a few attempts....don't want to tempt the UTI gods LOL. 

Thanks again for listening - any and all advice would be most welcome!!

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

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

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

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

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

So I asked my mom if we had some lubricant (we're pretty open about that stuff...it was awkward still though!) and she gave me some stuff that expired 10/07. She said that it doesn't really expire. The ingredients are: Cellulose Gum, Citric Acid, Methylparaben, Natural Glycerin, Propylparaben, Purified Water. Is there any reason that i shouldn't use it? It's a pretty big tube of unused lube because my mom only used it for rectal thermometers. Some people said that it doesn't really expire...then some said that the chemicals break down and it causes irritation. So what do you guys think? I really don't want to have to go buy some...

My second month of my Lunette use and I'm travelling. At the moment I'm staying with friends, but I'm off onto Portland (and a full day of plane travel tomorrow).

I use lubricant to help with getting the cup in. I bought Vagisil brand lubricant in a bottle that I could take on an airplane (I normally use KY). The Vagisil was, ah, irritating to say the least. It was so irritating that last night I just took out the cup and switched over to a pad. I'm using a pad again because I'm still irritating and kind of swollen down there from the Vagisil lubricant.

I'm planning on going out to the shops today and can buy a smaller version of KY. I especially hate using pads on airplanes (and as a person with mobility disabilities, changing pads in an airport can be... difficult and unhappy), but I'm hesitant to use the cup again, being irritated down there. Thoughts?

Also, has anyone else had this kind of issue with a standard lubricant (it's not special warming or tingly or anything)?

I got my diva cup today.  And was going to take it for a dry run, with the help of some lube, but can't get it to insert.  Does anyone have any tips, or tricks?  or other folds?

Hi
I know this has been discussed before but I couldn't find the posts.  I'm a bit new to this, sorry.
I wanted to check that the lube I have is safe to use with my Miacup and Lunette Selene.  The ingredients are: glycerine, propylene glycol, polysorbate 20, phenonip and carbomer.  Can anyone tell me if it is okay to use with the cups?
Thanks.

I know its best to use a water-based lube, or even water intself to help ease insertion.  But does anyone have any brands that are safe for cup use and not? 

Currently, I'm Using "Vagisil Intimate Lubricant", because its my personal preference.  It says its PH balanced, water based, and safe to use with condoms.  Also no hormones, fragrance or taste.

Ingredients:

Water
Glycerine
Propylene
Glycol
Hydroxyethylcellulose (that was fun to type, lol)
DMDM Hydantonin
Diazolidinyl urea
Disodium EDTA
Polysorbate 20
Methyparaben
Propylparabeb
chamomile
Polyqyanternium-5
Citric Acid
Aloe
Tocopheryl Acetate

Hi all, I'm new here, and I just got my new mooncup. While I'm really excited about it (and I just got my period too), I just can't get it in. Now I've been trying a few times using various methods and I tried it standing, sitting, lying down, in the shower, sitting on the toilet. I know I've been relaxed because usually when I'm tensed I can feel the muscle pushing whatever I stick in but I didn't feel it. I could barely get the cup halfway in without feeling so much pain I had to yank the mooncup out. The only time it went in deeper than the other times, I had the base of the cup hanging outside of me, with the suction and everything in place. A real pain to get it out... sigh... Any suggestions?

I don't know what lubricants work. Will those that you find in the supermarket with the condoms work? I'm a virgin and am rather shy going to the supermarkets and going near the condoms... =P