Lovelyish

im not sure i would use one. i have thought about it though. it just seems so messy and gross to me. repulsive at least.

I will continue to stick with pads. I have issues with sticking something up there while I am bleeding. It just grosses me out. I would rather just stick with pads.

Livejournal made me want a menstrual cup about 5 or so years ago.  I haven’t decided if that’s what I wanna do yet, since I’m pretty happy with tampons, but the idea of not rushing out to buy tampons anymore is attractive.  I dunno, I’m just wary of the switch.  I always say i wanna try it and then chicken out.

nope, sorry.

Best. Invention. Ever.

I wonder what’s next, lol…a vacuum type contraption, rofl? I am close enough to menopause so I’m simply going to ride it out, rofl! That will be ONE good thing about menopause, rofl!

Hmmm… maybe. I’m sort of skeptical.

Maybe i’ll try it… if i find where to buy it in Paris. 

It sounds so weird, but I might try one sometime. Its convincing! 

It seems at bit odd to me. I’m not sure I’d use it.
Tampons are fine. I’ve used them for 7 years now.

I just have issues with sticking a cup up there. >_>;

I’m not sure how you have problems with putting tampons in but you can use this cup?
With tampons there is a string and you don’t have to touch anything. I’m sure with this cup you’ll end up with some kind of mess….

I use a Moon cup (I am french, and we find mooncup on Bio shops for about 25/35 euros). I am really happy with it . It is ecologic, economic, and I can really see the amount of blood I lost(there is a funny graduation on the cup). It is important since I hadn’t my period for some months… so knowing how well they come back is important for me. It is true that the blood seems lighter, like “true blood”. No pain since it goes not so deeper as tampons, and spouse the form of the vagina for real… Realy really happy with it !!!

I’ve been using it for a year now.  It’s the best menstrual product ever.  I’m not sure why people are so skeptical about it.

it sounds neat, to me.  I may try it.  I hate using pads, and I think tampons are a wonderful thing and this just sounds like the next step up.

what about odor?

I’d love to use it.  Can’t get the hang of it, though.

@lilsati@xanga - no odours !

@JUSTAVAPORHERE@xanga - What’s next is modern tampons, lol. The menstrual cup appeared in 1930, it wasn’t until 1931 that modern tampons (with the applicator and string and such) were patented and sold to the public. Before that homemade tampons were used, but they weren’t anything like the ones we use today.

History lesson for the day.

It sounds like a really good idea, but removal seems like it would be… messy, to say the least.

i’ve never even heard this and dont think i would try it cause the word “cup” gets to me.  i’ll stick with tampons and pads…much easier.

I just wonder how you can tell when it’s full. I mean, with a pad, you can see it. With a tampon, you can see blood starting to get on the string. If this is a cup, it seems like you wouldn’t know til it overflows…

I don’t know if I would ever be able to try this. I’ll stick with tampons and pads for now.

i would deff. consider trying this….

@LupusInvictus@xanga - ROFL. What do you expect, rofl? I live in Tennessee…Things make it here 10 years later…The land that time forget, rofl!  That or I’m simply out of the loop. Yesterday was the first I’ve heard of the “cup”. Only two cups I had heard up until then was my “B cup,” rofl, and my coffee “cup!” Hey, it works, lol!

But thanks for being so informative, !

@LupusInvictus@xanga - And, I hate the tampons. I always feel like I’m sitting on a needle, rofl!

I want to try one, because trying to have an environmentally friendly period can be a challenge at times. (I use washable pads atm) I’m not really sure how to get one here in Ecuador, though. I would way rather just go to a store and buy them than order it online, pay for shipping (shipping to Ecuador can be a pain), and not even know if I’ll still be here when it arrives. (I am leaving in a month.) But once I move, I definitely want to order one and give it a try.

I do wish they sold them in stores as well.

Erm diagram please. Because all I’m imagining is a bulge sticking out of my undies. Not nice.
… *Snort*

@JUSTAVAPORHERE@xanga - lol, I’m not sure it’s just Tenn. that’s out of the loop – I have no idea about fashions and trends and which colors are in certain seasons, etc.

I’d like to try this after reading about it in several place. I really hate having to deal with pads and tampons, and it so awkward at work trying to haul stuff to the bathroom in a discreet way.

I’m gonna try one. lol!

