So Monday I had a fabulous hot stone massage. The only problem was over the week I had some grumbly mid cycle spotting, I had been wearing a cloth liner as a just in case, but didnt feel comfortable wearing one for my massage, so I put my cup in. When I took my cup out there was nothing, so putting a tampon in wouldn't have been a good idea and removing a dry tampon hurts.
So yes a good example of cup love.

When I brought my UK Mooncup a month or so they gave me a code that is good for three uses to get £3 off. I'm offering it up to you guys, but on a little deal! I would be very grateful if you could click through a site to get to the Mooncup page. A charity that has helped me so much over the years, the Association of Young People with M.E, has an affiliate link to Mooncup, for every purchase made through them Mooncup give £4.
So the click through link is http://www.ayme.org.uk/article.php?sid=18&id=228 the Mooncup button is towards the bottom of the page and the discount code is MOON1476520830-52
If you use the code leave a comment just so people can know once it has been used up.
Colette

So today I had my first full day using the cup- no leaks yet, no discomfort aside from the initial twinge of putting it in, nothing!  I feel very proud.
Thanks to all of you for your help!!

(sorry for the onsurge of posts!)

just to say i have had much sucess with my cup and i'm SO glad i have it! i was really nervoud before but now it's all worked fine i'm so happy, they're actually amazing.
sadley most my friends are freaked out by tampons so i don't think i'll be converting them to cups anytime soon :(

I dropped my Lunette in the toilet by accident as I tried to remove it. After rinsing it out with some of the soap that came with it, I decided to boil some water in the microwave for 5 mins., then pour the water over my Lunette and let it soak for a few minutes in a plastic cup. Is this safe to do?

Hi,

I am a twenty year old virgin using my mooncup for the second cycle in a row. I am loving the cup so far. However, I have an extremely heavy flow on my third day. I seem to leak all the time. I do think I am inserting the cup correctly and getting a good seal, because I never have leaking problems untill day three. My cup leaks every two hours on my heavy day. Is this normal? Does anyone have any advice for using my cup during my heavy day?

So I haven't yet ever used a cup...but I've been looking into getting the Diva Cup.  I just wanted some advice from people that ride or have ridden horses before while using one.  I ride horses quite frequently and I would think a cup would be kind of uncomfortable for this type of activity.  I have heard though that it is great for other activities and overall very comfortable.  So does anyone here have any experience using cups while riding horses?

So tuesday around 4 pm i started my period, and i put my mooncup [uk] in right away. Since then, i've not had a single leak! yay!

The stem at first was bothering me, it reminded me of when i used to rush and put tampons in quickly and i could still feel them bothering my labia. so i cut half of the stem off on wednesday. [i was scared to cut it all off because i'm still learning how to remove it and i kinda use it. when i get the learning curve down maybe i'll trim the rest] but so far it seems to be working great! i don't feel it poking anymore.

however, i have had cramps for the past 3 days, and i normally only get them the first day of my period, if at all. Do you think the cup could make them worse?

Insertion has been easy, no time at all. i use the punchdown, and i can insert while sitting on the toilet. simple, quick, easy - great, since i live in a community dorm!

Removal, however, is quite hard. The cup moves upwards quite a bit from where i place it, and it's hard to get my finger all the way up to the top of the cup and then around the giant rim that the mooncup has! but i'm starting to get the hang of it i think. it just takes a little extra time i guess. so far, i bear down and pull on the stem a little until the cup is just at the entrance to my vagina, then i get at least my index finger in to squish the cup. sometimes i can get my thumb in there too.

even though i have not had any leaks - yay! - i can definitely feel the cup there. maybe i just need to get used to it? but i can feel pressure in my abdomen and it's not pleasant, especially when mixed with my cramps. tonight i am taking a break from the cup and letting my poor achey vagina rest until morning. i never liked using tampons much and would always use pads at night to give my vagina a rest; i know it doesn't hurt it any to have tampons, cups, etc up there but the pressure always bothers me. hopefully i'll get used to the cup, i don't want to use pads for the rest of my life!

