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 )

I looked around the community and couldn't find a post to this question...

I recently purchased some Instead Softcups and I really like them, but I hate that they're disposable. Is there a reusable version? The reason I ask is because I have a DivaCup, but you have to take it out before sex. My boyfriend faints at the sight of blood, so I have to use the Instead Softcups in order to have sex during my period. It's not a huge problem to just use one disposable Softcup once in a while (and my DivaCup the rest of the time), but it'd be nice to have a reusable option.

Off subject? I was reading the Instead post below this, and she liked the Insteads because you could have sex with them. I wouldn't try it with a cup, though I have read a post here that a girl was doing that...but to each their own. So my question is:

In your experience, whom, if either, is more bothered by period sex? The woman or the man? Why do you think it bothers anyone if sex is messy anyway? The color red vs the clear/whitish color of plain discharge? Stains?

Hey guys,

A couple of people said in a thread that they feel like they've slightly torn their genitals when using the Diva. I think I may be experiencing that! I have felt localized pain for the last few days (period ended about a week ago) and today I checked it out with a mirror. I noticed a very thin red line, about 1 cm long, very near my vagina. It only hurts if I touch it, or if urine or hot water runs over it in the shower or something. 

Any advice on how to handle? I put a tiny dab of neosporin on it, hoping that would help it heal. It's not that painful, but i really want to have sex with my husband and I'm afraid it will cause irritation. Will this just go away on its own or should I call my doctor?

Thanks ladies!

xoxo

I was a tampon-only user prior to my finding out about cups.  I have been on the cup for almost a year now.  I had not had sex for the last two and a half years.  Last month, I started having sex again, and what I've noticed is it feels way better!  I'm wondering if tampons sort of take the "tread off the tires?"  The walls of my vagina never seemed to be sensitive to sexual intercourse.  Now they are very sensitive, and sex is just incredible.  The only thing that's changed is my cup use. 
Just wondering if anyone else noticed this when they switched to cups?

NOTICE:   This might ALL be TMI:

Last night, my husband and I managed to have penetrative sex with my large Ladycup in.  I came first, then tried to get my cup out so he could enjoy, but it was too slippery/too far up there to get it out in all the excitement.  He said he couldn't really feel it, but could tell that he couldn't go as far as usual.  I understand that the vagina lengthens with arousal, so there must have been at least  enough room for him to have a good time.  The stem is cut all the way off and usually the cup takes up pretty much the entire length of my vagina from cervix to opening.  Just FYI.

My hubby didn't even notice I had the cup in -- during sex, -- it was near the end of my period, maybe because I have it flipped so there are no ridges and no stem. But it got me to thinking..could I use the cup as birthcontrol if I were to fill it with spermicide. My cup sits right around my cervix. Anyway what are your thoughts about this. Perhaps the composition of spermicide would not be compatable with the cup.
thanks for your responses.

I've had my Diva for two months, never successfully inserted it, and I'm a virgin, but I've become a hundred times more aware of my body just learning more about my cup. The thing is, with this new knowledge of my own anatomy, my sex drive has increased an unbelievable amount. It's sort of frightening at times, actually (haha). Has anyone else experienced this, or am I the horniest person alive?

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?

I've posted on here before regarding my overall difficulty and dissatisfaction with my small Diva Cup, which I diligently used for 6 months before giving up. I am 24 and have a tilted cervix. It appeared that the Diva was getting pulled up past it, causing constant leaking. Nothing I did seemed to remedy the problem (and believe me, I tried everything). This community convinced me not to give up and just try a different cup :).

Today I received my LC in the mail, and although I'm not on my period (will post again once I've used it then), I had a few observations for comparison:

Insertion - holy CRAP this is easier with the Lady Cup, even though it's larger in diameter. It seems actually designed to go comfortably into my vagina. The LC becomes warm and bendy to the touch and slides in smoothly, whereas the Diva always felt like a hard, sticky, ridged dome of plastic regardless of temperature.

Popping open - some on here have found that it's harder to get the LC to pop than the Diva, but I found the opposite- and I tried several different folds, all of which worked immediately! Because (a) the air hole are distributed in a kind of zig zag and (b) the rim is stiff, moving the cup around just a little bit with my finger caused it to pop open within moments. I always had a hell of a time getting the Diva to pop, resorting to bizarre insertion positions combined with squatting, Kegels, drowning my sorrows in ice cream, etc. Even then, sometimes I just couldn't do it.

