hello everyone! let me start off by saying if disposable pads work for you, i am *not* in any way criticizing or judging. hell, i used them for years myself. this is about my own experiences and how i feel personally about disposable pads.

i'm getting an iud (mirena) placed today and for my own peace of mind decided to use pads for the first couple months. i want to give it a few months to settle in before i try to use my cup with it. i have a lunette, so i'm not worried about it causing expulsion, i'm more just worried about my own learning curve with the iud + cup.

the doctor gave me a misoprostol pill to insert vaginally this morning to aid with the procedure (it softens and slightly dilates the cervix). i decided that might be easier to keep in place if i used a pad instead of trying to have my cup in with the pill (i have to be on my period for the procedure as per my obgyn). i wish i had thought ahead to buy some reusable pads, but i didn't. so i ended up buying pads for the first time in a year today. i've never had to use pads w/ my lunette, even as a backup, and... i know this sounds silly, but i almost felt like i was betraying my lunette. not to mention i didn't remember just how much my skin hates disposable pads. within an hour of putting on the pad, i was miserable.

i guess the whole point of this post is to say that i guess i never truly appreciated the freedom and cleanliness of my cup until i went back to a pad. i'm so glad this is temporary! i'm already dreading having to have pads in my purse and carrying into the bathroom. not to mention cringing every time i throw one away and realizing its going into a landfill. i miss my cup :(

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

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

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

Hi, All,

Thanks so much for all the replies.  There were so many that it was almost overwhelming to get through them all.  I have sat down with my daughter to get some answers to many of your concerns.

First, YES, my daughter has seen a doctor.  I seem to get this concern a lot.  I have also updated (edited) my original post to include this.

Next, someone mentioned that the cup is supposed to spin/rotate.  Hmn, didn't know that.  So, I think that maybe a different cup may be in order here.

When I first discovered cups as an option, I did discuss it with my daughter.  At first, she was apprehensive about using one, but said that she was willing to try.

She used the cup more than just once.  She has tried it EVERY month - but only on the first day of her period.  She will only use it for about 1/2 the day and then take it out.  She will just use pads and tampons for the rest of that month.

I explained that the cervix can move up and down during the cycle and that she may have better success if she will at least attempt to use the cup during EVERY day of the entire period.  I am thinking that by at least trying that, then she will be able to have a better understanding of her own body, which days the cup will work best for her, and will also be giving her more practice with using it.

I know that I have a harder time inserting my cup on the first day than I do on the second and third days.  However, due to my cervix moving further down, by day 4 (and 5 if I last that long) my cervix makes it nearly impossible to get the cup in far enough to be comfortable.  Usually, by then I switch to just a panty liner to collect the minimal amount that needs collecting.

As for taking advantage of this site, she has and does read, but if she does post, she will probably just post under my account.  To my knowledge, she has never posted before.

She just finished her period for this month, and mainly only jmentioned the cup to me because we are not completely out of tampons and have only about 4-5 pads left (it took her 7 months to use ONE THOUSAND tampons and 250 pads).  She is worried that there will not be any more, because when I got my husband to agree to let us spend the money on the cups, he only said yes because he thought we would no longer be spending money on tampons and pads.

After talking with my daughter today, she has agreed to try a different cup.  I have told her that I will let her do her own research and figure out what cup she would like to have us purchase for her.  I have showed her the comments to my original post to help her in the decision making process.  If I had to choose for her, I think I would go with the Lady Cup.  It seems smaller (which would help solve the issue of the bottom hanging out of her vaginal opening), and also more flexible (which should help with issue of it popping open before she gets it in far enough).  I think she is leaning toward the Lady Cup, too.  I guess we will see.

Oh, as for the stem - we cut it off.  That was the FIRST thing she did after getting it.  She got it and started within the week.  As soon as she put it in for the first time, she took it immediately out, cleaned it, cut the stem off (pretty much all the way), and put it back in.  She wore it all morning at school, took it out to empty at lunch, put it back in and wore it all afternoon until after school.  She then took it out again to empty and wore it all evening until bed.  Emptied and put back in for bed.  That's when she woke up to find herself and her bed practically COVERED with blood.  She was too upset to try again, she said her fear was that if she had that happen at school she would just have to die!  Honestly, I can't say that I blame her for that.

