Menstural cups?

ztoical

Hi all,

I posted this question in the PI forum recently as I wasn't sure were else to post it and didn't know there was a womens forum. I hope its ok to ask this here.

I've been debating for ages about switching from tampons to either using a menstural cup or Cloth Menstrual Pads as they are both better for the enviroment and was wondering if anyone on the fourm has an experience with either?

KTRIC

I'm sure the ladies won't mind. Coming from a man's point of view, I just read the articals and I had no idea that such things existed. The cup idea looks great, why don't more women use it ?

ztoical

KTRIC wrote: »

I'm sure the ladies won't mind. Coming from a man's point of view, I just read the articals and I had no idea that such things existed. The cup idea looks great, why don't more women use it ?

Mainly I think because they were hard to come by but Boots has started selling them. The other issue with them is that some women have difficulty using them which is actually the main reason I wanted to post and see if anyone had used one. It took a while to get use to tampons and the cups look alot tricker.

I am leaning more towards the cloth pads, mainly cus you can buy them off esty pretty easily and they come in loads of different fabrics and cotton is meant to be very nice against your delicate bits but again I would like to ask if anyone has used them and found any issues with them [do they absorb as much? Do they wash ok? etc etc]

Crumble Froo

if you use cups, you can put the reduce, reuse, recycle thing to an extra use, and use the blood for painting!

>Snipped<

ztoical

narco wrote: »

if you use cups, you can put the reduce, reuse, recycle thing to an extra use, and use the blood for painting!

my first year painting teacher used her own pee to paint with so I've had my fill of artistic expression using bodily fluids. And if your going to use blood think big [8 pints of blood]

kizzyr

They are called Mooncups as far as I know. Here is the link to a thread discussing it on another forum. Enjoy!!

http://project.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=280607&highlight=Mooncups

http://project.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=287383&highlight=Mooncups

WindSock

I was looking into these myself. They seem like a very good idea. Has anyone ever used them? what are the cons?

Nevyn

I know someone who has one and swears by it.

Cons:
You have to get used to inserting it properly so that it is sitting right.
Some womens may be just too tight for it.
You have to get used to removing it with out spilling.
You have to care and clean it properly

Pros:
No more dealitng with tampons or pads
more cost effective
Can be left in for a lot longer then a tampon
It warms to your body temp and is made of soft silicon so you forget it is there.
once you learn to insert and remove it properly you dont' have worry about needing
period pants or ruining your underwear.

http://www.mooncup.co.uk/menstrual_cup_faq.htm

Lux23

I could see it spilling very easily and I just don't like the idea of it.

ztoical

Lux23 wrote: »

I could see it spilling very easily and I just don't like the idea of it.

What about the Cloth Menstrual Pads?

Quality

I dont find either of those very appealing at all.

The idea of having a cup of blood sloshing around inside me...UGGGHHHH!!!

and as for menstrual cloths. No thank you. I will stick to the aul tampax..

Beruthiel

Thaedydal wrote: »

You have to get used to inserting it properly so that it is sitting right.

After some practice, this is very easy, especially if inserted warm after washing it in hot water.

You have to get used to removing it with out spilling.

Also very easy, especially if done over the toilet.

You have to care and clean it properly

Soapy water while in use, boil in water for 5 mins after period. Easy peazy.

It can be left in all day so you never have to think about it.
No more worries about Toxic Shock Syndrome. Much cheaper in the long run.

Quality wrote:

The idea of having a cup of blood sloshing around inside me

It was in there already, I'm not seeing the difference.

Jules

Been reading about these a few weeks ago, other pros include not connected with TSS, also if you have your periods well timed you can insert them before so as to not be caught unawares. And i do like the long term cost affectiveness of them. Only thing i am put off by is the inserting. But i guess a lot of women were like that when tampons first came out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cup

Quality

So if you are using a public toilet how are you supposed to use the cup?
I dont think people would be too impressed you washing your cup out in the sink beside them??

cuckoo

I've been using the mooncup for nearly a year now and am v happy with it.