 the length is perfect, it's not too long, not too short. capacity is good too, i've only changed it once a day since i started. tonight i think it was overflowing, i had that bubbly feeling that someone described once, and when i was changing it in the shower, as soon as i broke the suction before i even pulled the cup out i had blood all over my hand. it spilled everywhere so i think it was full haha. but i had it in for about 11 hours i think; i'd been running nonstop all day. but it didn't leak! just got bubbly, and it'd been bubbly for about two hours and still didn't leak, so i guess that's good.

all-in-all, i have had great success, and i am so glad i bought the mooncup [= i just wish the uncomfy-ness in my abdomen would go away ):

...Maybe it's been discussed here already or maybe many woman already do this... OR maybe it's what everyone does !!

Either way, I'm posting to maybe help out some women. What I do to get my cup out (I have a Mooncup UK, but I did this with the other two cups I've used in the past as well), is I pull it (it still has a tiny bit of the stem and I wear it pretty high) until I get the base of the cup then I squeesh it really hard until it starts folding in on itself, and while still tugging gently slowly work my finger and thumb up the cup as high as possible to break the seal as best as possible. Then I kind of twist it from side to side to further break the seal and to continue slowly working it out. I twist it until it's out!

Idk, I've been reading in here a lot recently and today on the loo, I realized that, hey, I have never heard this discussed. Maybe it already has? hhahahaha! Idk. But there ya have it.

So I got my cup a few weeks ago and I've been debating whether or not to do a dry run or just wait for my period. On the one hand, I think it would be nice to have some experience with it before my actual period. On the other hand, I've read some bad experiences with dry runs and people have said that it's much easier when you're on your actual period. Add to that there's no lube in my house and I don't really want to go out and buy some just for this.

So I was hoping to get some advice. Are they a good idea or a bad idea? And is it possible to do one sans lube or is that a very bad idea?

well i've had a few dry runs with my lunette and have been getting it in as mostly okay (lube really IS womans best friend).
however a couple of problems/queeries:

1) it goes in and it's all comfy and everything but it just doesn't pop open, i've trie dall the folds but maybe i've just done them wrong, what can i do to help it pop open and which is actually the best fold for this?

2) it absolubetly KILLS to take out, i know this must be cos of my hymen and being a virgin and all, is there anything i can do to help it hurt less? or should one time i just pull hard and hope it rips and that be the end of it? or is that the worlds worst idea?

and finally,

3)why do we even HAVE a hymen?

thanks

Hey gals!  I had an interesting experience the other day, and I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience

( Cut for goo )

x-posted to vaginapagina 

Using the poll (community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups/1399338.html) that was done a few weeks ago, I found some statistics.  I also took into account the comments about Mooncup UK, since Mooncup UK wasn't in the poll.  Also, I combined PinkCup and LadyCup, since they're the same (I think?) just different colors.

The poll asked "Which brand of cup(s) do you own and are you happy with it?"

	Yes	No	% Yes	% No
Keeper	18	3	86%	14%
Lunette	35	2	95%	5%
Diva	144	25	85%	15%
Lady Cup	13	2	87%	13%
Pink Cup	7	0	100%	0%
Lady/Pink Cup	20	2	91%	9%
Mia Cup	5	1	83%	17%
Moon cup (US)	14	4	78%	22%
Mooncup (UK)	19	2	90%	10%

Hope this helps!  If you're wondering whether to get a cup, realize that most people are happy with the cup they get.  Thanks to grettagrids for doing the poll.

Hello ladies :))

A friend of mine indicated to me the link of a French site :
http://rebellyon.info/article4148.html

There are 2 short and well-written articles. One is about the "pisse-debout" ("pisse" comes from "pisser" = to pee and "debout" is "standing"). It looks like the Freelax, a pretty cool thing.