She will only use it every month on the FIRST day of her period, and only until after school.  Her heaviest day is the first day, after that she will bleed moderately heavy for about a week, and then the next week it will taper off each day until it ends.  Even with using the cup for only 1/2 a day on the first day of her periods, she is having trouble getting the cup far enough in for it to feel comfortable.  That's her other issue - wanting to not feel like the cup is hanging out of her vagina.

Anyway, thank you all, again, for your comments and concerns.

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.

This is my fourth cycle with the large Lunette and I have made some progress using it. Today is my third day and I just put my cup back in after emptying it after I came back from class. I had worn it normally the previous days, but I decided to turn it inside out since I remembered that  it tended to be more comfortable and easier to push towards the cervix that way. It seems to be doing its job, but  I still get some leakage on my pad even after swirling the cup and wiping after checking if the cup is fully popped open. I am currently using the 7-fold because that seems to open the easiest while being the fastest to insert. Does anyone have some additional tips so that I can eventually stop wearing pads altogether? 

 Hey Ladies I need your help.  I tried doing a poll on facebook and for some reason no one wants to answer my question.  I am hoping that since everyone seems to be openminded on here they won't mind answering my question.  

Before you were a menstrual cup user, do you remember how many pads/tampons you would go through in a single cycle.  Your help is really appreciated.  Thank you

Disposable pad, tampon, and cup capacity comparison pics! Here they are! These are my pics of a regular tampon, and a pad 25ml (it seemed to be about what most of the cups held...and it's 5ml less than the lower end of the average amount of blood lost during a period--according to wikipedia) of partially solidified Jello, my small lunette has water in it. It actually had a nice blood-like consistency when I took the pictures, so Jello was definitely a great idea batshua.

I give you fair warning! The pale green of the yummy honeydew melon Jello did not show up well on the pad so I poured out a few milliliters (from the measuring cup) and replaced that with some red Kool-aid...I now realized why red Jello can be used to make Halloween blood--it looks eerily realistic, but rest assured it's only honeydew melon Jello and raspberry Kool-aid

My room smells like honeydew melon...I'm not complaining though...

This will probably only apply to US members - sorry!

For those of us who have switched over to the cup, Pretty Bird Woman House (http://prettybirdwomanhouse.blogspot.com/), a women's shelter in SD, has just re-opened and needs supplies, including pads and tampons.  So if you have disposable products you're not using, and are able, you can at least put them to a good use.  Happy New Year to everyone celebrating!

So officially, I've been through two cycles with my Diva Cup so far. The first period I got it was very trial and error, and I only used it about a quarter of the time - the rest was spent with fighting to shove it in, hacking the stem off, and yanking it back out to hack off more of the stem.  The second period I had was great with very few leaks (occasional user errors n.n) except for one very unpleasant experience I had at night (which I still think went over better with the Diva than it would have with pads or tampons). Today is the first day of my third cycle. I wanted to list my personal experiences for anyone who is iffy about the cup.

Erm, so I ran out of Cons. xD Seriously, I like to think I'm getting better with my cup everytime I remove her and then put her back in. I was actually excited for my period to begin a few days ago, and today when it did, I think it's the first time in my life I was ever happy to see the blood. I said a very perky "hello~!" to my cup when I pulled her out. ;-) My sole regret is that I didn't have a cup sooner, but then I think that it's only been six years with pads and tampons, and some of you went for twenty years, so I consider myself lucky. :-)

Anyone else have some experiences to share?