It did take a little while to get used to, it sits a little 'lower' than a tampon, but once in place a don't feel it at all. The liquid doesn't 'sloosh' lol, it sort of sits there, as it's not really a thin liquid, kwim?

The major positives for me are:

-less waste going to landfill
-no more once a month 'wtf didn't i buy tampons last week' annoyance
-unlike a tampon it doesn't dry out everything down there, it just catches liquid rather than sucking it in.
-paid for itself many times over already!

Feel free to ask away any questions.

(can't believe my debut post on the ladies lounge it this....:D)

Lux23

ztoical wrote: »

What about the Cloth Menstrual Pads?

Thats would be like terry cloth nappies. Im sorry but i just couldn't reuse stuff like that, im not Elizabeth I.

Beruthiel

Quality wrote: »

So if you are using a public toilet how are you supposed to use the cup?
I dont think people would be too impressed you washing your cup out in the sink beside them??

Why would you need to?
As I said above you can leave it in all day.

Maple

ztoical wrote: »

What about the Cloth Menstrual Pads?

No way. I couldn't. i hate using ordinary towels, like wearing a nappy.

xzanti

Quality wrote: »

I dont find either of those very appealing at all.

The idea of having a cup of blood sloshing around inside me...UGGGHHHH!!!

and as for menstrual cloths. No thank you. I will stick to the aul tampax..

2nded... Don't fancy it at all, I'd feel a lot more comfortable with a tampon..

Pigletlover

maple wrote: »

No way. I couldn't. i hate using ordinary towels, like wearing a nappy.

LOL, me too. I don't think I'll be trying the Mooncup anytime soon either. It seems like a good idea but I'd be nervous of trying it out, knowing me I'd put it in wrong and leak everywhere

ztoical

Quality wrote: »

I dont find either of those very appealing at all.

The idea of having a cup of blood sloshing around inside me...UGGGHHHH!!!

and as for menstrual cloths. No thank you. I will stick to the aul tampax..

Interesting to hear the different comments. Have to say I didn't like the idea of a tampon when it was first explained to me - shoving what looked like a really fat pipe cleaner in you but got over that. The idea of the cup collecting menstrual blood doesn't sound bad at all I mean come ladies were not boys we know you don't just start gushing blood once month.

When they brought baby formula in people thought it was all the rage and you were icky for breast feeding and now we trying to get people back to breast feeding. Using cloth menstrual pads sounds like going back to basics to me.

ztoical

cuckoo wrote: »

I've been using the mooncup for nearly a year now and am v happy with it.

It did take a little while to get used to, it sits a little 'lower' than a tampon, but once in place a don't feel it at all. The liquid doesn't 'sloosh' lol, it sort of sits there, as it's not really a thin liquid, kwim?

The major positives for me are:

-less waste going to landfill
-no more once a month 'wtf didn't i buy tampons last week' annoyance
-unlike a tampon it doesn't dry out everything down there, it just catches liquid rather than sucking it in.
-paid for itself many times over already!

Feel free to ask away any questions.

(can't believe my debut post on the ladies lounge it this....:D)

Cheers for sharing cuckoo -can I ask where do you get yours? was it boots, someone told me they are stocking them now?

Nightwish

Wouldnt be into it myself. I dont really like the "back to basics" idea. If I were to get knocked up I wouldnt breastfeed. I dont like the idea of a reusable cup. I just prefer to get rid of anything that has been used for the purpose of blood absorption. I dont think it would suit me anyway as I cannot use tampons due the suffering I endure monthly.

Peared

Cons: Ick

That is all.

echosound

Nightwish wrote: »

I dont think it would suit me anyway as I cannot use tampons due the suffering I endure monthly.

snap, cannot use tampons so defo not going to contemplate a rubber cup.

