I was playing with my MooncupUK a little while ago, and pushed it into the punchdown fold. It happened to be near my face for whatever reason and POP, it scared the crap out of me as it thwacked me on the nose. It really hurt! I'm going to try the seven fold now, I figured the punchdown wasn't so bad but I'm thinking it might be nicer to my insides not to give them a hard flick every time I put the cup in.

I'm sure it doesn't damage my insides, but now I understand why it feels so odd when it pops :P

Also: I'm inserting my newly stemless cup tonight, I'm scared! I had to remove the last piece of stem as the cup tilted and would scrape the stem on my gspot area, not fun :(. I hope for success!

I know some people have written about mon.thly.info
before but i just have some praise for it!

xposted

Today I decided to try my size 2 Lunette. I turned 20 yesterday, so I assumed that the cup would be easier to fit in. Currently, I can fit in a finger ( index or middle) fairly easily, but two fingers (index and middle)  takes some struggle and I can not get them as far as one finger. I looked up the folds on here and I was able to easily do all of them except for the Origami fold. Then, I boiled some water in the microwave and put my Lunette in a another cup, then poured the hot water over it and left it to soak for 30 seconds. I hoped that this would make it easier to insert. However, being a virgin, I realized that I could not get my Lunette to go inside when I used the C, 7, or Punch-down folds. I do not know whether it was because I was sitting down on the toilet (maybe I could try sitting with the seat cover down) or if I was unknowingly tense or if I just have a very small opening. I began to feel slight pain at the opening of my vagina, so I decided to stop for today and try again tomorrow or on the weekend. I really want to try and get the Lunette in before my next period, so any help would be much appreciated.

So I was always a skeptic about cups, but after lurking around vaginapagina, I gave in and ordered a Diva. This is my first cycle with the cup, and to my great surprise, I've barely had any trouble with it at all.

On my first day, I just had intense cramps and very slight leakage (it didn't stain my panties, I only noticed when I wiped myself at the toilet), but after some fiddlinge, I figured out how exactly to insert the cup, and comparing to my tampon usage, how often to take it out depending on the day. On my first day, I should probably take it out every six hours or so, since I bleed too much, and inserting it, I use the C-fold, and once it's half-in, I fiddle around, pushing open anything that's unopened, pulling it out slightly, and then pushing it back in. And I must say, it was a lot better than I was expecting, considering how I've heard a bit of negativity here on menstrual_cups about the Diva. But in all due honesty, it's not too big for my vagina or too long nor do I need to turn it inside out. I'm happy with my purchase.

Aaanyway, I absolutely love it. :D Definetely not going back to tampons, but I'm not sure what to do with mine now. XD I might just save 'em for awhile, and then later on ask my roommate or female friends if they want 'em.

So yeah, just wanted to share my first-time experience. ^^ I'm sold. I'm considering getting a Miacup in the future when I have the funds. XD

Hi all!
  I'm in my first cycle with my Diva Cup and so far I absolutely love it.  No more having to lug tampons around trying to find a bathroom every couple of hours.  It's wonderful.  I do have one question though and I couldn't seem to find the right place to look in the tags.  I was wondering, is it normal for your period to be much shorter with a cup?  Or am I just experiencing a really short one this time around.  I usually bleed for 5 days.  Today is only the 3rd day and when I checked my cup a little while ago there was just a little bit of slightly red mucous.  Also, does the blood always seem more mucous-y (for lack of a better word) with a cup?

I can't decide if it's different because I'm using a cup for the first time or because I'm just having a weird period.  Lol!

Thanks!

But I wanted to thank everyone for their thoughtful answers. I really appreciate them. I watched the instead movie and I tried the mirror thing. I squatted with the mirror and am finally starting to get a clearer picture. But I still keep freaking out as soon as it barely even grazes the spot. AGH!
I'm currently trying the mooncup. any thoughts on other cups to try? I have one month left before I have to return it (for a refund). The cup itself (in my opinion) seems rather firm and thick and stiff. Are there any that aren't quite as intimidating? I was thinking possibly the ladycup, though I'm not sure how I would order since the website is in pounds (I'm in the U.S. so I think I would need to be able to pay in dollars)

Thank you again, everybody!

Just ordered a mooncup, i need an extra cup for a trip i am going on, so i wanted to try a different one than my diva which still leaks at times. I have a discount code i can give to three people if anyone wants to order one!!!

