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Original poster

Should I buy a mooncup…

51 replies

Spencer2 · 26/07/2023 21:51

Hi ladies,

Sat here feeling grim and p*ssed off on day 1 of my period! I dread it every month and I know it’s because pads make me feel so uncomfortable and just crap.

I wear baggy clothes all week because I am wearing big and ridiculously ugly knickers and get paranoid that the outline of the big ugly knickers is visible, and also the pad itself.

It just makes me feel crap.

Any way, I don’t get along with tampons so I was thinking of trying a mooncup? This is going to sound ridiculous but… is it easy to put in and take out?! I did just google if it could somehow get lost in there… google says that is impossible 🤣 so seriously considering.

Also, would you say you still have to wear the big ugly knickers with a panty liner?

OP posts:
ZacharinaQuack · 27/07/2023 10:47

I love mine but DP did 'lose' one once - she has a very high cervix and just couldn't get it out without help. I definitely would recommend getting a cup but try doing a quiz like this one first to get the fit right:

2023’s Menstrual Cup Quiz – 7 Simple Questions for a Perfect Match!

Using this SIMPLE quiz will help you to find the perfect cup for YOUR BODY! Just Follow These 7 Simple Questions. It's not sponsored by anyone, so the results are not biased.

https://menstrualcupreviews.net/quiz

YouveCatToBeKittenMe · 27/07/2023 10:51

I persevered with one for about 10 years, but it always leaked and when it was full it was messy. I gave up last year and went back to tampons. I could never leave it in all day, on heaviest days, 3 hours max.

Happysunshineyellow · 27/07/2023 10:51

Ive got the lily cup. Changed my life, im a zealot. As others said there is a learning curve. The first couple of times I used it I did it in the shower, so i was showering morning and evening. But it meant i could get in their without worrying or spilling and I could try multiple times positioning it etc. Sounds like a faff but it wasnt bad at all. By the 3rd period with it I was a pro.

Recently I was on holiday and forgot it and had to use pads and tampons. Id forgotten how horrible they were. I couldnt go back.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Beauty
caninthewooss · 27/07/2023 10:54

Right now I have one in taking the dog for a walk, I have the same type underwear I use all the time. I have been using one for a while and it's great. My periods aren't really heavy (so I can't speak for people who do have heavy periods). I put it in in the morning leave it all day the clean it out when I shower put it back in and it's fine til the next morning. I would say it's easier than having tampons/towels as I don't have take anything with me. You can always give it a try to see if you get on with it

Viggooooh · 27/07/2023 10:56

There has been some evidence that they can cause prolapse. They say if you use properly and break the seal before removing that it won't. I used it properly but now have a prolapse after using one for around 6 months. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. I'm back on tampons but think I will get some period pants.

mindutopia · 27/07/2023 11:02

No, I don't think they are easy to put in or take out. I found my really quite uncomfortable, but I don't like tampons either. Period pants have been life changing though.

Maddy70 · 27/07/2023 11:05

Yes!!!! Brilliant. No leaks

Coral569 · 27/07/2023 11:41

It's worth a try! So many women rave about them. I gave it a go for a few months though and really hated it. I found it stressful and messy and trying to rinse it out in public toilets wasn't fun. But I was glad I tried it.

I'm tempted to try period pants but in the meantime I've gone back to tampons, although I can see those aren't an option for you.

BillyBraggisnotmylover · 27/07/2023 19:07

Viggooooh · 27/07/2023 10:56

There has been some evidence that they can cause prolapse. They say if you use properly and break the seal before removing that it won't. I used it properly but now have a prolapse after using one for around 6 months. I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. I'm back on tampons but think I will get some period pants.

Have you got a link? A quick search brought up a bbc article but in the two examples given the women had used the cups for 2 months and 3 months respectively. I would be very, very surprised if using a cup twice was sufficient to cause prolapse.

Viggooooh · 27/07/2023 19:29

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8606723/ link to study citing issues with moon cups potential to cause prolapse

BillyBraggisnotmylover · 27/07/2023 19:32

Viggooooh · 27/07/2023 19:29

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8606723/ link to study citing issues with moon cups potential to cause prolapse

That references the same Victoria Derbyshire programme which was anecdotal rather than research based.

