To wonder why mooncups aren't promoted more as affordable sanitary protection?

[malificent7]

Mine cost £1 from ebay. It was from China so a bit of a wait.

As it is reusable, it would be good for girls from poorer families.

In fact , why arent they promoted in general??

I guess there are a few drawbacks...can be a bit messy . I would never wash them in a public loo sink but they dont need to be washed everytime they are emptied.

Tmi sorry.

@theeagle, you can get a small wet bag to put them in to. I find reusables so much more comfortable than disposable pads. Plus Etsy have a massive amount of design choices!

sometimes when I have my period tampons feel heavy and almost like they are dropping out a bit. When I have a wee it feels even worse. Do moon cups fall out or slip too??

OK, this is just my experience. I also used to have that sensation with tampons but never have it with the mooncup because it is much wider so it would be very difficult to slip out. You fold it over to insert it but then it opens up when it is inside you and will stay put if it has been inserted properly.

Do they ever get stuck?

Some people have said they have had problems but I never have. It doesn't go high up in the vagina so getting it out is not particularly difficult. Plus a tampon string can always come off so there is a risk there too. I would say it would be harder to retrieve a tampon where the string has broken than a mooncup as tampons sit much higher up.

Promoted by whom? Schools?

I’ve had one for a few cycles. It’s not a mooncup, neither is it a £1 one from China, but a generic one that was priced somewhere in between. It’s also pink which has helped a bit with staining (I imagine the white/clear ones get gross after a while). I adore it. Wish I’d got one years ago! And I did have a moment of fear once when it went up too high, but you just, well, ‘push’ and it descends! I also have very long nails & thought it would be hard/dangerous to use, but it’s fine, I just have to be careful. 😂

They are often advertised on the back of toilet doors in service stations for some reason.
There are little poster holders on the doors and this is one of the products I see a lot.

I imagine the white/clear ones get gross after a while

Actually, I put mine in water with a steriliser tablet for a day or two and all staining that has built up during my period vanishes completely. No stains after two years.

Thanks captainhammer.

I’m sick of scented towels and don’t like tampons/mooncups either.

Any brand recommendations?

TheEagle yep you just put them in a small bag, A spare make up bag would do the job. You can fold them up and pop them closed with the wings to avoid any mess. I was worried it might smell but they only seem to if you get them wet.

I just toss mine in the washing machine with the rest of my wash and they always come up nice and clean. Mine are minky so they don't stain. A lot of women use them post partum so they'll have no problem with heavy flows

Ive used a moon up when I've been traveling in third world countries often using sqat toilets and sometimes toilets with no running water. It wasn't ideal but I managed and I sure it was much better than using other types of sanpro. I wiped them clean then used a little water from a water bottle.

I'd like some advice on mooncups please. I really like the idea of them, but how do people manage at work? Am I right in thinking you have to rinse them out after each use? That doesn't sound really practical in a work loo. Do you tend to use your mooncup more at home and tampons at work/ out and about? Also, I read somewhere that they tend to leak when you lie down, does that happen a lot?

I found sponges really good. I couldn't wear tampons for sometime after an episiotomy gone wrong and don't like towels. Sponges were really comfortable.

BTW if anyone's interested I just read a US dept of Health and Human Services 2017 report Menstrual Hygiene Management in Resource-Poor Countries. It's a little dry but very interesting. Even though I knew dealing with periods was an issue in poor countries I didn't realize that the link with periods and school absence was quite that high. It mentions that a group of women in Nepal were provided with menstrual cups but that they weren't much used. I guess that doesn't tell us much though.

It strikes me that something small and relatively easy to clean like a cup might be more hygienic than using tissue or newspaper as homemade tampons or using cloth rags that haven't been cleaned properly as pads.

I've used one for several years now & love it.

I have a pack of flushable wipes in my bag when out & about or at work. I don't wipe it out until I'm at home though

I've not had thrush since I started using it & use reusable liners too

I'd say it's because they are not as convenient as tampons and towels. They aren't hugely popular, maybe because they aren't marketed as much but using tampons and pads just seems easier. I don't like the idea of it being inside, I won't even use tampons, I'd be afraid of leaks as I have heavy periods, they aren't convenient or hygienic enough for changing in public. Just seems a lot of faffing around that I haven't got time for.

Good tip @violets, I’ll get some of those tablets.

Forgot to say that I have w reasonably heavy flow on CD 2-3 but have never had to take it out during the day. Just morning & night. Once it was a gnats pube away from overflowing though! I have heard (literal) horror stories of people dropping them, but just hold it over the loo & the worst that can happen is an extra sterilising session.

VioletCharlotte. It depends how heavy your period is but they last a lot longer than tampons so it might be you don't have to empty them. When I first started using them I carried a little bottle of water and some wet wipes to wipe my hands however now that I'm more adept at using them I tend to just wipe them out with some toilet paper an wash them properly when I get home.
There is no getting away with the fact they are messier to clean out but with a little practice I really don't find it a problem and I have very heavy periods.
Even with my heavy periods I don't find they leak as I can feel when they are full. I have no idea how. I think maybe they start to leak a little tiny bit inside and I can feel it. Whatever the reason it means I know when I have to go and empty it. I think sometimes people try different brands to find the one that suits them.

1. Poor women in many countries often come from cultures where period blood is believed poisonous. Some women often aren’t even allowed to wash the existing sanitary ‘rags’ (often just leaves and mud) they use - the rags are snuck out and buried far away. A mooncup which NEEDS washing would rapidly start spreading infections. A biodegradable but cheap disposible pad would do wonders here.

1. Young girls in some countries start their periods before 12 (I come from a sub-culture where 10 is considered late; I started at 9 but mum at 8). Girls that age would find mooncups incredibly uncomfortable.

1. Many countries like India don’t have public toilets and often if they do women aren’t allowed to use them. In period taboo cultures where period blood can’t be washed in the house, and there is no running water, this could mean walking miles just to wash it. Women just won’t do that.

1. In the UK, it’s possibly more doable, but even then what would be your reaction if your 12 yo dd’s best mate washed her mooncup out in your sink? Or a public toilet in school? Would you want special sinks just for mooncups in schools? If so that’s a cost. Mooncups also aren’t all biodegradable and so every few years there would be 30 odd million to dump somewhere.

I don’t have periods at the mo (Mirena) but I was evangelical with mine - used boots points on it so it was free. Ended period pains which were severe and stopped me from getting thrush every month. Easy to change after 1/2 months.

I agree @demi. They don’t work if you pass huge clots.

I very rarely have to empty mine at work. Only on a day with stupidly heavy flow. They hold a lot more than tampons or pads.

If I do have to empty it, I put a double layer of toilet paper in the toilet, take out the mooncup while hovering over the toilet, empty it down the loo, put mooncup straight back in. Wipe hands with paper if I got any on me. Flush, wash hands.

Same as I do at home. No problems.

ny20005. Unfortuanately even if wipes are marketed as 'flushable' they still shouldn't be flushed as they block up the drains. There is lots of info about it online. E.g. HERE , HERE and HERE

I've had a mooncup for about 17 years now - it's still going strong. No staining on it as I sterilise it every month.
I think it cost about £13 so has saved me loads over the years!

Washable pads are fabulous too. I just chuck them in the washing. I have a small make-up bag with 2 sections, 1 for clean, the other for used.

I love mine. I rinse it in the shower in the morning and again at bedtime. Never had to remove to empty at other times as it holds way more than you think and the 4 hour tampon rule doesn't apply. Let it soak in some Milton and air dry before you put away until next month. I used my Boots points to buy one years ago and haven't looked back.