Do you haev to wear a panty liner if put in properly? I would only imagine as much. How about with sports?

So many questions…but I think they make sense.

i’ll stick to my tampons, thanks :]

@LupusInvictus@xanga - Lol! Me either, girl…I just fly my own way, rofl! Like that stupid saying about wearing white after Labor Day. I do it all the time. I have to, with being a redhead, there are only 2 colors I find favor with, black or white. So unless I’m in jogging pants, you will find me in one of those two colors. I see other redheads wearing pink, peach, etc., but it’s just not for me, clashes with MY hair, lol. And I find green, blue colors dull. How funny is that? I can get by with yellow though. I’m just an expressive person in color, I guess. If I had my way, everything in life would be burgundy and mauve. Amazing, isn’t it that my favorite colors are pink-based, lol! There is NO JUSTICE, rofl, ! Just gotta do ya own thing, baby, ROFL!

DANG. i wanna try one now!!

@EccentricSiren@xanga - I didn’t know they made washable pads. Wow. I also wouldn’t mind trying an environmentally friendly period.

—–

I’ve heard a few little tidbits about menstrual cups, but I was still curious about how they worked. Thanks for this informative article.

However, I think I will stick with tampons. They seems to work pretty well for me as long as I change them often enough, since I won’t (and my mom won’t let me) use anything bigger than a regular.

This seems like something I’d be willing to try.  But it seems like if you were in a public bathroom, things would get a little awkward.  Maybe good for overnight or at home, though…

This thing saved my life…and hopefully many trees. lol.

And I agree about the “organic material coming from your own body”, It bothers me that women find their periods “unsanitary”…it’s just your own body cleansing itself!!! Everything that happens down there is for a reason — from cervical discharge to your period and it’s not unsanitary, it’s biology. Just deal with it!

I alternate my usage of pads and tampons, though I’m fairly content with that, I wouldn’t mind trying the cup as long as I didn’t have to pay for it.

Good info  : )

maybe I’ll ask for one from my mom for my birthday…would that be too strange…? haha

The problems I see with it is 1. removal (not so much the difficulty of it but making sure I don’t make a mess) and 2. washing it when I live on campus where we share the bathrooms. I can only imagine the looks I’d get bringing a bloody cup to the sink to clean it while some girl is innocently brushing her teeth.
Tampons are working pretty well for me at the moment so I’ll just stick with that.

I would want to try it.

Buying boxes and boxes of tampons every month is too costly.

@xhopelessly__hopefulx@xanga - They do! I made my own, though. They don’t sell those where I live, either.

@Purple_Harlequin@xanga - I think you stick the whole thing inside of you, not just the edge. Kind of like with a tampon, except it works like a cup, not a sponge. I imagine if you only stuck it partway in, it would be very, very uncomfortable!

It’s so painful to see so many women are so disgusted by their own body fluids. Cups pwn. 

and once you’re done washing it out…and boilin it? you can use it as a shot glass….

haha…my response: NO WAY JOSE. Its too…weird.

@lilsati@xanga - There isn’t any odor because your “fluids” aren’t coming in contact with air like when they are on a pad or tampon. No air contamination, no odor. Also, the chemicals in tampons and pads lead to odor as well. Not a problem with a cup.

I’m skeptical about it too….I can’t imagine sticking a cup anywhere. I use pads, I can’t imagine even using a tampon!

The idea is good though….maybe one day I’ll try it. Scares the crap out of me though.

And those cups look really big!

@SamiisLove@xanga - LOL WHOA i just saw your reply to the message about boiling a cup and then using it to drink out of!!!

thats horrifying, hilarious, and stimulates my barfing reflex! omg!

i want to get one!

Soo, I can use them while swimming?

hmmm that cup looks huge?

I have very irregular periods. I may go 5 months with no period then have heavy flow for an entire week. This might be a stupid question, but does the cup ever…overflow? (or otherwise become overwhelmed)

Hmmm the thought is intriguing for sure, I’m a bit sceptical but might have to try it….

@Correct_The_Defect@xanga - Me neither. I think it’s that tampons are absorbent and do so whenever they get the chance. With the cup, I was able to try it in the shower or wet the cup with water, or if I really needed to, use a water based lube to ease the cup’s entry. Maybe the idea of not being allowed to use water as an aid like that made me nervous/tense.