 I just joined this community after lurking for a while.  You guys even helped me in my purchase of a lunette(which I love!!!) Thanks, by the way :)) . . . Anyway,   I just saw in a magazine an add for disposable underpants for when you have your cycle!!  I'm not sure how old the mag was (I was in the docs office) or how long these have been out, but I was appalled!!  And they weren't that cheap either (in my opinion) at 3 for $4.99.  I can't believe the wastefullness of our society.  Well at least some of us are doing our part.  Originally I got the cup for ease with swimming/boating/jetskiing( I leaked like crazy as soon as I got out of  the water with a tampon because it would soak up lake/river water then squish out with any muscle contraction . . . GROSS!!)  But now that I have it everything is easier.  I even got rid of that whole drawer filled with various sizes of disposable pads/tampons!!!  I have one small box of liners and thats it!  I am hooked!  Thank you everyone!

Well, I just had a LEEP done last week so I can't insert anything in my vagina for about a month, so right now I am using pads. I HATE PADS! I haven't used them in years. [I've been using my divacup for about two years now, and used tampons the few years prior]

I feel like I am dripping everywhere and I'm so afriad of it staining my underwear/pants. Also I feel like I'm more crampy without my cup.

I miss my divacup.


So, does anyone who has used a cup and then resorted back to tampons or pads for whatever reason, do you think you feel more crampy as well? I wasn't sure if it's just the nervousness of bleeding everywhere and the uncomfortableness of the pads' making me crampier, who knows.

It's a weird feeling, feeling drippy all the time and nothing but a flat pad to catch it all. Blah. Also worry about bleeding everywhere at night as well, so many worries now that I have to use pads instead. My divacup was virtually worry-free lol. Yay divacups. Boo pads.

I have been a very happy MoonCup UK user for a few months and I have a TON of pads, tampons, liners, etc.
When I moved into my new apartment the girl before me left an entire cabinet full!!
I may have missed this in the memories but is there any place I can drop these off? I live in Los Angeles and am willing to drive a few miles to make sure they get to the right place.
They aren't in the bag/box they came in but they are, of course, still individually wrapped.
Thank you!

When this joke landed in my inbox this morning, I thought - now here's a girl who needs a cup.

Cheers --
Gayle

This is an open letter written to the brand manager of Proctor and Gamble...


Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your Always maxi pads for over 20 years, and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core(tm) or Dri-Weave(tm) absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from "the curse"? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my "time of the month" is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call "an inbred hillbilly with knife skills." Isn't the human body amazing?

As brand manager in the feminine-hygiene division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers' monthly visits from Aunt Flo. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy! The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants. Which brings me to the reason for my letter.

Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my own body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period."

Are you fucking kidding me?

What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness - is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James?

FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything "happy" about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out of your ass, man. If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like "Put Down the Hammer" or "Vehicular Manslaughter Is Wrong"? Or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your accounting department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flexi-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep. Always.

Best,

Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX

Hi all,

Success!

I'm new to LJ and new to the cup business - I ordered my Divacup more than a year ago, but when it arrived I was horrified at how huge it was even when folded, and at the time I had much more sentimental attachment to my hymen so I didn't dare try. Normally I'm a pad user - tried a tampon once, it gave me cramps, while the pads I bring from Taiwan are actually pretty good - ultrathin, breathable, hold their shape - but still get gross. So I never returned my Divacup because I knew I'd be trying it again.

Today I managed to get an Instead cup in since it smooshes up so much smaller, but it wasn't comfortable and I didn't really want to be filling landfills with those. So I decided to try the Diva again. After several attempts throughout the day on various folds, I got it in on the 7-fold.

First thing I did was make sure I could get it out again. There wasn't a problem, but I couldn't get it smushed for removal like I could with the Instead. That HURT! Also, I keep pinching bits of hymen along with the stem when I try to grab it, and it's not comfortable. I'm getting a lot more OK than I used to be about stretching out that hymen, but I'd really prefer not to have to endure that pop! when I remove it.

Now I have it in again and will leave it overnight - but I'm scared now after reading all those tales of super suction, riding up, etc. I definitely cannot get more than two fingers in comfortably, and in the past I've had to dig something out with a finger and it was so uncomfortable and freaky that I threw up. So please, somebody, tell me how I can fold the thing before I take it out next time, assuming my nightmare of the cup riding up and glueing itself out of reach doesn't come to pass. And please tell me that I'll be OK!