In short, Divacup has been a huge success for me and I don't know what to do with the rest of the pads in my bathroom because I will never go back to that.

removal and re-insertion went like a dream tonight. dunno if it's the cold water, the 7-fold, luck, or some combination of things, but it popped open and made a seal and was comfy almost right away. like, woah.

next step: deciding how practical/economical it would be to change to cloth pantiliners...i have enough daily discharge that it makes me uncomfortable without a pantiliner, and i usually use kotex lightdays...if i bought or made cloth ones, there would have to be at least 14, and i would have to figure out a way to store them between washings so that they wouldnt smell up everything. i'd go for organic ones instead, but a) they're expensive and b) i am not even sure where to find them in bulk. i dont think i want to use the Diva every day, either, even as easy as it has been today.

hm...

I think i got it!
My story is that i got the Divacup last...decemberish, i think. maybe november. Tried it a few times, hoping it would help when i went overseas in January. It was so painful it almost made me cry, and i was always cutting myself with my nails. I put it aside, promising myself i'd try again someday.
fast forward. i find this community. my hope is restored. I tried a few times, but overall decided the pain wasnt worth it...that month, and the next.
TODAY. I said to myself, this is GOING to work. I am running out of disposable pads and i don't want to buy more.
Put the Diva in during my shower this morning, as i'd read some people have done. I got it in ok, but it was extremely painful at first, causing cramping and such, but after some kegels it started to get a little better. about an hour or so later, i went to the bathroom to check on it, noticed some leakage, and decided to take it out. it hurt. i almost gave up right there, but i forced myself to try again...ran it under cold water this time, and....
something like 8 hours later, no leaks. no pain, except when i wipe and i can feel the stem a little--i can't feel it when i'm just sitting though, and i can't get it out without it, so i'm not going to cut it.

i'm kind of scared of taking it out tonight, so i've been putting it off as there are no leaks. i'll write again later tonight or tomorrow to let you know if i'm still getting lucky :-)

assuming that my luck holds, my only worry now is about school. i'm living in a suite this year, sharing a bathroom with 5 other girls, and there is no private sink or anything. i dunno about them, but it would squick me out for other people to see my menstrual fluid, so i'm not looking forward to having to wash it out in the common sink. :-/ anyone else have to deal with this?

p.s. i'm using the 7-fold and it seems to work like a charm for me, with the one exception of the first time this morning.  thank you all, you wonderful ladies, for inspiring me to try, try again!

So I got my period today. I put my Keeper in and it went well, but I used a tampon for class since I wasn't sure if I would have leaking issues with the cup yet or not. I put it in once I got back and it's been in since...no problems! I LOVE it so much! Thank you guys for being a part of this awesome place that helped me with the whole buying a cup process.

I have a question about cleaning though. I know a lot of people boil their cups, but I think I read somewhere that boiling isn't good for the natural gum rubber...is this true? What do you Keeper owners use to clean your cup? When I first got it I used a fragrance-free cleaning soap, but all I have around now are Soft Soap bottles and I don't want to use all those chemicals on my cup! I was thinking of getting a cleanser from the natural store, and then maybe using hydrogen peroxide or something to sterilize it. Is this a good idea? If not, what should I use?

So I ordered the Diva Cup without even realizing that there were any other options a few months ago. Once I got the hang of it, I liked it, though it always leaked, despite using all the tricks to make sure it was in right. I chalked this up to the fact that I have VERY heavy periods, and at least now I wasn't bleeding through pads at the rate I was previously. (When I say VERY heavy, I mean I half fill the cup every 3-4 hours for the first three days of my period.)

But, I have a young puppy and accidentally left my cup in a spot she could get to after my last period, and turned around to find it in pieces. Whoops. So now I need to order a new one and I was wondering if I should try a different brand. Is there anyone out there who couldn't get the Diva Cup to stop leaking but found success with another brand?

A few months ago, when my sister introduced me to the mooncup, she felt really uneasy telling me about it, because she had never tried it and was afraid I would think it was weird. Well, tampons have NEVER worked for me and I used to be really involved in ballet, so I was desperately trying to find something, ANYTHING that would work and keep me from having to skip class when I had a heavy day. So, of course she told me about these things, and I was like, "YES! hope at last!" so she ordered one for me, and I used it during my last period and thought it was the best invention I'd seen in years. I couldn't fathom why anybody would have a problem with it being reusable, all that did was save me money!
So the other night, me and some of my friends were sitting in my room talking, and I mention something about cloth pads- and they all agreed that cloth pads are disgusting!
I was mortified, that my poor friends should be so deceived. So I tried to educate them on the benefits, and they just shook their heads.
I guess people don't take as easily to the idea as I thought.
Anybody else had a shocking situation like this?

I thought I'd share this first experience with all of you :-)

First of all, let me say that, in overall, I'm really happy with my cup. The past two days have been quite a relief in comparison to my previous periods: I only used pads because tampons caused nasty yeast infections, and with a heavy flow those really aren't all that handy. I decided to keep some sort of journal of my first period using my brand new Lunette, and thought some of you might find it interesting / entertaining / recognizable. So that's why I'm posting it over here.