Just wondering, how can you leave it in all day, would you not *have* to empty it once or twice during the day if you have very heavy periods? Is there absolutely no chance of leakage? (another reason I don't use tampons).

The first thing I thought of when I first heard about mooncups a few years back was "urgh, so in a public toilet you waddle out of the cubicle with your keks round your knees, tip out the blood in the sink, wash it out, smile at the other women recoiling from you, and waddle back in to re-insert it" - shudder.

jellie

ztoical wrote: »

I mean come ladies were not boys we know you don't just start gushing blood once month.

LOL, its funny cause its true, my bf seemed to think that when i get my period theres suddenly gonna be a huge gushing of blood.

personally i dont think i could try the cup. even the thought of it just makes me shudder. ugh.

Quality

ztoical wrote: »

When they brought baby formula in people thought it was all the rage and you were icky for breast feeding quote]

I dont think you can compare breast feeding to inserting a cup into you to collect your menstrual flow or using pads.

WindSock

echosound wrote: »

"urgh, so in a public toilet you waddle out of the cubicle with your keks round your knees, tip out the blood in the sink, wash it out, smile at the other women recoiling from you, and waddle back in to re-insert it" - shudder.

It was stated previously that it will do you for a whole day, but if it doesn't, surely you would just tip it into the toilet and not the sink?

ztoical

Quality wrote: »

ztoical wrote: »

When they brought baby formula in people thought it was all the rage and you were icky for breast feeding quote]

I dont think you can compare breast feeding to inserting a cup into you to collect your menstrual flow or using pads.

why not? they are both natural bodily functions.

Breast feeding has taken an awful bad rap in the past few years to the point were laws had to be changed so women wouldn't be chucked out of shops/cafes/etc for breast feeding their children. I know alot of people both men and women who go ewwww thats disgusting when you mention both breast feeding and breast feeding in public.

I'm not going pyshco femnaiz, I don't think you should be drinking or drawing or dancing around with menstural blood but at the end of the day it is only blood. I can understand the people who don't use tampons being a little icky about the cups but I can't see the difference really between the cup and a cotton plug covered in chemicals, including pesticides used on the cotton and chlorine used to bleach them.

Quality

Yes they are natural bodily functions

Lactating is natural
Menstruating is natural

Breast feeding is the most natural thing in the world from my experience.

However inserting a cup in the vagina is not the most natural thing in the world....

I suppose if it was recommended by a friend I may consider it. But I dont think I will be a pioneering woman for Mooncups...

ztoical

Quality wrote: »

Yes they are natural bodily functions

Lactating is natural
Menstruating is natural

Breast feeding is the most natural thing in the world from my experience.

However inserting a cup in the vagina is not the most natural thing in the world....

I suppose if it was recommended by a friend I may consider it. But I dont think I will be a pioneering woman for Mooncups...

attaching a breast pump isn't very natural either [or comfortable]

I'm going to give both a try, the cup and cloth pads - shall see how I get on

Quality

ztoical wrote: »

attaching a breast pump isn't very natural either [or comfortable]

lol agreed..:D

cuckoo

echosound wrote: »

The first thing I thought of when I first heard about mooncups a few years back was "urgh, so in a public toilet you waddle out of the cubicle with your keks round your knees, tip out the blood in the sink, wash it out, smile at the other women recoiling from you, and waddle back in to re-insert it" - shudder.

If it needs to be emptied in a public toilet I don't have to leave the cubicle, i just tip the (surprisingly small) amount of liquid out, give it a quick wipe with loo paper and pop it back in again.

It's not like using a tampon, sometimes on heavier days removing one was like opening a dam for me. And, there's no string - happy happy!

But, it's also not like using tampons as it took me a while to get used to the cup - the first time i was really struggling with getting it in and out and was so annoyed at it that i had a glass of whiskey to relax - and then was able to figure it out. So, perhaps the cup is not an option for impatient pioneer pledges.