Then they speak about the "cueille-lune" ("lune" is moon and "cueille" is from the verb "cueillir" = to pick ; "cueille" can be used both for "pick!" or "(I/he,she) picks"..).
On the picture, the cup looks like one of the Mooncups, but I don't recognize the shape of the ridges on the outside of the cup..? Plus, the handle looks thinner, such as on the Lunette or Diva for instance etc..
Would that only be an effect of the picture itself ?
Do you think that'd be a new, French cup ?

I wrote them a mail yesterday.. We'll see what they'll learn me.. ;)
Kisses!

I finally decided to bite the bullet and order the Diva Cup.  I have to admit making that final decision is difficult because I still feel like I had to somewhat take a guess at which cup would best suit/fit me.  Well, now I'm kind of excited and can't wait to get my Diva Cup!!  I should get it just in time for my next cycle...so wish me luck with it.

p.s.:  you can use the referral coupon code KAS493 for a $5 savings on your first order placed with them (that code worked for me)

There are several Norwegian online stores that sell cups. I know of one that is actually a cup store, the others are generally cloth diapering and/or babywearing stores that also sell a cup and some cloth pads (which is a great idea, since those who use cloth diapers should be more open to reusable alternatives :)). Two of these cloth diapers/babywearing have together opened a physical store in Trondheim, and it sells (drum roll, please) the Mooncup UK. It opened Nov 1st, is called Kenguruloftet & Krusedull, and is located at Nedre Bakklandet 22, 7014 Trondheim. I don't know of any other offline (so to speak) stores in Norway that sell cups, there really ought to be at least one in Oslo, but still. I'm happy! They also sell cloth pads, btw.

Norway being Norway (and thus, expensive), it's generally cheaper to order online from abroad, but this way, if you're in Trondheim, you don't have to wait for shipping, customs etc, and you can also avoid using your credit card online, if you don't want to. The last goes for their online stores as well, which accept both prepayments and cash on delivery.

Their webpages are here: Krusedull & Kenguruloftet (both in Norwegian, obviously).

The Middle of Nowhere now has a cup vendor! ;)

ETA: Really, if cups are sold in Norway, it's a big step. We might be quite liberal in this country, but we're slow to catch on. I blame the cold :p

For those of you who use your cup for long-term wear (meaning for more than just your period), how often and what method do you use to clean it? I usually just use mine for a week during my period, but I've been using it "dry" waiting for my period to come for a week already. I've been rinsing it twice a day like I would if I were on my period. Is this enough, or should I boil it periodically?

Can someone help me out here please...I've come across a couple posts/replies suggesting turning the Diva cup inside out...I'm trying to find out why exactly one might want to turn their cup inside out? (ex: in what instance, to help solve what issue?...I'm sure there is a thread about this but I can't seem to find it)...It's taking me some time to figure out how to navigate around here, thanks for the help.  :)

Any tips for using the Nuvaring with a cup at the same time? I know it can be done. I just can't get my ring high enough, it always overlaps with the rim of the cup just a bit and I get some leakage. Is my vagina too short? I use the Divacup, by the way.

Does anyone know the diameter of an instead cup in mm? I'm curious because I'm considering getting a diaphragm for period usage ONLY because I liked the way insteads work but they didn't fit. It always squooshes past my pubic bone after sleeping or activity, leaking all over the place. I THINK that may mean the cup is too big to fit comfortably, or maybe too small.

I live in a country where D's can be obtained OTC, so I want to avoid going to an office for a fitting because I don't have the money. Any help appreciated!

Hi all.  I've been researching menstrual cups and am about to buy a miacup.  It's between that and waiting for the Lunette Selene.  I think I'm going to bite the bullet and go with the mia, but was wondering if anyone had any extra coupons from when they ordered.  Let me know, thanks! 