@lilsati@xanga - There is no odour. Some women describe an “earthy” smell, but I’ve never encountered that. I figure if you leave it in way too long, that’s when it would start to smell and for obvious reasons that are more the user’s fault than the product’s. I was pretty surprised when I made the switch from pads because they typically had a pretty unpleasant “period-y” smell whereas I don’t smell anything in or on the cup.

@meadowland_dreams@xanga - I will admit, the first few times most people use a cup, having shaky, unsteady hands could make your bathroom look like a murder scene if it’s more than half full (most can’t wait that long because they’re paranoid anyway, and will empty the cup whenever they get the chance and have less than a piddle of blood in it), but I guess that’s akin to someone like me having unsteady hands and pulling a full tampon out – chances are I’d let that thing just go flying because I wouldn’t want to touch it and not know what to do with it.

@Purple_Harlequin@xanga - LMAO. I don’t think I’d have raved if that’s how I had to walk around for a week every month. Here.

@Eyes_Herself@xanga - Nope. You may get some spotting right after you put it in, but that’s just the blood that made it onto your vaginal walls during the time the cup was out. Whenever I finish reinserting it, I wipe really quickly just to pick up any extra blood. And yes for sports. I swim with mine, and figure if I can sleep well without any leaks (I don’t use bedsheets anymore because in one night, I kick and roll so violently that by morning, they’re potentially half way across the room on the floor), they’re good anytime.

@xhopelessly__hopefulx@xanga - Cloth pads! A surprising number of Etsy sellers make very cute cloth pads as well, and double bonus, baby cloth diapers too.

@ozzieong@xanga - Yes!

@AzNgUrl3510@xanga - Damn, I guess they didn’t include my link to folding techniques… It shows the cup (a Keeper in that instance) to scale and in different folds used for insertion. Once the cup pops open, your vagina has its own shape that the cup will conform to.

@Meowmeowkimmaee@xanga -  It can overflow, and that’s when you’ll have leaks and the most trouble removing it unless you’re in the shower or somewhere else you can easily clean. I have my heaviest days the first, second, and third day of my period so I’m always on the safe side on those days to empty the cup every 2-4 hours. Even though their claim is that the cup can be kept in for up to 12 hours, by no means does that say it should be kept in for 12 hours. That said, if you know your cycle is irregular in that way, just know to be on the offensive and be prepared just as you would other menstrual products. Chances are, however, your cycle still won’t seem as heavy in a cup than soaked into cotton.

Interesting.  Thanks for posting your findings, I may try this one day in the near future.

i’m going to try this out

I hate using pads. I think pads are gross and disgusting. They leak, which makes your clothes a mess. If you are a “natural” woman and dont shave or wax, then THAT becomes a mess after having been in contact with the pad for hours. Tampons at least decrease the mess but if you leave them in too long they leak too. It was great being pregnant and not having a period for over a year!!!!!!
Anyway, I don’t know if i would use a diva cup or not but I’m not repulsed by it

Maybe, but I still hate using tampons, so the menstrual cup might come a little later…

wow that seriously sounds so crazy/messy/scary! but cool in a way i guess. i just couldnt do that cuz my periods are hella heavy sometimes i have to wear a pad and a tampon :/ sorry for the t.m.i.

how do you know when it’s full? would it overflow & leak? i imagine taking it out would be so messy! ahhh what if it gets stuck?!

I am tempted.  How big is the actual cup?  Do you tend to get blood on your fingers when you insert/remove it?  Also, do you just have to go by how long it’s been in to know when to remove it, or is there some way to tell?

I just bought an alternative cup-like (but it is only to be used like 12 hours) It Is AMAZING.

I love it. I will definitely purchase one that i can reuse!!!

i love my diva cup! the first period was a bit rough, and i had to give it a rest for the last couple days, but right at hte beginning of my second period it went in smoothly and no problems whatsoever! it’s GREAT not having to change it so often, not having to worry, and not feeling so messy and wet down there!

I would be afraid of it getting stuck. I suffer from chronic paranoia, so maybe I should stick with my pads. But this is a nice idea if I ever decide to upgrade.

great post.

Sounds pretty convincing to me. Just a bit iffy on it still. Plus I hate using tampons somtimes, the thought of geting TSS still scares me even though getting it is slim.