Suction - once I insert it, the LC has a death grip on wherever I put it in my vagina. This may be due to the larger diameter, but it seems to be more than that. I think I get way better suction with it than with the Diva, period. Sometimes just tapping on the Diva would make it lose its seal. I think this has to do with the fact that the cup is softer and shorter, which allows it to more easily maneuver into a position in my vagina in which it can open and suction. Because the Diva was so stiff, I couldn't get it into a good position.

Comfort - although the LC is softer than the Diva, I can definitely feel the difference in diameter, and so far, I'm not a fan. It feels uncomfortable, not just "present." Then again, I always felt the Diva too, which was super uncomfortable at times because it always made me feel like I have to pee. So the jury's still out on this one.

Removal - yep, the LC lives up to its reputation as being very difficult to remove because it is softer and therefore the seal is much harder to break. But on the plus side, it is worlds more comfortable to remove, again due to the soft material.

Based on my experiences so far, the LC might be a superior choice for women with tilted cervices and/or who experience consistent, unexplained leaking with a stiff cup like the Diva. Jury's still out until I have a leak-free day on my period, though!

The other observation: does anyone else get g-spot stimulation from wearing a cup? I walked around while wearing the LC for a while, and I nearly had an orgasm. Maybe it's because the cup sits lower in me than the Diva, but hahaha, I have to say, I wasn't ready for that surprise!

This is my first post, and I'm diving right in!  I'm assuming that arousal fluids come from the cervix (?).  Is that correct?  If yes, how does everything stay moist during sexual activity if you're using a cup?  Or maybe I'm wrong about where arousal fluid comes from.

Thanks in advance!

So I am a virgin who has recently discovered masturbation. I use a menstrual cup and was wondering what, if any, effects the cup will have on orgasming and masturbation in general? Any personal experiences, positive or negative?
Thanks

I realize this isn't a new topic and others have posted before; I simply wanted to report my personal experience.

( Read more...abt my experience )

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Is the Diva Wash worth buying? Or is it just a gimmick and a waste of money? I like the current body wash that I am using, so I would only be using it for my Diva Cup. I feel like washing with just water is enough, and it isn't really necessary to boil it for 'ultimate cleanliness', but I thought I'd try to get some opinions on it before I decide whether or not to get it. Or is there maybe something else good from iherb.com?


Also, I've only used the Diva Cup for 1 cycle, but my bf noticed a difference in how loose I was and I didn't even tell him anything about switching to a cup. Which is kind of amazing that he just mentioned it. I used to be really tight though, but I don't know how that affects anything. For the first couple days of wearing it, I felt it pushing on my bladder a little bit. Anyone else experience something like this? I didn't see anything in the FAQ.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I always have a lot of white discharge and sometimes I get a lot of clear discharge the day after I have sex. The problem is that this is making me very uncomfortable and I need to wear panty liners almost every day.
I've been wondering about using the cup for this purpose which would also help me see exactly how much of it actually comes out. Has anyone tried wearing it for discharge?
Any help is appreciated. :)

Hey gals!  I had an interesting experience the other day, and I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience

( Cut for goo )

x-posted to vaginapagina 

In xredefinex's recent post about Instead use & sex, lintilla brought up some concerns about whether or not condoms could safely be used while wearing an Instead. I checked both the Softcup website's FAQ & their Ask the Doctor page, but neither addressed the issue, so I took the opportunity to "ask their doctor". Below is both the exact wording of my question & the reply that I received earlier today:
Q: "Can I safely & reliably use a condom as contraceptive, while the INSTEAD® Softcup® in place?"
A: "Yes, you certainly can use Instead with a condom. Since the Cup has no sharp edges, it shouldn'’t increase risk of condom breakage. However, as you probably know, condoms do break or leak occasionally anyway.
If the vagina is excessively dry below the Cup, it would probably be prudent to use a lubricant to reduce potential friction. I'’m pleased to hear you are using a condom when having intercourse during menses. Some couples don’t realize the there is a risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, even during the menstrual period.
If you normally use a spermicidal insert (foam, cream, jelly, or film), I suggest you place it before inserting the Cup. If the insert goes in first and has a chance to dissolve and spread around, there shouldn'’t be any reason the Cup would decrease the effectiveness of the insert. However, if you use the contraceptive sponge, I would be concerned that the Cup would displace the sponge from the cervix (or vice versa). There really isn't enough room for both to be positioned properly.
Sincerely,
Barbara North, PhD, MD
Medical Director, INSTEAD"

I have to admit that I'm not entirely sure why DR North addressed other forms of contraceptives, but I suppose extra info is better than not enough. :)

For the two periods since I started hbc and having PIV sex, I've noticed that inserting my Divacup has become drastically more difficult. I started using a menstrual cup three years ago (!!!) and haven't had problems since the first few months. Now though, it hurts a lot and won't unfold easily.

