Mooncups

kylith · 27-08-2019 10:39am #1

I have to say, I hate the word 'mooncup', it just seems so... hippy. Like referring to your period as your 'moontime'. However, what I do not hate is the thing itself. Bloody (ha) great things. I'm on my 3rd period after having the baby and they are much heavier than they were beforehand and it generally holds up brilliantly, other than not popping out after insertion once. No smell, no wetness, no discomfort; in fact I have genuinely forgotten that I've had it in once or twice.

All that said, I sometimes forget to get sorted before emptying it and wind up looking like I've ripped someone's heart out with my bare hands, which I'm not so keen on.

I've got some leftover tampons that I'm thinking of leaving in pubs for them as might need one, cos I can't see myself ever using them again.

Any other converts?

Flibble · 27-08-2019 10:48am

YES! I love them!

My boyfriend is sickened everytime I come at him gyrating my hips and exclaiming "feels like I'm wearing nothing at all" *

They're a bit of a pain in the ass in public toilets because, as you said, things can get a bit messy (especially on heavier days), but I try to keep a bottle of water in my bag so I can rinse off the worst of it before getting to a sink. That's a rare worry for me though as I'm almost never in a situation where I might get caught out like that.

I just love everything about them. I still keep some pads on standby for months where I'm trickling off and don't want to be inserting it towards the end.

* Ned Flanders

pwurple · 27-08-2019 11:13am

Tried one, because I certainly like reducing waste, but the practicalities didn't work out for me, I couldn't get the hang of it. The vast majority of my day is on work sites using cubicles or public toilets. It's too messy unless there is a sink right there to wash my hands before I touch anything else. I can't get my clothes back on without staining, or making the cubicle look like I've murdered someone.

rainbow kirby · 27-08-2019 11:59am

I loved mine... until my IUD fell out into it! I haven't risked using a cup again since I had the IUD replaced.

Martina1991 · 27-08-2019 12:47pm

I've been considering it for a while. Is it tricky to get the hang of?

Are there different sizes? How would you know what size to get?

rainbow kirby · 27-08-2019 1:42pm

Martina1991 wrote: »

Are there different sizes? How would you know what size to get?

The Mooncup specifically has two sizes, the bigger one is recommended if you are over 30 and/or have given birth. Other brands may differ.

fits · 27-08-2019 2:29pm

I’ve been using one for 11 years now. I’ve save a lot of money in that time. Agree that it’s tricky to get the hang of at the start but I find it a better alternative to tampons etc now even when out and about. I’d have no hesitation in depending on one in almost any situation. Pad for back up if a very heavy day. The brand I use at the moment is organicup.

kylith · 27-08-2019 4:17pm

Martina1991 wrote: »

I've been considering it for a while. Is it tricky to get the hang of?

Are there different sizes? How would you know what size to get?

If you're reasonably comfortable with yourself it's not hard to get the hang of; you have to fold it and then shove it right up. Then to get it out you have to get one finger right up to release the suction at the top.

https://putacupinit.com/ has a quiz to give you an idea of which would suit you.

Dial Hard · 28-08-2019 6:30pm

Stupid question; is the public toilet thing only an issue if you need to empty it, or does it, like, unsuck every time you pee from the squatting action or something?

coffee_cake · 28-08-2019 6:41pm

Dial Hard wrote: »

Stupid question; is the public toilet thing only an issue if you need to empty it, or does it, like, unsuck every time you pee from the squatting action or something?

the former. which is less often than you'd think

also they are the best thing ever

Faith · 28-08-2019 7:50pm

How do you know if you need to empty it? Is it just trial and error until you learn a pattern?

sullivlo · 28-08-2019 9:19pm

I don't know how others did it but for me it was just trial and error. If you want to be scientific about it, you can estimate your flow in ml/hour based on how often you'd need to change a pad/tampon or the absorbency of the pad/tampon you use. It has a volume of (I think) about 13ml (it has lines on the side of it so you can see for yourself how much gunk you're losing) so if you estimate 1ml/hour of period, you'd get a full day out of it.

IIRC you can safely have the mooncup inserted for 12 hours, but I don't think I've left it that long.

The public toilet thing is frustrating because you do need to wash it before putting it back in. There are little holes to help it get suction and they can become blocked with menstrual fluid which needs to be cleaned out. Not exactly something you can do in public :pac: but many public toilets have loos with cubicles in them, or use a bottle of water in the cubicle yourself.

Haven't had to use it in 2 years. Got a mirena and my period is virtually non-existent. Plus I'm a bit squeamish about the thoughts of it pulling the mirena out :pac: (thanks rainbow_kirby :P ) but it was genuinely one of the best period purchases I ever made.

It makes exercising so easy. I swim and cycle and hate tampons so the mooncup revolutionised my period exercise schedule. The only issue I ever had with it was on a cycle - I was about 90km into a 120km cycle and I don't know what happened but it kinda moved inside me and the stem started to stab my vagina walls. It wasn't sore, just uncomfortable, and it only happened when I was going uphill :P

CheerLouth · 30-08-2019 3:20pm

rainbow kirby wrote: »

I loved mine... until my IUD fell out into it! I haven't risked using a cup again since I had the IUD replaced.