I’d try it.

I’d try it.

I’d just be nervous if there’s any chance it’d get…stuck.

@MermaidsAreSeasluts@xanga - It would overflow and leak if full, but I told a previous commenter that if you know your periods are heavy, don’t wait the full 12 hours. If I know I’m going to have a heavy day, I’ll check the cup every 2-4 hours. If it gets stuck, relax. A common recommendation for those who have trouble getting their cup out is to relax, wait about 10 minutes for your body to calm down, and if you really need to since it opens and widens the vaginal canal (plus it adds lubrication), masturbate externally or get a significant other to help remove it. It’s really as messy as you make it – if you relax and work with steady hands, the chance of mess is very unlikely. It probably won’t be until the second or third cycle that women really start to get comfortable with using the cup since the first cycle can be a bit nerve wracking, but it gets easier with time!

@just_the_average_jane@xanga - It’s actually very small – this is a picture for reference with a hand, however the Diva Cup is the largest and longest of all cups, and I’m a bit miffed they didn’t include one of my personal blog’s pictures because it shows the size difference between some popular cups (including sizes for women under 30 who have not given birth, and those over 30 or who have given birth). It’s on this webpage, and the image itself is right here. The thing is that there is no way to tell how full it is. What I find is that you’ll get to know and predict your cycle well enough to know that days X and Y are heavy, so remove every 4-6 hours, but day Z is heaviest so 2-4 hours is the longest the cup could be in, etc. I usually don’t get blood on my fingers, but I always think of it as an inevitability when funking around with anything down there. It’s your own fluid and it won’t hurt you – you can always wash it off with water.

I have used the temp form of this (think diaphragm) and was completely comfortable throughout my cycle. I didn’t even realize they sold reusable cups.

Can you wear them overnight? And I also want to know how you know when you ‘empty’ it. Just every so often?

next time I actually have some money (payday!) I AM going to get one. It seems like a miracle to me. I am sick of periods…

Must be something in the air, I blogged about this last month.

Was waiting until friday to blog about my first week with one.

x

@The_Pudding@xanga - Yes, and yes. No one source can dictate how often to empty the cup, just whenever you feel like it or feel you need to. If you know you’re going to have a heavy day, empty often (4-6 hours max, I would think), but if you’re just spotting, there’s no harm in keeping it in for 12 hours.

WOW! I never heard of this…
thx for sharing… now I will think about it ^_^

I was going to type, “HELL no.”  -  then I actually looked at the website and read the information.. now I’m seriously considering it, only for as soon as I’m out of the dorms. (public bathrooms with that = no.) It seems like a lot less hassle and muuuch cheaper.. actually it seems really sweet. 

I actually might consider it XD But I looked and not too many stores around here sell them. I’ll just be on the lookout.

I may be interested in trying it one day, at least. Hm. Seems like a good concept.

I’ve always wanted to try these since I tend to bleed over a tampon (only absorbs on one side) instead of it acting like a sponge. My SIL uses the Diva Cup and raves about it.  Someday when I have a spare $35 I’ll get one.

This seems odd…it seems messy.  Isn’t it painful since there’s a cup in you??
I think I will stick to tampons

@audders@xanga - Nope, it’s soft/flexible enough that it conforms to your natural curves and you can’t feel it.

I’ve been using the Diva Cup for over a year now.

I’ve used pads, tampons, and now the cup, and I have to say, the cup wins, hands down. It sounds messy, yes, but it really isn’t. At all. I’ve never had a problem with leakage and my flow is incredibly heavy. When I used tampons, I always had leaking problems, after only a couple hours.

Tampons also smell and are incredibly disgusting. I thought that having to look at my own blood would be gross, but honestly…the thought of ever having to use a tampon (or worse, a pad) ever again disgusts me now. Because the Diva Cup creates a seal with your vaginal wall, oxygen is prevented from coming into contact with the menstrual blood, so there honestly is no odor. And that alone makes it worthwhile to me.

I think the Diva Cup is far more comfortable than a tampon. I had to trim the tip a little of my cup, but I don’t feel it now. I always felt tampons. Tampons also sucked up all my natural moisture, so removing them felt like I was giving myself a rugburn in there every time.

Plus, my cup has already paid for itself in tampons not purchased. If you take appropriate care of your cup, it can last you a couple years.

