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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Are mooncups overrated or am I incompetent? (Bit gross)

97 replies

1wokeuplikethis · 03/07/2017 10:29

I bought a mooncup on Friday for my period that started that day. Have heard great reviews and seen many mn-ers raving about them & love the concept entirely. But holy hell have I had a bloody (pun intended) nightmare with it.

Bought big fanjo size because I'm over 30 & had 2 vaginal births. Put it in and couldn't feel it; great! 30mins later I was suffering horrendous cramps radiating through my lower back akin to labour pains. Took pain relief, took the cup out & reinserted in case I had done it wrong, followed the origami of folding the thing and heard the seal...squelching (soz). Pain was so bad I felt sick. Couldn't sleep, eventually at 2am I took it out & shoved a tampon in.
Saturday morning, I was still in agony, so carried on with tampons & the pain had worn off by the evening so I put the mooncup back in. Had a coughing fit a few minutes later and felt it practically shoot out. Ran to toilet with fingers trying to hold it back in and the frigging stem scratching my innards to shreds.
Emptied, chopped off entire stem & reinserted. Ran my finger round and it was definitely in and sealed but I could still feel it and only felt comfortable lying on the sofa BUT then it leaked.

Basically, since Friday I have spent my period switching between the cup & tampons because the pain was unbearable, it was uncomfortable to have in and the times that it felt comfortable, it leaked!

I am a stubborn sod and not prepared to throw the (sanitary) towel in yet. Also ignored manufacturers advice to use it for the last 2 day and of my period for the first try because I know my vagina/insides/workings/flow etc and thought I'd just jump straight in.

Mooncup users and lovers... I summon you! What is going wrong here? I really want this to work. But with the pain and the leaking, I'm getting disheartened. Any advice?

OP posts:

LivingInMidnight · 03/07/2017 20:05

The fold you're using shouldn't affect leaking as the seal is made when it pops open. If you think the seal is affecting it, you're not popping it open properly. If you're struggling do half a punch down (press one side in to halfway up the other) it should pop easily once inserted. Remember to twist it after it opens also. If you run your finger around the outside you should be able to tell it's opened.

You can clean the little holes by filling the cup with water, putting your hand on top (making a seal again) then squeezing the cup with your other hand. The water should come out of the holes. You can also use an interdental brush. If it's stubborn you can put a bit of bicarb on the (wet) interdental brush.

LivingInMidnight · 03/07/2017 20:06

That second seal should say fold!

Original poster

1wokeuplikethis · 03/07/2017 22:00

Bloody thing just sodding leaked again. There's some in the cup but so much leakage. Feeling pissed off about it and back to tampons tonight 🙄

Thanks for all the advice, am heartened to know it took others a good while to get the knack of. Will try again tomorrow but currently just feel like I've got a duffer. Or I'm a duffer!

Did forget to twist though....godsake.

OP posts:

woollychimp · 03/07/2017 22:04

I tried using one once. Got the right size and followed the instructions to the letter.

It was uncomfortable just pottering around the house. It leaked, and getting it out was like performing a gynaecological procedure - wouldn't want to do that outside of my own bathroom. I didn't try it again!

PickAChew · 03/07/2017 22:08

You've done better than me. i tried mine a few times and it didn't hurt, but really made me feel queasy.

It's been sat in my wardrobe for a few years and now, apart from the first day's deluge, my periods are so light that I can get away with just a panty liner or less, so I just chucked it away, the other day.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 03/07/2017 22:10

That's why it's leaking, for it to seal and not leak you have to give it half a turn once you've put it in.

Fancyacuppaluv · 03/07/2017 22:11

When it's inserted, clench and give the stem a tug to make sure the cup suction is working which will stop leakage. I bought one last month, on my second period using it - I can't ever imagine going back to tampons!

WineIsMyMainVice · 03/07/2017 22:13

The only pain I've ever had was because I hadn't cut the stem off. Once I did that, no problem! Best thing I've ever bought.
Sorry you're having these problems as most women I know also have had success. Try their support contacts on the website as they've been really responsive in the past. Good luck!

SwearyG0dmother · 03/07/2017 22:22

I persevered with mine for months - I had fibroids so was bleeding constantly and couldn't bear the waste/cost of tampons and never actually got on ok with it. It'd leak sometimes, fill in less than an hour at other times and all the inserting and removing made me so sore. I also managed to get it suctioned (or so it felt) onto my cervix and ended up having to get DH to remove it. It was then that it went in the bin.

All my friends that have them rave about them but I just couldn't get on with it - and it took me a long time to make peace with that. I loathe waste and try to reuse/recycle as much as possible but this was one thing I couldn't get on with. It's ok to not get on with them!