Tags: divacup, first time, instead, pads-disposable, removal-painful&problems, virginity
Current Location: Home
Current Mood: apprehensive

This isn't about menstrual cups, but it is about menstruation and I thought you might be interested.

I was going through some boxes of my old things when I was at my mum's over Christmas, and came across the first book/pamplet she ever gave me to explain about periods and things. I've kept it more out of amusement than anything else. It was dated before she gave it to me and is even more so now! It was printed in 1972 (I was only born in 79!) for the Family Circle (magazine), and called "For Growing Girls".

When it was published sanitary pads had to be fastened with loops or hooks. A world away from cups!

So anyway, I've scanned in the pages. It is laid out with text on one side and a (cheesy!) illustration on the other.

Here's a link

ok so i have this enourmous problem. (actually several)
first, i am allergic to tampons and pads. i used to only be allergic to anything "always" brand. now, I am allergic to all brands except organic pads. i can no longer use tampons without feeling absolutely horrible. i get feelings so often like i am getting an infection and then the symptoms will dissapear randomly or will lesson to a sub-infection level. I am often allergic to hypo-allergenic lube and sometimes even my boyfriend's spit. (YEAH I KNOW) I also have problems with latex condoms. I am on birth control and we have both been tested and are monogamous so we don't use condoms anymore. I am almost always very very sore after sex. I have (apparently) a very long/high perineum. It partially covers the opening, and has ironically grown higher after abstaining from sex for about a month (we tried to give it time to get better which made things worse) I want to start using a menstrual cup but i'm scared that i won't be able to even get it in. are there virgins out there who use a cup and is it rather hard/painful to use? could i be allergic to the silicone cups? (can people be allergic to silicone)
also, I talked to r gynocologists about the perineum thing. one told me it was a bit high (for chrsit's sake, my boyfriend gets CAUGHT on it when he tried to enter) and gave me numbing cream to desensitize it. she told me that if that didnt work she would snip it. i talked to my regular gyno who told me that it "was probably just a matter of lack of stimulation and or lube" and she's a woman. fucking hell. so here's my question; has anyone ever heard of perineum snipping besides during childbirth? is it safe or could it screw me up even more?

on a lighter note, my boyfriend used to call my vag the little man in the boat, but recently the nickname has evolved to the angry man in the boat because it gets so well, angry all the time.

It works! I did a few frustrating dry runs last week but I stuck with it. Today, I noticed that I was spotting and I decided this was a perfect opportunity to start using the DivaCup. It was pretty exciting to dump it out into the toilet.

I have a few questions though:
-Does anybody have any tricks to get the DivaCup to pop reliably? Currently, I am using the origami fold and I tried the 7-fold and punch down method (I think the C method is a bit too big for me). After I get it in, I move/twitch my body around 'til I feel it pop and I've been lucky so far. The instruction manual says something about rotating it, but I can never get it to turn... Also, easy methods for checking the suction are also welcome.

-How will I know that I should empty out the DivaCup on a heavier day? Will it feel heavier, leak, etc? I typically change my pads 2-3 times while at school on my heavy days, to give you an idea of my flow.

I posted this in cloth pads, but I thought a lot of people that use cups would be interested. If I'm not allowed to post this , feel free to delete it.

I recently called the number on the back of a package of Always pads. I told them my skin peeled the last time I used their product. They informed me that they didn't have to tell me what the ingredients were. They also told me to hold on to the pads in case the "safety team" needs to retrive them. Please sign my petition. People have a right to know what they are paying for.

http://www.petitiononline.com/pmppg9/petition.html

Totally a curiosity thing. But does anyone here know of anyone who tried a cup and then decided to go back to disposables? If so, what was the reason?

Hey everyone.

I am just curious as to if any of you have lunapanties? I've been thinking of getting a few of them. It would be something nice to wear while I'm using my Diva during my period. Right now, I use regular pantyliners... which seems kind of strange and defeating the purpose since I got my Diva in order to help the environment, but I'm still using throw-away pantyliners.

