How were you introduced to menstrual cups?

I discovered that these exist right before my wedding last year. I knew I’d be at the tail-end of my cycle when our honeymoon started and, since I don’t do bloody sex, I was looking for an alternative.

I never ended up buying one because the thought of a cup of blood sitting inside me kind of grossed me out. My cycle ended on day 2 of the honeymoon, so all was well.

I can’t imagine posting anything period-related on Facebook.

Well, it’s not so obvious as that. It’s a link to their page for a free giveaway. Plus I’m in the medical field and many of my friends are too. this topic fits right in to many of the the TMI topics others post. Lol.

I heard about them in the early 90s. Maybe they have changed a lot. People said they were great—until you had a bad experience. This one woman talked about how she had to pull it out in a public restroom because it was tilted and leaking slightly. It gushed out blood all over her fingers and the toilet seat. It fell in the toilet and she had to fish it out. Then she had to wash it out in the public sink (and if anyone walked in they would have seen the carnage) and then she had to go back in the stall to insert it.

Sounded awful. I have no idea how often things like that would happen but it made me not want to use it.

@ keobooks How did you hear about it though? Friends? Doctor? Seeing it in a store?
I have been looking around on the Internet and most hear from a friend or happen to come across it on YouTube looking at other topics.

I read it in SF Weekly or Bay Area Times. Can’t remember.

Grrr. SF GUARDIAN not Bay Area Reporter…

Perhaps TMI, but I use one. I have a small Lunette.
I first heard about them from my sister. She bought the first one she found, but I did more research (hence, why I have a cup from Finland).

I researched too, I stayed up most of the night and decided on Lunette as well.
I have looked at Whole Foods and another local natural market after I order online and both had the Diva cup only. From my research Diva cups are the most available on the shelf.

I learned about them in this question!!

What a lifesaver!

@cupcake Do you continue to use the Diva?
Fluther really is a wealth of information!

I lost it. How bizarre is that? I can’t possibly imagine what happened.

Anyway, I bought a moon cup and I like it even more.

But now I’m pregnant… so no bleeding for me! :)

I also have fabric pads/pantyliners that use as a backup. I love those too.

The biggest negative I have is walking to the sink in a public bathroom after emptying the cup with red-tinged fingers… but that doesn’t really bother me much.

I just ordered the free curiosity panty liner from Party in My Pants. It will be my first cloth pad.
I have extremely sensitive skin and even the softest disposable pads cause issues. Looking forward to trying it.
Although I have not had any leaking with my Lunette cup yet, I still use a liner for that just in case leak a few cup users have experienced.

Never heard of it but sounds too messy for me. But I hate tampons, too. I need the clean feeling of fresh napkins.

@KNOWITALL I found it to be far cleaner (and dryer) than pads, once I got the hang of emptying and cleaning it.

But I get your point. Not every woman wants to reach inside to pull out a bloody cup.

The nerd inside of me loves the ml indicator lines on the side of the cup… so that I can calculate daily flow totals, rates, etc. Different strokes for different folks, eh? :)

I heard about it from my roommate when I was 19. She was about to have dream sex with the guy she had been obsessing over for years.

The guy and I were friends, and I didn’t have boundaries. I asked. He said it felt like he was hitting a wall.

Never really considered it after that

I have never heard of them but, then again, I am not into Death Metal music.

I heard about it from Fluther. I agree with @KNOWITALL, I’ll stick with my napkins.

What are the negatives? toxic shock etc…? I’ve never had a uti or anything so that would concern me.

@KNOWITALL Menstrual cups have not been associated with TSS at all.

If you keep yourself clean and wash the cup with a pH balanced cleanser the cup manufacturer recommends, cups are very hygienic.
Cons are if you are uncomfortable about pulling out a blood filled cup as mentioned above, if you don’t get the cup seated correctly you could have leaks (just wear a soft minky cloth panty liner with it! or disposable one), some people have experienced trouble with urination (slow stream, unable to pee) with the cup in but resolves with a smaller and softer cup, with a different position of the cup or ultimately removing the cup with peeing. I did see one account of a girl having the stiffer Diva cup stem hooking into her hymen and when she began forcing out the cup against unusual resistance she began bleeding at her vaginal opening. The Lunette cup stem is very soft and flexible (only cup I have tried mind you, but did a lot of research and felt it was the best one for me).