Tmi question for Mooncup, Keeper etc users: How much blood do you lose on average?

[duchesse]

I'm only asking because I'm just finishing my first period using my new mooncup. I always suspected my periods were quite heavy, but it's hard to judge with pads.

I know it's only been 9 weeks since my miscarriage, and this is the second period, but I'm up to 100 ml already, which seems rather a lot.

So how much do you think is "normal"?

[jalopy]

I always thought it was an egg-cupful.I'm a bit out of date, methinks!

[duchesse]

Jalopy- I think the mooncup holds what I would consider an eggcupful. It would be nice if it were only that much...

The only online study I could find suggested that 35ml (about two egg cups full) was "normal", with 10-80 ml considered within normal range by quacks. The study was done on Philipino women, who I'm imagining to be somewhat smaller physically than western women. I'd also imagine that they had slightly less varied diets and more restricted calorie intake than in Northern Europe. So I was wondering what the MNetters' experience was.

[whoopsfallenoffthexmastree]

last month I remember emptying a full mooncup at least 3 times

[duchesse]

No 6 times in one day then?

[Overrunderthemistletoe]

Duchesse, I have this problem too, very heavy periods, don't measure it, but in the first three days I have to change mooncup probably about 6 - 8 times. It also leaks a bit as well, i think that my vaginal walls become too slick with the blood (hows that for tmi) as well as the cup just overflowing.
Still think the mooncup is a better option for me than towels or tampons

[NotQuiteCockney]

Oh, I maybe have two or three mooncups full total. I don't know whether this has that much to do with body size etc, as I am 5'6" and size 14/16, and generally a very big girl.

I used to just use my pelvic floor, instead of tampons or anything, but that doesn't really work with bike riding.

[Overrunderthemistletoe]

NQC, wow, I remember from another thread you saying about your pelvic floor muscles, very impressive.
Hijack alert: How was your christmas and is Franny okay, she has been taking a break I understand?

[rhubarbcat]

Are mooncups easy to pull out

I have a fear of ending up in a&e having to have one removed. This keeps putting me off getting one.

[Overrunderthemistletoe]

When they have been put in well, they are a bit tricky to remove, but if you bear down with your muscles while pulling on the stem it does come. Its all about technique and confidence.
Does that help?

[2nervesnapartridgeinapeartree]

I empty mine about 6 times a day and it can be a third to half full each time for the first couple of days.

NQC - What do you mean I just use my pelvic floor?

[whoopsfallenoffthexmastree]

I love my mooncup don't have problems with it leaking like I do with tampons & towels.
Find it pretty easy to remove even though I do think I cut the stem of mine a little short

[duchesse]

Yeah, Overunder, I was slightly worrying about the leaking, as I emptied the mooncup at least every four hours on day 2 and 3, yet it still leaked every time due to being overfull. I will give it another couple of cycles, but can't say I'm that impressed yet, as I had to use pads as well as the mooncup. Since most of my loss is on days 2 and 3 now, I'm not certain it would save me any pads at all unless I emptied it every hour or so (ouch...) including nighttime (had to get up 1am and 5 am because leaking on day 2...)

[duchesse]

ps_ I had to cut the stem off entirely as it was really painful, but stil have no trouble getting it out. I guess we're all set up differently inside...

[BuffysMum]

duchesse my cup leaked because I had really heavy periods and also I realised that my pelvic floor needed rather a lot of work and doing that really helped. However after being constatly anaemic I've not got mirena coil cos I couldn't cope with 3 days on the loo every month.

[longwaytogotobethlehem]

I leak with mine too and on heaviest days prob empty it 3-4 times with it being 1/2 - 3/4 full.

Now can anybody answer me this, do I leak because my cervix is too long and fills the mooncup so there is no room for the loss

Also I think i leak because between taking it out and putting it in again the walls of vagina get covered in blood - does that make sense. If not forget me and carry on.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Hmm, if you are leaking, do you have the right size of mooncup? How is your pelvic floor?

I do find I need to wipe up after reinserting the mooncup. I gather it is best to wear it relatively "low", presumably that's partly so the cervix isn't in it? I'd think that putting it up near your cervix would be uncomfortable and difficult, but I guess it depends on how low your cervix is?

I think Frances is ok, I haven't heard from her for a few days, but when last we emailed, she was fine.

Re: pelvic floor muscles ... I would push out the blood when I went to the loo, and hold it in the rest of the time. Before I got a mooncup, I would use one tampon, on the first day, or if I was biking. Otherwise I was fine without.

But it's harder, with kids, to be sure to go to the loo every hour or two, and I spend a lot of time on the bike these days, so the mooncup is worthwhile, for the first day or two.

[Pruni]

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[duchesse]

NQC, I too am impressed by your pelvic floor. After three babies, one of them 8lbs12, mine is certainly not what it once was..

[longwaytogotobethlehem]

notquitecockney how on earth do you manage to have pelvic floor that good

my pelvic floor is shot to bits and my cervix is very low when i sit on the loo for eg I can feel neck of cervix sometimes, even though when I lie down they have trouble finding it.

[duchesse]

ps- I can't wear mine low like they recommend- it rubbed and was far too uncomfortable. The angle they illustrate was also very different from my anatomy, I found. I have to wear it a lot higher up in order not to be constantly aware of it, and find bothersome- this was exactly the same problem I had when I used to try to wear tampons. I just gave up in the end and have used pads for most of my menstrual life.

[2nervesnapartridgeinapeartree]

NQC - Wow. I am both shocked and amazed that anyone would be able to do this pre kids but afterwards...awesome!

[Pruni]

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[NotQuiteCockney]

Oh, mine isn't that good now, post-kids. I need to do more work on it. (Two kids, 9lb6 and 8lb10, but both csection arrivals.)

I found the stem caused problems initially, when wearing it low, and yeah, of course, you want it high enough that you're not aware of it. I do find it lots more comfortable than tampons, though, which I always found very hard to wear while having cramps.

[Pruni]

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