Beruthiel

ztoical wrote: »

including pesticides used on the cotton and chlorine used to bleach them.

That is something most women don't even think about when using ST's. The amount of chemicals they are introducing unnecessarily into their bodies.

ztoical - you can buy the Mooncup in Boots.

Seraphina

i actually can't believe the amount of childish 'eewww thats gross' comments. its your own effing blood! you think emptying and washing a little cup is more disgusting that the millions of bloody soaked tampons and towels that end up in landfill every year? far more hygienic IMO.

for someone who doesn't have a heavy flow, i find tampons very dry and uncomfortable at times, im definitely going to give these a go! never even knew they existed!!!

Beruthiel

Seraphina wrote: »

i im definitely going to give these a go! never even knew they existed!!!

I know! I didn't find out about them till last year and they've been around since the dawn of time. I reckon it's all a big conspiracy, the ST industry would go out of business if we all started using them.

If you've any problems getting started on it, gimme a shout.

carolmon

so what's the story re exercise and mooncups?

can we still rollerskate, skydive, horseride etc etc.............
(we've all seen the ads)

no really it's a serous question cos I swim regularly, are mooncaps suitable for swim/ gym??

I think they're a good idea, anything that cuts down on landfill is worth a think.

I have no squeamishness about them but would be concerned about leakage during exercise...... any people tried them when swimming?
carol

ztoical

carolmon wrote: »

so what's the story re exercise and mooncups?

can we still rollerskate, skydive, horseride etc etc.............
(we've all seen the ads)

no really it's a serous question cos I swim regularly, are mooncaps suitable for swim/ gym??

I think they're a good idea, anything that cuts down on landfill is worth a think.

I have no squeamishness about them but would be concerned about leakage during exercise...... any people tried them when swimming?
carol

Hey Carolmon I swim 6 times a week so finding out if I can wear the cup for that was important. Wikipedia has the following to say:

Can be worn during sports such as swimming. Tampons can also be worn swimming, though they may wick water, become saturated, and then drip dilute bloody water. Menstrual cups are therefore more reliable menstrual protection for public swimming activities.

Hopfully one of the ladies who has tired the cups has been swimming and can either confirm or deny said statement.

cuckoo

ztoical wrote: »

Hey Carolmon I swim 6 times a week so finding out if I can wear the cup for that was important. Wikipedia has the following to say:

Can be worn during sports such as swimming. Tampons can also be worn swimming, though they may wick water, become saturated, and then drip dilute bloody water. Menstrual cups are therefore more reliable menstrual protection for public swimming activities.

Hopfully one of the ladies who has tired the cups has been swimming and can either confirm or deny said statement.

+1 on that. The 'wicking factor' mentioned in the wiki with tampons is so not an issue with the cup.

The rim forms a seal with the walls of the vagina, and as the silicon is very flexible it moves with the body, so you could contort yourself into any and all positions. The only contra indication i've ever read about it would be extended time upside down (and i mean ages...) as there might be an issue of backflow (similar to in yoga when they say in classes to not do the upside down head pose thingy).

When the cup is to be removed you give it a little squeeze at the base to break the seal, there is a definite sensation, like opening one of those air tight jars with rubber seals on them. Not that the cup is air tight, there's a few little holes under the rim. So, it's not stuck in there like those sucky things to stick to bathroom tiles!

I'm a lot more comfortable using the cup swimming than i ever was with tampons.

At the moment not every Boots seems to be stocking them - i got mine in the Boots in Stephens Green. They can also be ordered online from lots of places as well.

Crumble Froo

Beruthiel wrote: »

That is something most women don't even think about when using ST's. The amount of chemicals they are introducing unnecessarily into their bodies.

ztoical - you can buy the Mooncup in Boots.