I use the punchdown fold without lube and either insert it standing or in the shower with one leg up. Today I had to use a good dose of water-based lube to help things along. For the record, when I started having non-penetrative sex a year ago, I didn't notice any change in ease of insertion. Removal isn't nearly as problematic as insertion, but it might hurt a little more than it used to.

This is half a rant, but I'm also curious. Could the PIV and the NuvaRing be working my kegels to the point that they're actually making me functionally smaller? Could I be expecting penetration of any sort to feel a certain way and thus be tensing up? The Ring increased my discharge, but maybe it changed the consistency so it's really less of a lubricant. Could the Ring or sex be making me more sensitive?

Ideas? Has your method of insertion ever just stopped working?

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

as all of you probably know all too well by now, I'm on my first cycle with the pink cup. Last night, I was feeling a little frisky and noone was around so I "got down with my bad self" and had some fun before going to sleep. Now, with the cup still in, I am having external dryness and a bit of itching--what can I do to make this go away? is the cup supposed to dry you up externally? I just feel as though if I had some lube or moistness in my front part, I'd be all better, but I don't know what's safe to use there and I'm feeling annoyed.
Thanks guys!

Howdy folks!

So lately I've been trying to figure out a good way to avoid post sex leakage because hopping off and then rushing to the bathroom is sort of annoying. So I thought, "Oh! I'll use my menstrual cup! Badabing!" And its pretty much working great so far. But I did think about it and I'm curious... Would this increase my chances of pregnancy? Not that I'm worried, I have the Mirena. But once thats out in a few years... Could I potentially use this as a tool to help me get pregnant?

Thanks.

Last night I accidentally had sex with my cup in. I didn't realize much of a difference, other than that his penis had a hard time getting inside. We were drunk so I didn't think much of that.. but his penis was probably having trouble while it pushing the cup further inside me. I don't feel hurt, rubbed a little raw maybe, but I've felt worse after having rougher sex without the cup. My husband said he didn't feel any different before I told him I accidentally left the cup in, but afterward he freaked out and said the tip of his penis felt sore from being bumped up against the mostly clipped stem. I don't know how much he felt, it seemed like he was just freaking out, but either way I don't think there's any lasting damage.

Edit: It's a small Lady Cup. I understand it to be the smallest and most pliable of cups (bounces about a foot if I drop it!) so I imagine it would have turned inside out a little while he was inside me. I'm surprised I didn't notice because it usually sits so low inside me that the bottom of the bell sticks out a little... not so much to be uncomfortable, but not enough to have room for company. I wasn't flowing at the time so I couldn't tell you if it would be a good way to control the mess while having intercourse on your period. (I had finished my period a few days before but sometimes it comes comes back and surprises me a couple of days later, so I kept the cup in.)

Over the past few days, I've been having the most amazing orgasms during sex while using an Instead softcup.

So: I was wondering if the angle & position of them has done any wonderfully orgasmic work for anyone else (especially during sex!)

I have decided for various reasons to buy a cup. I'm expecting AF Wednesday or Thursday, but I won't be able to get a cup until Saturday when I go to Birmingham. I figured I would jump start everything by using the instead cup until then. I'm very excited, but I have a few questions. I have already tried a dry run for the instead, and although it was short, it was comfortable and actually easy to get out, but it felt like the cup part pulled up, so I would think it would spill a lot on taking it out. I also plan on using the Instead for sex, and I'm concerned about the cup shifting since my guy isn't exactly small. Has anyone had issues with either of these? I have never been heavy enough to need the towel, but I don't exactly like having to see blood all over us when we finish which would be the only reason I would use it.

I will be getting the Divacup next Saturday. I'm extremely excited and I want to be able to start with it straight away. Is there any quick way to clean it before use away from home? I want to know if I should get the large or the small size. I am younger than 30, no kids, but I do have a heavy flow sometimes, and as I've stated before, my guy isn't small so I don't know if that should factor in at all in choosing a size.

Thanks to anyone who helps me out. I'm so excited for this period to come so I can try it all out.