to feel like my bastard Mooncup needed a foreceps delivery

[MrsWedgeAntilles]

It was like One Born Every Minute.
I'm a novice Mooncup user but Holy Lord that can't be normal. I thought, what with having a C-section, I'd missed out on all that drama but the mooncup has just given me a wee taster of vaginal birth.

[Orlando]

YANBU. I delivered 3 babies with not a scratch, but after one month of using a mooncup my lady bits felt like they'd been through a paper shredder.

[MrsWedgeAntilles]

Did it get any better?

[Orlando]

Sadly not. I really wanted it to work and tried again the next month, after which antibiotics were involved.

[DrankSangriaInThePark]

I pride myself on once making the weekly MN round up on the basis of having given myself a do it yourself hysterectomy trying to get mine out.

I chucked it away. The fear of having to go to A and E, in a country where they don't even use tampons, let alone fecking mooncups, was too much.

[MinesAPintOfTea]

If you can reach it, squeeze/twist/tilt it to break the suction

[ghostinthecanvas]

Been there, done that. Was crying with frustration and pain.

[Imnotaslimjim]

Sounds like you were just trying to pull it by its stem? You need to gently squeeze and tilt it first, then it will come away. I'm a recent convert, and found the first month tricky and messy but had no problems since

[MrsWedgeAntilles]

Antibiotics? Orlando, what happened? I was quite into the whole mooncup thing but not if my bits are going to start needing prescription medication.

[newsecretidentity]

Yep, first month tricky, but fine ever afterwards. The key is to
a) pee first
b) bear down- your pelvic muscles should be doing most of the work to get it out.
c) as Imnotaslimjim says, squeeze it to break suction and it will pop out.

And for the love of God and all that is holy, trim your nails!

[onlyfortonight]

Just to check…you have trimmed the 'stem' haven't you? I had to cut that part completely away to stop it irritating my vagina, but once I had…no problems!

However, after a vaginal delivery of a 11lb DD, I don't find it too difficult to get it out!

[Orlando]

Ah, well... fingernails might possibly have had something to do with it (there was an unholy amount of frantic scrabbling around up there.) I can't remember exactly what infection the swab showed up, but the doctor (looking slightly horrified) said the mooncup was most likely to blame. I'm prepared to accept that it was my bungling incompetence in using it rather than the mooncup itself, but it was with some relief that I ventured down the sanpro aisle of Sainsburys again.

[ButterflySwan]

You could try a different cup? Threw my Mooncup away as I felt my insides were battered, bruised & shredded after just one week (TMI?!).

Then discovered a Sckoon Cup and great success, very soft, no ridges, I can highly recommend!

[redexpat]

My second period was much easier. Yy to squeezing it to break the suction. I use a scissor action to grab mine.

[Twighlightsparkle]

Shudder

[thebody]

anything that makes periods harder to best sounds Barmy to me.

still maintain, and I know you some of you do use them, still maintain have never seen one or heard of one in RL until mumsnetting.

[JennySense]

I was doing quite well apart from the squeezing which ended up squeezing out what the moon up had harvested on more than one occasion. Then I too ended up with an infection - the second time it happened my mooncup and I parted company. I would still want to give it another go sometime.

[MrsMcEnroe]

YANBU

I tried a Mooncup thanks to advice on MN. I thought I was going to pull my uterus out through my fanjo, the suction in the damn thing was so strong.

I had to have a lie down after I finally managed to remove it, after I threw it in the bin. Waste of 20-odd quid!!

[MrsWedgeAntilles]

Right, I have now developed a technique where I squeeze it down until it crowns and then pinch the end until it makes an unholy squelching noise and pops out. I really feel like I've experienced vaginal birth, I'm off to start knitting a tiny Mooncup bonnet and bootees and think of a name to call my wee new arrival.

[Mignonette]

[RaspberryRuffle]

Sounds painful. Have not had any problems with Meluna cup, or Softcup, a disposable version, 8 for 4 quid, use for a day then throw away. The soft cup looked huge but was actually fine, very very comfortable. It has no stem so you squeeze and pull it out.
The Meluna has different bits for getting them out, some like a stem, some like a ball, some like a ring pull (you can put a cotton string through that if you want).
Maybe give it a miss for the rest of this period if you're feeling a bit battered, poor OP.

[mansize]

How far are you putting it up there? It's supposed to sit very low in your vagina.

I have no problem with it. I just make sure I piss first and bear down. My problem with it is that it almost always leaks slightly. I'm intrigued by the softcups.

[MrsWedgeAntilles]

I think that was the problem, Mansize, It was away miles inside but I've chopped the stem off and its riding a lot lower so it seems a lot more comfy.

[evelynj]

I bought one over 5 odd years ago but couldn't work it. Had 2 babies since then by csection & thought I should try it again but dreading it now-I struggle with tampons!

May try the soft cups first.....

[Feebeela]

I threw my mooncup away after being left exhausted after removal. Horrid sucking feeling, home hysterectomy sensation and much finger scrabbling. Yuk!

[heather1]

Soft cups www.boots.com/en/Softcup are good. I have tried Mooncups but I like these