Secondly, some facts about me that made me choose for a Lunette size 2 (which turned out to be the perfect fit):
Age: 20
Length: 1.82m
Weight: 60kg but broad hips
Flow: quite heavy the first two days
Been having sexual intercourse for about two years
But I haven't given birth / been pregnant

Monday



Tuesday



Wednesday

to be continued

I don't have any specific questions, though tips about removing the cup might come in handy (but I have read about everything on this site so aparently I'm just not a quick learner)

EDITED: Wednesday 3PM

I'm sure you guys get tired of these types of questions, but I figured I'd ask anyway. What I really want to know is what is the most popular/most liked cup? I've looked at the comparisons but that seems mostly like facts to me. I'm more interested in opinions on cups rather than the facts. I, personally, have a divacup. I've had it since May, and still can't get it in on the first try. It rarely pops open or creates a seal. And then I'm left all sore afterward from putting it in, fail, taking it out. Repeat. I usually give up and use a pad.

And another question. I've read that if you have a tipped (is that the right term?) cervix that cups can be difficult. My question is, how do you KNOW something like that? I mean, unless you know what one feels like, how would you know if yours is tipped? I may just be being young and naive here, so my apologies.

Thanks for the help!

EDIT: Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm going to try the DivaCup inside out for my next period and see if it works for me. If not, I'm going to get either the Mooncup UK, or the Lady Cup. :)

Where is the cheapest place to order the Miacup? Or just, y'know, cheaper ones.

Hi everyone.  I received my Lunette in the mail today.  My period is scheduled to arrive in about a week, and I'm very excited to try this out.  Here are my questions...

My period isn't always regular.  Sometimes it's a day or two off --- sometimes (if I've been doing a lot of exercise, or overly stressed), it can be 4-5 days off.  I would like to keep a 2nd menstrual cup inside the glovebox in my car.  This way, I am prepared if I'm out running errands, and my period starts.  Is it safe to store the menstrual cup inside the glovebox in my car?  In the summertime, the temperature inside the car can get  pretty hot (up to 90+ degrees Fahrenheit).  Could high temperatures cause the cup to warp/melt?  I don't always carry a purse/bag with me -- just usually a wallet.  Right now, I'm storing tampons and pads inside the glovebox in my car.  I'm curious if I can do the same thing with the menstrual cup. 

Hello. I don't think I have ever posted here. I have been using a Diva cup for about a year now and I finally relaized that it is causing me to have some serious cramping. I thought for a while that my periods were just getting really bad, but I finally put two and two together when i realized I was cramping on days that I shouldn't be (I never cramp at the end of my period) and only when the cup is in. Does this happen to anyone else? Suggestions? I have had a hard time since I got it getting it in place correctly without leaking, and I wonder if it is a placement issue? If it matters I am 31 and have had 2 kids, so I have the size 2 cup. Anyway, I just wanted to throw this out there and see if anyone had had any similar experiences. Thanks!

I posted here earlier about doing a first-time dry run, and now I'm using my cup for real during my period.  I used it for my one pre-period day (I usually spot on my last day of non-placebo pills) and I felt so confident and it was nice not doing the mental calculation of "how many tampons/pantyliners should I bring with me" every time I went out.  Now that I have my period for real though, I am sooo paranoid.  I'm hoping in the long-term using the cup can cut down on my bathroom trips during the work day, but all day today I've been dashing to the bathroom worried about leaks!  There haven't been any so far, but I'm still feeling uneasy.  How many cycles did it take you before you became confident in your cup?

Maybe part of the reason I'm worried is because I'm using the Diva Cup, and I've read some negative things about it compared to other cups.  So far I haven't had any of the issues other people seem to have: mine sits up fairly high so the stem isn't an issue & I can always get my cup to pop open on the first or second try.

I love this community...hahahaha...I want to talk about my cup but it's sort of a weird thing to bring up in conversation.  :)  I told my boyfriend about it and he listened politely, but he obviously operates on the "less is more" principal when it comes to all things menstrual.