AH! :eek:

right,t hat's official... im looking into this mooncup business. bah, dont think there's a boots over here.

cuckoo

Came across a site with exhaustive amounts of info (v well tagged posts) about using menstrual cups and all the different brands of them that are available:

http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups/

(note: the mooncup uk is the brand that Boots are selling over here)

Knee-Vee

Oh, cool! I didn't know Boots had started stocking Mooncups! I've never used them, but if they're in any way comfortable I'd switch without a second thought.

I don't understand the ewww responses to menstrual cups. It seems a much cleaner way of dealing with menses than tampons and pads. I'm not a huge fan of either pads or tampons so I'd prefer any alternative. tampons are too drying and pads just make me self-conscious.

SW81

oh not so sure i like the sound of them. even the name is a bit off putting?

mudz

hi there, I bought some washable menstrual cloths about 2 years ago, at first used them a lot but now they have become an emergency backup. I found that they were quite bulky and then had to organise a kind of nappy bucket to store them in untill i had a wash going on. Then if I was out and about for the day, where to put the soiled one? Not really in my handbag!!! They were fine on days that I was at home in baggy trousers, so I went back to Natura pads, at least they biodegrade and dont have that plasticy layer. the cup sounds interesting though. Hope that is of help.

jam_mac_jam

I just dont see how this can work if you are not at home. How are you going to clean it? in a sink? jesus no thanks, not the same sink I wash my hands in. Oh and I know its natural but I dont wash my arse in the sink either and everything that comes out of there is natural. Call me a prude I dont like the idea of washing it out in public, that's the disgusting part. Each to their own though.

ztoical

had a go with the menstural cups this month - going to wait a couple of months before really committing one way or the other but so far pretty happy. My big hang up of inserting and removing proved to not be any more difficult then when I first tired using tampons. I go to the gym everyday and found I couldn't feel the cup at all - running on the treadmill, yoga class, swimming, no issues with any of them.

Gauge

Any Cork people know if the mooncup can be found in the Boots in the city centre? I looked in the one in Mahon but couldn't find it- dying to give this a try, I always seem to get caught out every month forgetting to buy tampons!

IvyTheTerrible

Crumble Froo wrote: »

AH! :eek:

right,t hat's official... im looking into this mooncup business. bah, dont think there's a boots over here.

I don't know where you are but check out the Lunapads website...I got my divacup there. The good exchange rate wipes out the delivery charge.

I'm still getting used to it but it is much more cost effective and environmentally friendly that disposables. Also I would say it's more discrete than cloth pads - you have to change the cloth pads more regularly and keep them somewhere til you get home. Also you have to soak your pads...it can be difficult to find somewhere discrete to do that if you are in a houseshare.

Niamho!

Ah! is it just me thats Grossed out by this? (Sorry)
i dont really know why....i can only half read this thread without Clenching my ass in disgust.... Each to their own and all but theres just something not right about putting a little Cuppy thing in your Body...?
maybe i'm the Weirdo...hehe
And the thoguht of Putting Washable ones in the machine!? Knacker.... Sorry. i prob sound like a real bitch and i dont mean to but the two options would not even enter my mind.

ztoical

Niamho! wrote: »

Ah! is it just me thats Grossed out by this? (Sorry)
i dont really know why....i can only half read this thread without Clenching my ass in disgust.... Each to their own and all but theres just something not right about putting a little Cuppy thing in your Body...?
maybe i'm the Weirdo...hehe

Do you use tampons? I found the idea of them awful when they were first explained to me. Have to say I didn't find the cup much different from the tampons with regards to inserting and removing.

cuckoo

Niamho! wrote: »

Ah! is it just me thats Grossed out by this? (Sorry)
i dont really know why....i can only half read this thread without Clenching my ass in disgust.... Each to their own and all but theres just something not right about putting a little Cuppy thing in your Body...?
maybe i'm the Weirdo...hehe

I look at it this way - i can wash the cup with antibac soap and stick it into a saucepan of boiling water for 10 mins. I don't think a sexual partner would be that happy if i suggested the same treatment for anything else that would be going 'there'.