This also happened to me

I found the mooncup didn't suit me so I moved to a Luna cup - it's brilliant and they have a lot more sizes and choice than the mooncup.

fits · 30-08-2019 4:37pm

sullivlo wrote: »

I don't know how others did it but for me it was just trial and error. If you want to be scientific about it, you can estimate your flow in ml/hour based on how often you'd need to change a pad/tampon or the absorbency of the pad/tampon you use. It has a volume of (I think) about 13ml (it has lines on the side of it so you can see for yourself how much gunk you're losing) so if you estimate 1ml/hour of period, you'd get a full day out of it.

IIRC you can safely have the mooncup inserted for 12 hours, but I don't think I've left it that long.

The public toilet thing is frustrating because you do need to wash it before putting it back in. There are little holes to help it get suction and they can become blocked with menstrual fluid which needs to be cleaned out. Not exactly something you can do in public :pac: but many public toilets have loos with cubicles in them, or use a bottle of water in the cubicle yourself.

If I had to, I just tipped out and put back in without washing with no problems. I dont think those holes have to be cleaned out. Although I would seek out a toilet with a sink where I could. But no biggy if none available.

Also... I once forgot it was in for quite a while 24 hours maybe?

Its so comfortable you can actually forget.

Stepping Stone · 03-09-2019 9:49am

I really wanted to reduce waste, so I tried one. Tried for six months in fact. It was a disaster for me. It never seemed to settle properly. It constantly migrated upwards, so leaked all the time. I actually generated more waste with it. I have heavy periods, so it filled really quickly and there was so much mess. I work in an office with cubicles so it wasn’t practical. I found it genuinely to be a messy, uncomfortable nuisance. I have read claims that it somehow reduces period pains but that’s completely untrue. I went back to tampons and haven’t looked back. No leaks, no mess, no worries. It’s probably my odd body shape, but there’s massive hype around them for absolutely no reason.

LirW · 04-09-2019 4:16pm

I use cups for years now and I absolutely love it. I have crazy debilitating periods but the cup made it more bearable. It works miles better than tampons and pads for me, pads fill too quickly and tampons give me bad cramps. While I have to change mine every 2-3 hours on my strong days because at some point it won't hold up anymore and leak a bit (always need a thin pantyliner with it) it's better than any alternative out there for me.

Once you get the hang of putting it in, it's great. I recently talked to a young lady gyne doctor in the hospital about it because I had one in at the time and she said she has no experience with them or how they work. That struck me as a bit odd.

woodchuck · 05-09-2019 11:11am

I always hated pads and tampons. Pads just feel uncomfortable to me, like a nappy. I think I have a relatively low flow, so I'd always end up pulling out half dry tampons - hate that sensation. Despite the tampons being half dry, they'd still somehow manage to leak (like the blood was going around the side of them!).

I've been using a mooncup for ~5-6 years and I love it. I can use it whether I'm on a high or low flow day, no worry about it being too "dry" like tampons or leaking. I can also leave it in all day without it getting full or any other issues.

The only minor issues I have:
- It makes bowel movements more difficult. Sorry if TMI, but it's true for me. Ideally I remove it if I need to do a number 2 (luckily I have suitable facilities in work to rinse it before reinserting).
- If I'm away somewhere where the tap water is of questionable quality (the type of places where you're advised not to brush your teeth with the tap water), I always make sure to have an extra bottle of water to rinse it.
- I assume it wouldn't be good for camping or any other situation where you don't have access to clean running water. I was in this type of situation recently, but luckily I wasn't on my period. I would have had to resort to pads/tampons then though.

Idle Passerby · 05-09-2019 11:45am

I really really want to love my menstrual cup but it's been a few years on and off of trying different brands, sizes and styles and I still can't say I've mastered them. There's been times where I've spent 30mins or more trying to remove one that was lodged up there good and tight, that put me off trying again for a fair few months. There's been days I've had to keep reinserting it multiple times because the angle was wrong and it kept leaking and if it's in wrong it's pretty uncomfortable. There have been one or two times it's worked like a charm, no discomfort, no leaking and it did feel truly game changing but for every time like that there was a good few instances of wanting to cry with frustration. I also found you still have to wear a pantyliner with it and it's no good on the light days at the end of your period so it doesn't entirely do away with the need for pads.

woodchuck · 05-09-2019 12:33pm

Idle Passerby wrote: »

I also found you still have to wear a pantyliner with it and it's no good on the light days at the end of your period so it doesn't entirely do away with the need for pads.

I'm just wondering why you find it no good on light days? I use it right up until the end of each period. I don't even need it that much at the very end, because there's not much blood. But what little is there, it collects no problem.

Idle Passerby · 05-09-2019 1:08pm

woodchuck wrote: »

I'm just wondering why you find it no good on light days? I use it right up until the end of each period. I don't even need it that much at the very end, because there's not much blood. But what little is there, it collects no problem.