I am on my second cycle with the mooncup and I STILL can't seem to get it, not at all. I try to push it in and it just kinda stops. It opens up and will be suctioned to me on the outside which would work semi-ok if I didn't have to um, wear pants or ever sit down. lol. any suggestions??? I'm aiming for the small of my back and I've tried various folds including 7 and punch down and U. I have never been terribly successful with tampons but figured I would just try a cup anyway. I have read some of the posts on here and finally decided it might be worth it to figure out the whole LJ thing to see if I could get some help. TIA

YAH! So my pink cup finally arrived, and I felt anxious all day (long story short, my partner went to the shops couple days back and NEVER came back, lying cheating con artist) but I finally had some time to check things out, couldnt find the folding pics on here (so if anyone can post a link would be appreciated) so had to go by memory, but oddly enough, it actually worked! Really well...with tampons I could always tell it was there, but with the cup, it felt so natural, so comfortable. I couldnt twist it to confirm the seal, but I heard/felt the pop. 

The stem sits just at the entrance though, not sure if this is going to annoy me in a real test or not just yet, but so far so good. My problem - I couldnt get the damn thing out! I became a contortionist trying to get a firm enough grip and couldnt break the seal, basically yanking it out painfully. Now I have a slight dull pain down there. So couple questions...

1) do you know the link for different folding tips?
2) any tips on making removal easier?
3) (I know this isnt stricktly a cup question) How do I add the folding page to my memories on LJ? (I sort of only joined LJ for this group, but am now starting to venture out).

Thanks to all the wonderful ladies who post here, its you guys that gave me the courage/strength to finally purchase a cup.

My period arrived today, one of the worst days of the week for pain and cramps and bleeding. Every month I'm reminded why I'd love to start taking the pill, or get a hormonal IUD inserted so that I don't have to deal with this. But once the worst couple of days are through I decided to go without the hormones until the next month...

I thought that my Keeper would solve some of these problems. No more waste, no more needing to wear pads with tampons in case of leakage etc. WRONG! My Keeper pops open as soon as it can, which means that I have to push it up, sometimes air along with it. It seals so tightly that I find it difficult to remove but it isn't sealing in the right place because only half of the flow actually ends up in the cup. I'm starting to feel like giving up because I'm so sick of needing to reach what seems like half my arm up myself to break the seal.

My attempt before at getting it out was only half-hearted. I really hoped that I could grab the stem and pull the cup down but it's slippery and no use. I almost pulled a muscle in my finger trying to grab the thing.

From all I've read, practice is the key but that's something that I don't think I can do with this cup anymore. Has anyone found that other cups (say, silocone ones) are more flexible and easier to remove? That's something else- once I do reach a finger in, I break the seal and fold the cup. But as I pull it out it inevitably pops open or is really just flattened and really hurts.

Sorry if this is just a giant rant. This period is worse than usual, I don't think I've ever been this close to tears just because of hormones before. :(

I've had my Diva for almost a year now. I usually wear it for at least part of my cycle every month, but sadly, on my heaviest days, it cant make it through the day. I'm at a point in my life that I've started spotting through out the month. I'd love to not get that "surprise" but I dont know how frequently I can wear my Diva. And how long can I wear my Diva? Thanks for the help, and for all the past help I've gotten. ( I finally took your advice and trimmed the stem off of my Diva. The difference was HUGE!)

Alright I just got some Instead Disposables..... all i have to say is OMG!

I read the instructions several times over and im still at a loss. It almost always manages to move down lower than i place it and im still getting leakage. Also, anyone find that altho is comfortable, you can still feel it"? (because my mind tells me, YOU HAvE A CUP IN YOUR COOCHIE!) 

My main issue. how can i get it to sit better in me? i was reading through a nd have been for days but it all goes towards reusables. My issue is getting Instead to get in there and stay in there and not leak on me

Any suggestions? 



AlEdits!   Alright i have come to the conclusion its too darn big for me... I could wear the plastic ring as a bracelet for chrissakes xD off to get a reusable haha

Hey kids!  I've been using my Mooncup (UK) since, oh, probably February or so and generally I like it.  I got it in part because I wasn't really feeling satisfied with tampons, and didn't think my laundry situation lended itself well to cloth pads (which I would like to include in my monthly routine in some way, though!).  The other reason was to minimize waste as I'm interested in altering my environmental footprint (obviously using a re-usable menstrual product isn't the only thing in my life that I've altered to meet this goal).

But I don't think I am minimizing waste- in fact, I think that when I remove, rinse, mash around with toilet paper, and re-insert my cup, I waste loads of water and end up flushing a lot of toilet paper anyway- I almost want to say that I may as well be using disposables!  The worst offender is that usually when I take out my cup, there's like this mucus-ey string hanging out of me that needs removal. 

Do any of you have any cool cup cleanup techniques to share with me?  I'm looking to make handling my cup during use as clean and efficient as possible!

ETA:  Thanks for all your feedback (and keep it comin' if you're late to the party!), it's reassuring to be reminded that my menstrual practices aren't as wasteful as they can seem to me when I'm in the thick of it when it's all gone a bit messy, and there's some good stuff to try in here too!