Have any of you ladies out there ever used a menstrual cup?

Someone metioned these in another thread when discussing reuasble sanitary wear give us a min and I’ll try to find the link. Not sure I could use them personally and from reading the reviews they seem a little tricky, possibly not worth the bother ?

http://www.cottontailbaby.com/category_15/Mama-Cloth-.htm
above is the link to the washable pantyliners, wich may be one way to go if the up doesn’t work out :)

@sakura I’ve been reading about them for two days now and they don’t seem tricky at all, and with all the money I could save not using tampons or pads, it seems like a miracle. You just have to find the right one for you, and figure out what folds go best. But on the site I posted there have been so many success stories especially with all the info that’s actually on the site.

I suppose you won’t know until you give them a try, it may be worth investing who knows they may be for you!! I think if Iwas to do anything it would be the washable but as I’ve stated in previous discussions I am not sure about the washing side of them!! Plus I like tampons, I feel secure with them in! Any who thats me good luck with the cup if you decide to go with them :)

Why did I get this in my question inbox?!?!

@boots have you got health as one of your fav topics??
and I’m taking from the response you are male :oP

mmm just checked your profile so I guess no health as area of expertise perhaps Fulther just thought you would have an iteresting perspecive on the use/misuse of a menstual cup :)

@boots LOL.

There’s just one word that comes to mind about these. ICK!

@jbfletcherfan Why ick? I think they’re fabulous.

@sakura My take on them would be about the same as @jbfletcherfan, “ICK!”

@chelseababyy before my hysterectomy, I went GALLONS. Believe me, this would have never worked. Even if I hadn’t had such a heavy flow, I wouldn’t have used them. I just have a problem with fishing around up there dealing with a cup of blood. OMG. Now if you think it’ll work for you, go for it. I’m merely voicing my opinion.

@boots can you imagine a night of of passion and having to fish one out?? :( I suppose a vampire would be ok his beverage straight into a drinking vessel saves him having to suck !!!

I have not used the Diva Cup, but I just bought some cotton reusable sanitary napkins. They are very soft and look incredibly comfortable. I am really looking forward to using them this month.

I don’t know what that is but it sounds bbbllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrfff.

@simone54 I suggest reading the link I posted before saying anything bad about it. I thought it was gross at first too. Obviously that has changed.

@sakura I highly doubt that that’s what vampires had in mind!

@jbfletcherfan just thought I’d have a giggle to lighten the mood!

There are some good points raised in the link but unfortunately I think I am too old school and not progressive enough for somthing so innotive just yet!

@chelseababyy here is the thread where this was brought up before.

thanks @SuperMouse I am going to have to learn how to do that!

They were kind of brought up here also .

I’ll stick to tampons

I use a Diva Cup!! I’ve had it for a year now, and I LOVE IT. Seriously, it’s amazing. It’s not nearly as difficult as you think it’s going to be to put in or take out (although of course it takes about a cycle to get used to it) and it’s so much more convenient. Not to mention cheaper! And better for the environment. It’s basically an all-around win.

A lot of people think they’re gross, but I find them to be a LOT less gross than pads or tampons. Pads are way too diapery… And there are so many terrible chemicals in tampons. Silicon couldn’t hurt your vag if you tried – so long as you empty and wash it often enough, of course, but that’s just common sense. I only have to empty it three times a day at my heaviest, and then twice a day later in my cycle so it’s incredibly convenient for busy days.

The only think you have to worry about is the soap you use to wash it – I use Dove for sensitive skin with no scent so there’s never irritation. And then between cycles you can put it in hydrogen peroxide solution or apple cider vinegar or boil it to clean it. I’ve done all three, they all work great.

Do you have any other questions? I’d be happy to answer them, and I definitely think you should get one! :)

@fireinthepriory you certainly seem to know your stuff. Altho the issue is moot for me now, I still don’t think I could have done it.

I know I made a question about this, for the Diva Cup. I got Instead cups, but haven’t had a chance to use them.

@casheroo I’d never heard of Instead cups – they look pretty cool. The only annoying thing for me would be that they’re not reusable – although for public restrooms that might actually be more convenient! :) I might want to invest in a stash for extended travel… And for sex, haha. I’m always really nervous to have sex with a girl when she has a tampon in (although not as nervous as I’d be if I were a guy! Talk about potential for accidentally hurting someone), and diva cups make it all but impossible.