I'd get luna pads, but I am leaning a lot more towards lunapanties.

The only thing that bothers me with them is that since they are actually cloth, it makes me wonder if they leak? How does that work? I think I'd be paranoid and having to run to the bathroom to check if I'd leaked or not.

Anyone have any info or comments on them?

Thank you so much! This is a very wonderful, helpful community.

With more talk of cloth pads lately, I thought I'd ask: are liners/pads/backup of any sort really necessary? I still have not had a successful cup run, but that's because I've only had one cycle while owning it and haven't mastered even getting it in. It's just a slow process for me. I know a lot of us have different flows and experiences, but I'm still curious. :) I also wonder if the experiences are different depending on the cup.

Anyhow, I was really hoping that the cup could be it. I was so excited about the idea of cups because it meant NO PADS! Do you ladies find that you wear backup and don't get much use out of it, or maybe just some minor spotting? Or is it a confidence issue? I'd love it if I bought a cloth pad/liner and just didn't need it.

Thanks!

As of this morning I've had enough of my normal pads. I can't take it anymore! They itch and itch and I always wake up scratching my vulva. I looked into cloth pads but I still don't really like the idea of wetness next to my vulva all the time (I usually only use pads to catch the extra blood that leaks out)and I have sensitive skin so I still think it would be irritating. So, I've heard of cups, and have considered them, and now I figured why not go for it. It seems like the least irritating option for me, but I have a few questions.

I haven't had sex in almost three years, needless to say I'm pretty tight again. Is the cup going to work for me? Is it going to be too big or hurt?

I'm confused about all the different ones, what their differences are and which are available where. I live in the U.S. but could make a special trip to Canada if it was absolutely necessary (I'm hoping it's not).

At the chance of leaking, I'd still like some protection. Does anyone use cloth pantyliners and where can I get them?

I need a lot of help!

I just received my MoonCup this week, my period will start in a day or so. I have a question... Do you ladies still wear a liner at night with your cup? Or do you find that you feel safe without one. I'd love to no longer have to wear anything at night during my period. There's nothing worse than waking up with a pantyliner stuck to your hair down there.

I just ordered a Diva Cup!

I can't wait till it comes! And I will probably do some dry runs before my next cycle, since I just got done with my period actually today.

ONE question I have though, not really concerning the Diva Cup: I have a lot of extra pads. That is one reason I was not exactly sure I should get a Diva Cup because my pads would go to waste. What did all of you do with your extra pads after purchasing a Diva Cup? Or did you wait until you used them all up?

I could ask friends if they would want them, but then I'd feel weird to do that... Or should I just throw them away? Though I think that would be really bad for the environment, and that is one of the reasons to get a Diva Cup in the first place, to help the environment. I also have a lot of pantyliners left, but will make sure to keep those so that when I first start using the Diva Cup will not have to worry about even little leaks, if I have any.

One other thing that I wonder: so when a person is sleeping with a Diva Cup in, wouldn't the blood flow between the vagina and the cup? And then of course when you stand up, it goes back into the cup? Just curious about this.

Thanks a lot!

~Ashley

Hi!

I'm thinking about buying a Diva Cup. But there are some things that I would like to know.. so I would be really háppy if someone has an answer for me. =)

My period is really NOT regular. I never know when it will come, so sometimes I can go around for a week just waiting for it to come, and sometimes it surprises me and comes really early. So my question is.. would it be possible for me to put the cup in before I get my period, just in case it would come or do you think this could be dangerous?

Another thing that is really holding me back from buying a Diva Cup is that I have sooo many pads and tampons left(I buy very much at the same time, it gets cheaper that way). I don't know what I would do with them, I don't want to throw them away, because I payed a lot of money for them. Anyone have any ideas.

Oh.. and one more thing =)
If I'm going to buy the cup, I'm considering buying Lunapads to use as backup, in case the cup would leak. But I just can't figure out (by looking at lunapads website) how they work!!

Thanks.
Hopefully I will be a happy owner of a Diva Cup in the future =D