Hello all!!! This question has probably already been answered ages ago, lol. I purchased a Diva Cup a couple of weeks ago from my local Whole Foods market. I was SOOOO excited to use it!!! With the first couple of days of my period, it worked really well. I stated getting really confident...maybe too confident, because by day three...it was a NIGHTMARE. I put it on before work & I realized that I was leaking by the time I got there. Thank goodness that i brought a tampon with me, just in case. So my questions are:

1. How in the world is it possible for me to stick my fingers up there and turn the cup? I just can't do it!!!

2.) What is the easiest way to find my cervix? That could be my main problem.

For now, I've gone back to using tampons, b/c the diva cup has upset me so much. Any advive would do. I'm not a quitter & I'd hate to just give up on it, but I'm not sure about what else I should do. Thanks in advance!!!

Hello!

I've used a Keeper (the smaller one) for a while (mostly on and off) and the only reason I don't love it is because it makes my already achey vagina ten times more achey on my really bad days and when I'm on my super achey vagina days, insertion hurts like crazy. Really, inserting almost anything on those days hurts, though.

Well, not the Instead cup. My very darling and wonderful mother went out and got me a bar of chocolate and a box of Instead cups because I had been talking about them earlier and because I was lying around moaning. Well, it turns out that my insides LOVE the Instead cup. It doesn't cause me any pain or achey pressure and I think it's about ten times more user friendly than the Keeper was for me. I find it really comfortable to wear. Where I could always tell I was wearing my Keeper, I can't feel the Instead cup at ALL! It's great, I love it, yadda yadda.

Well, here's the rub: I was attracted to the Keeper because it created less waste and was friendlier on the environment than disposable products and it was a huge money saver for me. Well, the Instead is disposable and not exactly a one-time purchase.

So, is there a cup out there that mimics the style and fit of the Instead (up around the cervix with a flexible ring) but is reusable?

If not, can I reasonably get away with wearing my Instead cup for more than the allotted twelve hours (assuming I empty it when it's full, of course)?

A few things: not currently sexually active but have been in past, not on any form of hormonal birth control (but liked the Ring aside from not having much of a sex drive, but I think the shape is why the Instead is now so comfortable for me!) and almost never ever get yeast or urinary tract infections, super comfortable sticking things in my vagina.

Thanks, everybody!

Hi, I'm just posting to praise the Goddess thank the person who gave me the idea of turning my Diva inside out and using it. It makes the cup massively more comfortable and doesn't seem to reduce it's volume too much. I'm loving my Diva now. Insertion is a bit different because of the different shape of the bottom and so was removal, but I've got it down now. My vagina is much happier because of it and so I am. Sorry I can't remember who you are, but thank you anyway you lovely, wonderful woman! I was the one who asked the silly question about whether if I turned it inside out it was likely to turn itself back the right way when it was inside me :-P Yeah, I know *rolls eyes*

xxxxxxx times a thousand!

Hello all, I'm fairly new to this site.  Slowly finding my way around.  Finding all the posts so far very informative...great support system as well.  I'm glad I found this site.
I have tried the instead disposable cups during a couple recent cycles and although not 100% successful with them I have decided to bite the bullet and get a Diva Cup.  Locally they are available at 2 stores (one has to order it in while the other has one in stock) and relatively expensive and that is before sales taxes are applied.  I stumbled across some info on here (though I can't find it now) and seems my best option at this time is to make my purchase online from iHerb.com (I think cup costs around $15 to 16US with coupon and incl. S/H?).
 Wondered if anyone here has a "referral coupon code" they'd want to share so I could take advantage of the $5 coupon on my purchase.  (I'm new to online purchasing....anyone care to share their experience with buying from iHerb - purchase/customer service/return policies).
Thanks 

The Yuuki Cups web site has been "deactivated."  http://www.yuuki.cz ; Temporarily or permanently?  Let's see what happens.

If they have gone out of business, I wonder what will happen to all the Yuuki Cups.  Will they wind up on bargain shelves?