PenguinDi · 03/07/2017 22:23

I found it uncomfortable when starting out using a menstrual cup, intended to put it down to the poking and pulling it to get it in the right place. I'd keep trying maybe with a different type as some are softer than others, I use a meluna cup and has a choice of stems, rather than a hard stem you can have a ring, ball, short stem or nothing. Plus cups can come in different colours too I have a red and purple ones.

DJBaggySmalls · 03/07/2017 22:25

We are all a different shape, its impossible that one solution is going to fit everyone.

Mycarsmellsoflavender · 03/07/2017 22:26

I've been using one for about a year and still have problems with it falling out sometimes. I wonder if my pelvic floor muscles aren't strong enough to hold it in, particularly when I'm active. Often leaks too in the first hour after putting it in. What I've found works for me is to put it in just before going to bed as it never seems to leak at night and it won't fall out as I'm not moving. By the morning it seems to have sealed itself in place so I can leave it in for a few more hours unless I'm on my heaviest day. When I empty it it's pretty full so it definitely is working. Then during the daytime, I usually end up using tampons up until bedtime on the following night when I repeat the process. So if any of you are having problems with cups falling out or leaking, using it just for night time might be worth a try ( better than nothing).

NotTheMrMenAgain · 03/07/2017 23:31

I got all excited about trying one of these some years back - but after much fiddling and faffing I fell at the first hurdle because I couldn't even get the bugger in. Binned it.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 03/07/2017 23:33

Mycars do you give yours half a turn to seal? It doesn't sound like you are hence the leaking.

Ollivander84 · 03/07/2017 23:43

I have a coil and just have my strings mega short to avoid catching them
With cleaning the holes - fill it with water, out your palm on the top to create a seal and squeeze so the water comes out the holes

Allthewaves · 03/07/2017 23:55

Iv got to have my cervix literally in the cup or it leaks. On my heavy days I have to change every 2 hours

tumpymummy · 03/07/2017 23:55

Failed with it here too. Tried for a couple of months but kept getting leaks and found it uncomfortable. Went back to using pads as since children tampons don't work for me either. I used to use tampons all the time before I had kids. Tried again recently whilst on holiday because I wanted to swim and had the worst cramps ever. Hasn't happened again now I stick with pads. I liked the idea of the moon cup but was disappointed.

MyheartbelongstoG · 04/07/2017 00:03

Fork prong?! Grim

Wawawaa · 04/07/2017 11:37

Today's the first day of my second period using the Lunette cup - which I've just put in (sorry for the details!), so third time actually using it. Definitely a bit of work getting it in but I'm hoping that becomes easier. The stem is the most uncomfortable bit I find, but I want to have a bit more practice taking it out before I'm comfortable cutting it off as that was the only bit I was able to grab hold of last time.

I tried turning it half way to make sure it was sealed and nothing happened. I did feel around to make sure it popped though, so I'm hoping the seal will work. We'll see!

I'm not at work today but could see how you might need a bit more practice before putting it in when you're rushing out as it's a good five minute job at the moment.

By the way, I looked at reviews of all the cups before I bought mine and they come in so many different shapes that it's definitely worth reading up on comparison blogs before going for the standard mooncup. It also depends how low/high your cervix is etc.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 04/07/2017 14:46

You don't actually feel it sealing, it just does .

Wawawaa · 04/07/2017 15:27

Mine stays scrunched up though and needs a bit of prodding to get it to open. I have had a teeny bit of leaking today but that's probably because I've been lying on the sofa and because it's the first/heaviest day of my period. But I usually get that with tampons too, so always have a small pantyliner as backup anyway.

Tazerface · 04/07/2017 15:39

I have a soft meluna as the mooncup was too hard for me. I could feel it moving about. I think you're probably the same.

Do you normally get period pain though? Are they definitely connected because I'm not sure why period pain would be made worse by using a cup?

I can't feel mine once in, but if I have a particularly strenuous poo I need to reinsert . On the odd occasion I can feel the 'pop' as the it unfolds so I'm careful to run my finger round the edge.

I've never cleaned out the holes, I just wash it.

Wawawaa · 04/07/2017 15:47

There are quite a few videos on youtube of people trying cups and claiming that they had less/no period pain with a cup than with a tampon. Not sure why that would be though. Maybe because a tampon releases fibres into you and that has some effect...

LivingInMidnight · 04/07/2017 16:04

I definitely have less period pain with a cup. Someone once suggested it was because there's no wicking.

I struggle to pop a meluna open. Fleurcup is my favourite.

PiggyPlumPie · 04/07/2017 16:11

I used the mooncup for the first time yesterday. Was feeling quite smug as it went in and came out reasonably easy, so I trimmed the stem. Then this morning, I went to remove it and it had disappeared further up my fanjo! Had to have a good old rummage to find it and it it took a few goes to get it out but so far so good.

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