Experiences with Menstrual Cups

[Sam W]

This is a thread for folks to talk about their experiences with menstrual cups (like Diva Cups or Moon Cups) or for people who are curious about them to ask questions.

I was super skeptical about the cup at first, just because I really did not enjoy using tampons, so I figured that anything involving insertion was not for me. But now I am a huge fan of it. I like that there isn't a lot of waste attached to using it, but mainly it's the fact that it can stay in for longer than a tampon and, for me at least, does a way better job of actually preventing any blood from getting where I don't want it to.

[suburban_witch]

I've finally become comfortable using menstrual cups, but it took me a long time. I'd never put anything inside me before and I was really scared (I came from a sex-negative family, and despite my father being a doctor, they were both convinced that tampons were only for "loose women"). I honestly didn't even know menstrual cups existed before college.

I went to a very hippy-dippy college and I actually learned about menstrual cups through ecofeminism, which was really big on our campus. Everyone in our school's feminist club seemed to use one, and I wanted to transition, but I never even used a tampon before, and I wasn't even really sexually active. The thing I was most scared of was removing it. I was scared I'd never be able to break the seal!

I tried with the DivaCup in 2010, but the suction bit was really scary, so I stopped and tried again with Softcup (pilfered a lot from the BUST Craftacular, where Instead was a fiscal sponsor). The Softcup kept popping out, though, and I thought I was cursed to be one of the few women who Never Got It.

After college, I finally tried with tampons with my sister's help. At first I used tampons with plastic applicators, but then I transitioned to o.b., and that honestly really made me feel the most comfortable with my anatomy, plus I found it a little easier to use than the applicator tampons. I kept reading on forums too (including the LJ community, menstrual_cups), and I bought a Lunette cup because I lost my Diva in the move. I found Lunette way easier to insert and to create the seal, and now here we are. I don't think my seals are completely perfect yet, but it's made me realize I don't bleed as much as I think I do, and in the future I think it'll come in handy for swimming, doing yoga inversions, etc. And now I'm trying to convert all my friends!

[Karyn]

I love my cup. I switched from using disposable pads and tampons nearly 10 years ago, and it took a while to get the hang of using a cup, but it's been totally worth it. Tampons were okay for me, I never had any serious physical problems with using them, but the cost adds up really quickly and I wasn't comfortable with the amount of extra stuff I was throwing away during my period. I initially bought a Diva cup in the smaller size, and had some trouble with leaks, but going up to the next size (even though I wasn't in the age range they specify for that and had never given birth) solved that problem.

Now I use a combination of the cup, cloth pads and Lunapanties, which works very well for me. I love that I can leave the cup in for so much longer than a tampon, especially if I'm out hiking for the day, for instance and don't have easy access to a bathroom for long periods of time.

[moonlight]

I started using the diva cup earlier this year and it took me a while to get used to it. At first I kept the stem on but it stuck out of my vulva and was really irritating so I ended up gradually removing it until there was nothing left. This was a major improvement but I can still feel the base of it a bit. I'm considering trying a shorter cup.

Overall though, I LOVE my menstrual cup. This period I was away from home when my period began (unexpectedly) and had to use tampons for 2 full days. Given that I used tampons for 6 years up until this April and had been very comfortable with them I was shocked at just how uncomfortable I found them! I could always feel the string and I just felt so dry. And having to change them so often was a pain. Plus, with my cup I only have to worry about having it with me at the beginning of the cycle because I take it out, clean it and immediately reinsert. But with tampons I had to actually remember to keep some with me. And it was so disconnecting to not be able to easily monitor my flow.

The experience with tampons reaffirmed for me how great this switch has been.

[Catwoman45]

I've used a Keeper for 4 years and I am NEVER going back to tampons

[Heather]

You hear that, tampons? She is SO DONE with you.

[Atonement]

It's funny that you mention this because I just found my diva cup in storage while I was cleaning.

This was kind of short lived for me. I cut off the entire stem, and I still had issues with the tip sticking out of my vagina and irritating the opening.

I'd like to try it again, though. Does anyone have any tips?

Also, has anyone used one with a nuvaring? I know you remove the ring during the "off" week, but my period doesn't tend to come until towards the end, and it hangs around for a few days after I insert a new ring.