Sounds promising

I’ll stick with pads thank you. That can’t be healthy having all that blood stuck inside you for 8+ hours a day!  I’d rather have the blood and dead tissue come out then be stuck inside me and risk infections.

will definitely give it a try!  i heard about it before and forgot all about it.  thanks for the reminder.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!! you’ve got to be kidding me… lmfao. that’s so cool. I always have really light flows and tampons have never given me trouble, but WOW……. that sounds beautiful…… like frickin badass seriously…… !!!!! =D

maybe… still skeptical, but this has eased some of my worries… tampons work well enough for me right now

I tried it a couple of months ago.  Honestly, it didn’t work well (there was more leakage than with a tampon), it was uncomfortable (probably my fault for poor placement), and removing it was revolting.  It was, in short, a bloody mess. I realize there’s a learning curve, but I can’t afford to take days off work during my period until I learn how to put it in correctly.  And honestly, I wouldn’t consider using it at work anyway, considering the considerable amount of blood left on your hands after removal and re-insertion- I work in the food industry, and while I wash my hands after using the bathroom, what if a customer walked into the restroom before I’d gotten to the sink?  Instant call to Health Services is what I’m guessing.

I wish it did work for me- one more expense that I wouldn’t have to deal with- but for the moment I’m sticking with good ‘ol tampons and pads.

for those who are curious or skeptical, we just posted a video on our website about the divacup, how to insert, why we love it, etc.  and if you want $5 off orders > $35, use promo code “luna09″.

http://www.lunapads.com/divacup101.htm

i use one.
pros:
-good for the enviornment
-healthier to use than better-known alternatives
-never have to buy/carry tampons/pads again

cons:
-the smallest was still moderately painful for me (an 18 year old virgin) to remove
-if you don’t keep it positioned exactly right, it can tip and leak. although i may not be using it right.

A friend of mine swears by these and I want to give them a try.  Where can you get them though?  I am not looking for them, but I don’t think I have ever seen them.

No thanks, I think I’ll stick to my pads.
The word “cup” and the idea of sticking something up there gets to me.  I tried a tampon once… didn’t go so well. 

that sounds discusting.

@hanaleiway@xanga - It takes some looking for. If you go to the website for a brand you’re interested in, there are some store locators where they offer their product in some well known chain stores, but otherwise your easiest bet is to look online. I always hear really great deals and sales going on for Diva Cups specifically from iHerb.

wow that has to be 10 times more gross than i think pads are…. i would never use that…

@desiredperfection3@xanga - Haha yes, gross and sick was also what I was thinking while reading.  

will using this cup interrupt with sex?

@the_wooser@xanga - Technically speaking, you can have sex with the cup in but I would think it would be uncomfortable because it occupies so much space. When I hear stories of women who have forgotten they had the cup in and had sex, I automatically sympathize for their boyfriend/husband because I assume it would get in the way and injure them somehow. Apparently the guys never noticed, but it’s still not recommended to try having sex with it in. If you want a menstrual product that allows for sex, disposable cups like Instead cups are used like diaphragms and won’t interfere.

This definitely does not change my mind, you can’t persuade me to try it. I will not try it. I’ll stick with pads.

LOVE the diva cup. Frequenting on money and material saving tip lists around the globe the menstrual cup is one of my favorite possessions. It’s my opinion it needs to be added to high school curriculums as possible options for periods. I didn’t even know these existed until less than a year ago. What a shame, all of that money and paper wasted.

P.S.hanaleiway@xanga

I’ve only seen them sold in health/organic food stores, You may want to try there if you haven’t already.

that just made me freak out…. umm i’m cool with sticking to tampons…

I just bought one
I heard of them a few years ago when I worked in a spa, and your post made me decide to try one out!

what the hell is that? how does it even go in? I can’t wrap my brain about that..sorry

There are still a lot of questions I want to ask about this :/

But hey, I’ll stick to tampons. Maybe I’ll buy a cup when I’m older. I don’t seem to need one at the moment anyway.

I use a Femmecup (UK brand) but they mail anywhere in the World, they are fab and low cost compared to most brands!

@jmgbme@xanga - I have one, when it’s full, you feel like air bubbles coming out of it, so you know when to empty and that’s it

SHIT! you shove that thing in you?!