Maybe I'm different to others but I find on the drier days it's just a bit too scratchy shoving stuff up there. I'd rather just let my body do its own thing after a few days of pushing and shoving so to speak. I also find I could wear the cup for a whole day if it was in properly but I wouldn't want to put it straight back in again for another long run, it just felt too intrusive. Maybe I've got a temperamental snatch

Scarinae · 10-09-2019 6:30pm

LirW wrote: »

Once you get the hang of putting it in, it's great. I recently talked to a young lady gyne doctor in the hospital about it because I had one in at the time and she said she has no experience with them or how they work. That struck me as a bit odd.

I find this a bit odd as well - I feel like menstrual cups are pretty mainstream now, certainly compared to when I first started using one more than 10 years ago. They sell Mooncups in Boots, and even Tampax has brought out a cup now.

woodchuck wrote: »

Pads just feel uncomfortable to me, like a nappy.

I used to wear pads as a teenager, and the wings used to chafe me when I was walking in my school skirt. I don't miss that at all!

woodchuck wrote: »

I assume it wouldn't be good for camping or any other situation where you don't have access to clean running water.

I've worn mine on safari, I think I must have used bottled water to rinse it (it was maybe five or six years ago so I can't remember). Changing it in a long drop wasn't the nicest though, as minimising time spent in a long drop is ideal - if I was doing that again I might just use tampons temporarily.

Idle Passerby wrote: »

There's been times where I've spent 30mins or more trying to remove one that was lodged up there good and tight, that put me off trying again for a fair few months.

Sorry to hear you've had a rough time of it, I appreciate they're not for everyone though. When I'm taking mine out I sort of push it down with my muscles, which makes it easier to remove without having to rummage! I've heard that squatting can help too as that position naturally pushes the cup further down, although this may not always be practical.

Idle Passerby wrote: »

Maybe I'm different to others but I find on the drier days it's just a bit too scratchy shoving stuff up there.

Rinsing it in water before inserting can definitely help with this!

woodchuck · 11-09-2019 3:59pm

I've worn mine on safari, I think I must have used bottled water to rinse it (it was maybe five or six years ago so I can't remember). Changing it in a long drop wasn't the nicest though, as minimising time spent in a long drop is ideal - if I was doing that again I might just use tampons temporarily.

Haha the situation I was referring to was exactly this! I was doing a camping safari recently and the "facilities" were rough to say the least (long drop that we dug ourselves). I just wouldn't have felt the hygiene standards were up to scratch for reinsertion, even using bottled water - my drinking bottle got filty very quickly!

That's the only situation I can think of where I wouldn't have been comfortable using my mooncup. However I would've been worried about burying blood soaked tampons/pads too... we had lots of wild animals coming by our camp at night

pwurple · 11-09-2019 4:05pm

Oh yeah on safari you need to keep the waste in double sealed bags. Gross to carry around for sure, but I wasn't mad about leaving plastic items buried in the wild anyway,.

Purple Mountain · 13-09-2019 1:36pm

Slightly veering off topic, does anyone have any tips on how to get period stains off underwear?
I have a heavy flow the first day and overnight my pyjamas and undies sometimes stain.

CheerLouth · 13-09-2019 1:44pm

Purple Mountain wrote: »

Slightly veering off topic, does anyone have any tips on how to get period stains off underwear?
I have a heavy flow the first day and overnight my pyjamas and undies sometimes stain.

Salt and cold water?

Purple Mountain · 13-09-2019 5:49pm

CheerLouth wrote: »

Purple Mountain wrote: »

Slightly veering off topic, does anyone have any tips on how to get period stains off underwear?
I have a heavy flow the first day and overnight my pyjamas and undies sometimes stain.

Salt and cold water?

It goes so far but does not get into té stubborn parts!

Scarinae · 13-09-2019 9:59pm

Always use cold water before you try any stain remover or wash it in warm/hot water, it stops the bloodstain setting. It is also best to do it as soon as you notice the stain as fresher blood is easier to remove than dried blood.

Purple Mountain · 13-09-2019 10:06pm

Scarinae wrote: »

Always use cold water before you try any stain remover or wash it in warm/hot water, it stops the bloodstain setting. It is also best to do it as soon as you notice the stain as fresher blood is easier to remove than dried blood.

Thank you. This is the method I'm following but I find that there's a slight brown residue that will never shift.
I try salt, bread soda, detergent, no good. Ps, did ye read about the man who wandered into this thread thinking mooncups were boobs and feels nauseated after reading here

pwurple · 13-09-2019 10:26pm

That’s why some have the dedicated undies. Dark coloured are best for that.

Scarinae · 13-09-2019 10:39pm

Purple Mountain wrote: »

Ps, did ye read about the man who wandered into this thread thinking mooncups were boobs and feels nauseated after reading here

Actual lol

You mean we aren't just sitting around the ladies lounge in silky underwear with full faces of makeup, talking about sexy things?

Scarinae · 24-10-2019 9:09pm

There's an interesting article in the Guardian about how the Mooncup was developed: ‘People were revolted’: how Mooncup bust period taboos and built a big success

It is interesting to note that they have changed the packaging so the box now has a picture of an actual cup on it instead of a flower.

Mooncups

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