[Sam W]

Hi atonement,

For me, the biggest thing that helped me not give up on my cup (the first few uses were uncomfortable) was playing around with position when I inserted it. The leg up on the toilet/tub/whatever seems to work well, but it's one of those things where you have to experiment and see what works best. But finding a pose that made it easy to slide it right into position meant there was less of the "argh, it's sticking out a little" for me.

[Snorkmaiden]

Hiya Atonement,
It's possible that your cup is too long for you. Diva is one of the longest cups on the market, and it generally does not work for people with a lower cervix (such as me!). You could try it out by flipping the cup inside out, which shortens it; if it works better for you that way, you can either buy a different cup (almost all brands are shorter) or wear it like that from now on.

[moonlight]

You hear that, tampons? She is SO DONE with you.

^^I love this!

[Demigoddess]

My experiences with tampons are generally miserable! They really irritate me in several ways, so I want to try menstrual cups! I think they would be a great option for me, and also environmentally friendly and cost effective! However, my mom has used one before, and she has a low cervix, so it hangs outside of her to the point of discomfort, so I'm worried that I'll have the same experience, because...y'know, genetics.

Anyway, I met in the middle with the softcups, which I LOVE. They aren't effective for me on my heaviest days, but I love how convenient and easy to re-use they are. I can hardly feel it's presence; most of the time it makes me feel like I'm not even having my period at all, which is AMAZING!

[Bonthrop]

I LOVE my DivaCup. I very occasionally have problems getting the seal right and have leakage, and I can't really use it when my interstitial cystitis plays up, but otherwise it's been a goddessend (lol). I've had mine since 2009 and it's getting a bit worn/discoloured, so I'm thinking soon I might try a different brand. Any recommendations? I guess I've got a bit of a wide-set, lengthy vag. For stashing things in. You know how it goes.

[iluaf]

I had wanted to try cups for a long time but I was afraid of getting one that didn't work for my body, wasting all of that money and then having to buy another one. So I bought the Rainbow Cup because they were the cheapest at only $17 and free shipping, where most other cups were around $40. I figured I could see what worked and what didn't with it's design, then I would use that information to buy a "better" more expensive cup later. But I lucked out and the cheapo rainbow cup was nearly perfect for me! The stem was just a tiny bit too long, but that's an easy fix. When I have to replace this one, I'll probably buy another rainbow cup.

-- I do want to mention that some people have done flame tests on rainbow cups and found that they might not be made from 100% silicone , so if you have a rubber, latex, or similar allergy you may want to avoid rainbow cups just to be on the safe side. I can't find a product website anywhere to check the materials used. The manufacture is FDA approved though, so there shouldn't be anything too scary in it. (link: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/c ... 5&lpcd=HHE) --

The best part about the cup it that I had almost NO leaks, even at night or when exercising. When I wear a tampon I have to wear a pad with it even if I'm not bleeding very heavily because of leaks. With my cup I never wore a pad once my entire cycle, and the biggest (and only) leak resulted in a little stain the size of my pinky nail.

I did have some issues at the beginning, but nothing much worse than when I started using tampons for the first time. I'm very comfortable/familiar with my body and that helped a lot. The worst problem was the cup bumping my cervix when I "popped" the cup open (Ouch!) But I learned to pop the rim open while it was a little lower in my vagina and then wiggle it back up to where it's supposed to be. Now my only problem is figuring out what to do with the pack of tampons left under my sink.

[Heather]

I knew nothing about this one, thanks for the info, and thanks for adding it for everyone here!

(Btw, this is beyond off-topic, but I just HAVE to know -- I HAVE to -- about the chicken whispering.)

[iluaf]

Haha, my family has raised chickens for years, and they started calling me the chicken whisper because I was the only one who could get the hens out from the 6" space under the coop when they were scared. I would just talk to them and tell them it was time to go to bed and they would come out and go right back in to the coop where they were supposed to be.

[Heather]

That is fantastic! Thanks for sharing that with me. (I have a broken rooster who lives next door myself. I say broken because first thing of the morning seems to be the ONLY time he won't crow: nearly every other time of day seems to be fair game.)

[Snorkmaiden]

I've been using cups for six years now. And I'll be honest here: I'd rather eat a tampon than start using them again. That's how much I love my cups!