I bought a Diva Cup, based on responses to a question in Fluther earlier this year. It works well for me, except for the first two days. I’m on blood thinners, and even a Diva Bucket wouldn’t help. From day 3 on, I love it! No leaks, no trying to carry supplies, no hassle.

@fireinthepriory I was looking into getting a Diva Cup but I’m set on getting a pink LadyCup (or Pinkcup). They’re a lot softer than the Diva cup, but I think a tad narrower. I’m gonna get the Small and Large combo pack although I’m pretty positive I’m a small. I never really liked the instead cups.. since they go in long ways, if you know what I’m talking about. I want something that I don’t have to keep spending money on, and something that is convenient. I’m also very excited there is someone else here who likes them as much as I do. :D

How did you find out about them?

Lots of people seem to think they’re hard to use, but if you know where your cervix is, and can find the right fold.. It seems pretty darn easy and way better than having to switch out tampons ever few hours.

I don’t think they’re any grosser than tampons. I think they would probably work better than a tampon for some women. Not to be TMI and completely gross (just stop reading if you’re sqeamish, really) but my blood is not like, bright red and liquidy, it’s very clumpy and blot-clot looking, so tampons don’t work for me at all. The icky jelly stuff just slides right over them and into my underwear, completely defeating the purpose of wearing a tampon. It seems like these would avoid that issue.

@La_chica_gomela Maybe you don’t have the right size tampons? Mine attract all the gloops and glops

@La_chica_gomela Mine don’t either. Even when I use supers. I’m excited about the cup though. :]

@Facade: I don’t know. After a few tries, I wasn’t really that excited about testing more of them. I usually used the small ones, I can only remember trying super once, and it never felt comfortable. I could feel this big wad of cotton stuck in my cooch the whole time I was wearing it…not very pleasant.

@chelseababyy Yeah, it’s cool that there are so many different brands to choose from. Not every cooch is the same! :) I kind of like the “firmness” of the diva, mainly because my biggest fear is the cup not unfolding. I’ve had that happen once or twice, but haven’t since I started folding it differently (I used to do one of those crazy folds that makes it really tiny, now I just do the C fold. It was daunting at first but it’s not as big as you think it is – and it always unfolds!) Oh, one last piece of advice – if you don’t catch your period RIGHT when it starts, use a pantiliner with the cup – there will be some blood already below the cup and you’ll get a little bloody smear in your undies.

I’m excited that you love them too! So many people get really squicked about it that I don’t even tell too many people I use one. Hell, I never told the girl I dated all of last semester! :)

I found out about them through a friend who found them online and said she wanted one. I ended up getting one before her, and when I mentioned it a month or two ago she was really jealous that I’d gotten a years’ practice on her and immediately ordered one. :)

(@La_chica_gomela yeah, I think that these would definitely work for you – and I definitely share your dislike for how tampons feel! Yuck.)

@Divalicious GA for “Diva Bucket,” made me lol4rl.

@Divalicious See, that’s what I’m excited about. Not having to worry about whether I forgot to put tampons in my purse. Not having to worry about buying them so on and so forth.

@chelseababyy I can’t carry a purse at work, and tampons get mangled in my pants’ pockets. Empty, rinse, re-insert. Easy!

I would be terrified I’d move the wrong way and be covered in blood. That would collect enough to make a ginormous mess. Yikes. I’ll stick with tampons.

@Clair It doesn’t work quite like that – it’s very soft, and has little holes it in so it suctions to your insides (not in a painful way, you can’t feel it, but it’s liquid-tight). The only way it will leak is if you bleed so much that it overflows, which means you should have emptied it sooner. :)

@fireinthepriory That is crazy. I’ve never heard of anything like that.

@Clair Yeah, I hadn’t either until one of my friends told me about them. If you read the FAQ at the Diva Cup web site it’ll answer a lot of questions most people have, like whether it leaks/smells (no to both, btw!). Menstrual cups are uncommon in the US, but in Europe a lot more people use them and there are many different brands of them. I like it because I barely know I’m on my period when I use it, and tampons scare the shite out of me. :D

@Clair I’ve been reading all about them, and leaking is not very common. There are many different kinds of cups, with many lengths, firmness and capacity. So you can choose the one that fits you. I just ordered mine on Wednesday from the offically LadyCup ebay store. Got it for 25 bucks.. Should be here next week!

theyre great. you have to put them in exactly right or they’ll leak.

Great question. I will certainly look into them. Have you not tried natural sponges? I am finding them a bit difficult to find though. I just think tampons are so expensive, complete rip off. I would never wear a pad whatsit thingy, it just seems disgusting to me.