AP5Diva · 27/07/2023 19:45

I tried the Mooncup but they don’t come in a small enough size for me. Couldn’t fit one in. I tried both A and B despite being over 30 and having had babies vaginally.

I tried period pants and they gave me thrush.

So back to plastic free, organic cotton Sanpro for me.

Soapboxqueen · 27/07/2023 19:49

Yes you should.

I personally didn't get on with them.

I am in love with my modibodi period pants.

However, you should try because tbh for many women alternatives are better than pads and tampons.

ditalini · 27/07/2023 19:52

Viggooooh · 27/07/2023 19:29

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8606723/ link to study citing issues with moon cups potential to cause prolapse

Did you mean to cite another paper? That one just mentions an episode of the Victoria Derbyshire programme.

PretendUsername · 27/07/2023 19:57

Never used one because access to private sink isn't always available. I wouldn't want anyone to see me washing it out at communal sinks in loos with cubicles. Not only is it embarassing, even in single room toilets with private sinks it's a pretty disgusting thing to do. Yes I know people wash dirty hands in sinks but would you really like to wash your hands in one that had been used to dispose of a biohazard without any bleach afterwards? Absolutely disgusting thing to do outside of your own home.

SusiePevensie · 27/07/2023 19:59

But you don't need to do that. Dump blood in loo, wipe with loo paper. Wash at home.

BillyBraggisnotmylover · 27/07/2023 20:03

Yep, never once had to wash mine in a public sink!

AP5Diva · 27/07/2023 20:07

SusiePevensie · 27/07/2023 19:59

But you don't need to do that. Dump blood in loo, wipe with loo paper. Wash at home.

Not washing between uses is risking TSS.

MeinKraft · 27/07/2023 20:09

I want to try one but I read an article about women getting prolapses after bearing down whilst pulling them out and it freaked me out a bit.

bryceQ · 27/07/2023 20:19

I don't think "mooncup" is the best brand. They have smaller, softer ones that are better. They carry a lot more than tampons so don't need to change as often. If I was emptying in public I would just take wet wipes with me, I wouldn't rinse in a communal sink.

Period pants very easy too

overitunderit · 27/07/2023 20:32

MeinKraft · 27/07/2023 20:09

I want to try one but I read an article about women getting prolapses after bearing down whilst pulling them out and it freaked me out a bit.

You don't need to bear down to remove it really. It sits just above the entrance to your vagina. You just sort of fold it a bit which releases the seal then pull it out.

onlynotafan · 27/07/2023 20:58

Started using one last months period but I'm in two minds wether to go back to using pads. When something seems to be to good to be true it usually is.

MeinKraft · 01/08/2023 14:20

Ok so after reading this thread I had a look on Boots and noticed their own brand one is on offer at the minute (£6.80!) I immediately went and bought one. It's very comfortable and effective but blimey I was not prepared for the faff of trying to get it out. It was wedged right in there, I couldn't reach up high enough to pinch it and tugging the stem did nothing. I seem to have got it down from two hours to half an hour though after watching a YouTube tutorial Blush

GiraffeLaSophie · 01/08/2023 15:02

PretendUsername · 27/07/2023 19:57

Never used one because access to private sink isn't always available. I wouldn't want anyone to see me washing it out at communal sinks in loos with cubicles. Not only is it embarassing, even in single room toilets with private sinks it's a pretty disgusting thing to do. Yes I know people wash dirty hands in sinks but would you really like to wash your hands in one that had been used to dispose of a biohazard without any bleach afterwards? Absolutely disgusting thing to do outside of your own home.

How is rinsing a mooncup any different (from a hygiene point of view) to washing bodily fluids off your hands?

Plus I don’t think my hands have ever touched the bowl of a sink when I’ve washed them out and about, so I don’t tend to worrying about biohazards going down the drain.

PriamFarrl · 01/08/2023 15:06

I started using them 20 years ago!
I get TSS from tampons so they are a complete no go for me. I loved mine. That and washable pads and I was away.

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