To not really understand why some people find mooncups so disgusting...

[katykuns]

Particularly after reading the 'fitting in' thread in AIBU... I just don't really understand, it's just blood, and you still have to deal with it when you use other sanitary products.

If anything, I think it's less yucky, because it collects it and you aren't wiping it off yourself? If it's about things going up there, that doesn't really make sense if you use tampons...

Thanks, I really need something drastic. Bloody periods eh!

I am so hoping this alleviates some of my problems (re heavy flow) too.

What's going on in the public sink? Do we put the stopper in and wash our faces? Why not moon cup in the sink?

TBH I just put the mooncup straight back up without wiping it - it's going to get bloody again anyway! (TMI) obviously if there are any stringy bits they have to go, because that would feel horrible, but that's where the loo roll comes in. It's more difficult to put in when it's dry, anyway, so I wouldn't like to wipe it completely.

I use a mooncup and I'm a fan as it's much cheaper than tampons (I have very long periods so need protection 20 days each cycle). But I definitely find it ickier than tampons were. My hands get bloody as I have a very heavy flow and I need lots of loo roll to wipe them off, and I try to do up my jeans and open the door one-handed so as to avoid touching them with bloodied hands. With tampons it was easier because all the blood was absorbed so it didn't drip anywhere.

I was once in the next door cubicle to someone who dropped theirs pre-emptying. It was like a scene from a horror film.

MB actually looks beautiful when you see it collected. Such a gorgeous red colour! So different from the manky smelly rusty colour you get with tampons/pads. I feel much more positive about periods generally now and I think that's one of the reasons.

trust if you have to empty a moon cup every hour because it is full then you do have heavy periods.

Yes MB is really beautiful....if your a vampire

wrap with loo roll and squeeze rather than wipe, no issue with bits then

Am i the only one who dosen,t know what they are until now pads for me though tampons don,t work for me i still leak.

I agree about MB being beautiful and fascinating

This thread reminds me of the three seashells scene in Demolition Man "they used handfuls of wadded up paper back in the 20th century"

The Mooncup has only been around for 10 years; it will take generations for them to be widely accepted - but I am certain that in my lifetime, towels and tampons will become obsolete - probably ushered out as penalties for adding to landfill are enforced on manufacturers.

I love my mooncup - it has changed my life as I have pursued a career that I never would have considered when using tampons/pads

I like mine but it leaks when my flow is heavy so I have to use a pad at nights.

Was mortified recently though as had an abdominal ct scan and it showed up

I had to explain to two male doctors what a moon cup was. The shame!

Can I ask a dim question? How exactly do you insert and remove them? I've watched the video on the Mooncup website, but really, how much fishing about in your vagina do you have to do? I ask because I'm not at all squeamish about menstrual blood, but I'm very squeamish about putting a finger (or two?) into my vagina - I can't use non-applicator tampons, for instance, and my attempts at perineal massage while pregnant were non-existent.

Have always wanted to try a mooncup, and that's the only thing putting me off.

I miss my Mooncup. My periods were soooo much shorter, no cramps. It was great!
My problem was my coil came out while using it. I know they say you can use a mooncup with a coil but mine came out. Literally as I was wiping!
When my daughter gets to that age I will suggest one. Up to her if she uses it but I wish I'd known about them then.
And for those squealing about it all being disgusting, get a grip! When you've been a mother and dealt with endless piss, snot and shit and as a wife, spunk too, then how can your own blood be disgusting??
Also it helps to have some wipes in your bag to clean down your hands before leaving the cubicle.

Peevish
I think that if you can't use non applicator tampons, then you might find it difficult to cope with a mooncup. It is quite easy to remove, when you have the technique right, but takes a bit of getting used to.

I can't use tampons. And with pads every time I stand up I flood. I don't understand how it works but mooncups make my periods lighter, shorter and less painful. Rarely have to empty it when out, if I do I just tip it down the loo and reinsert

I LOVE my MC! And a point that noone has mentioned yet - I get very light periods towards the end. Can't stand pads (sweaty Betty anyone?!) and the drying effect of tampons has consistently given me recurring bouts of thrush since I was 18.

Since getting my mooncup over a year ago... Not ONE incidence! After over 10 years of on and off itching.

Now if that's not worth sticking a finger in your fanjo every now and then, I don't know what is.

I did have one mishap where it effectively flicked blood all up the walls of the work loo, cleaned it up with loo roll and hoped I'd not missed any on my trousers, but really, funny more than anything, and I still would never go back to tampons.

Nota think they have been around longer than that iirc - I have been using mine for 5/6 years and a friend who introduced me to them had been using them for years before that. The Keeper has been around for a long time because I remember reading about it but not being able to buy on in the UK (days before google)

peevish give it a miss imo - if you can't cope with putting your fingers inside you then perhaps the MC is not for you.

I pour the blood down the loo? Took me a month or two to really get the hang of it (position wise) and I would never go back to yucky pads and tampons now ever. Tampons always made me itchy after my period had finished and I don't have these issues with mooncup. Plus no issues with leakage, running out of tampons and its much easier overall. I would never have had a bath whilst using a tampon (specially not with my boys "what's that string mummy?") . I can measure my flow and I find its much cleaner. Menstrual blood doesn't smell unless its been festering on a pad/ tampon. Don't knock it til you've tried it i say!

So can I ask a bit of a [bblush] question? When the family planning clinic tried to fit me for a diaphragm, they didn't have one small enough - it literally wouldn't go in, except when one older nurse came to have a fish around try, and had me in tears getting it in. Although I've had three babies (soon 4), apparently my cervix is far back and tilted so neither I nor any of the other nurses who tried could get even the smallest one in.

So would this be the same for a mooncup or similar device, or does it work totally differently?

Lilblonde: Mooncups sit just inside the vaginal entrance, so nowhere near as high up as a diaphragm.

lilblonde My cervix is the same - smear tests are a nightmare!

My Mooncup is fine though, took a few days to work out the best way to 'get it in position', but since then, I've not looked back