To ask you about mooncups?

[PerverseConverse]

I have endometriosis and tampons can hurt plus the string irritates my skin. I hate pads except at night. Mooncups seem to be the things but I'd be worried about leaks. Do you still need to use a pantyliner in heavy days? How do you know when to empty it? Doesn't the blood congeal in the cup? What do you do if using public loos and need to empty it? Can you use them at night?

I'm pretty sure I'm peri-menopausal as my periods have gone a bit haywire lately. I'm 42 and had periods since I was 10. I'm down to 3 days a month but short months. Very heavy and painful on day 2 with lots of gushing if wearing a pad.

Is a mooncup worth a go? How do you choose the best one?

Thanks!

I still need a pad on very heavy days.

The blood doesn't congeal. You can feel it feeling heavy when it's full.

In a loo you tip it down the toilet and wipe with tissue/wet wipe.

You can use them overnight, I believe they say you can use them for 8 hours but I've left mine longer on lighter days when I've not been able to sort it out.

I too have endo and have no problems with a mooncup. Unlike tampons, it's not uncomfortable to remove even with very little blood, so you can empty it as often as you like. To begin with i emptied it every time I had a wee, and with time I got used to how much it could hold and how often I needed to change it depending on what my flow is like.

To begin with i found it a little messy to empty so would only empty it in public loos where the sink was in the cubicle, so I could wash my hands straight away. But with practice I have no problems emptying. You can use them at night

I love mine. I first started using mine maybe 15 years ago. I love it - it really changed periods completely.

How do you know which one to get? I also really want to try them. How many do you need? Are they super fiddly? So many questions!!

You only need one, I have a branded mooncup and a cheapy silicone one from amazon too. Both work great and similarly.
I do still need a pad overnight on the couple of heaviest days.
Once you’ve got the hang of the slight faff of a cup it really is a fab option for heavy blood loss. I’d never go back to tampons again.

I only have one, but it's my 3rd as I keep losing them! You just empty it out, wipe or rinse and then it can go back in.

Size wise, some brands just do one size, others go off age or if you have given birth so I would just have a look at the one you are thinking of buying.
My first couple were the moon up brand and they have a sizing guide. The current is a cheap one off amazon which seems to work just as well.
If you often get flooding then I would use a liner for the irsg few times until you get used to predicting when to empty it. I tried to use a loo with a sink the first few times incase of mess but it isn't too bad when you get the hang of it. The only extra tip is to check that all your blood has flushed away as I've noticed it can sometimes sink to the bottom of the toilet and resist the flush!

Finding the right cup can take a while as it's often trial and error. There is loads of help out there including blogs, comparisons and Facebook groups. Feminine wear is a uk group linked to a business, but is good and CRAMPS is helpful too, though lots of members are in America, so some products aren't readily available here. Precious Stars (pads?) is good too and have lots of videos on YouTube.

Ideally you need to know where your cervix is during your period (as it moves/gets longer at different points in your cycle) To do this you need to insert a finger into the vagina to check whether you need a long, medium or short length. The firmness of cups varies too, so knowing whether you have strong or weak pelvic floor muscles helps too. It sounds more complicated than it really is, but it's best to read up on this.

I didn't know any of this when I bought my first cup and thought only the brand Mooncup existed. Whilst better than tampons, it wasn't ideal for me and after some research, I swapped to a Super Jennie and haven't looked back. I couldn't go back to tampons now.

Hi. I’ve used mine for about 15 years, but I did buy a new one a few years ago.

On the heavy days I find I can still leak so I generally use a towel too. I use washable pads.

As for changing outside the home, well I’ve only ever had to do it at work.
My advice is to take off three lots of toilet paper. One to wipe after you’ve had a wee. One to wipe the cup out and one to wipe your fingers.

Latest guidance is that you do need to wash out properly with hot water and soap after emptying and before reinserting, as a biofilm remains after rinsing which could technically lead to TSS.

The absolute risk is very low, but prior to that the guidance was that it was fine to empty, wipe / rinse and put back in.

Please don't let this put you off. Menstrual cups are wonderful *once you get the hang of them and it feels good to know you are saving money month after month on tampons / pads, and creating zero (or minimal) waste for landfill.

*for context, I cannot poach an egg or use any kind of baby sling, but I managed a mooncup fine. 😊

@delusionsofadequacy - how have you lost two mooncups? BOGGLE.

They are brilliant. I'm hoping not to need mine much more (52, and hoping every period will be my last), but I have really loved not buying tampons.

There's also a certain grim satisfaction in emptying it in challenging circumstances - mine include: at night on Dartmoor, in an ancient Victorian loo in a cathedral with a squeamish gay organist loitering outside (desperate for a wee), and most bizarrely, in a UN military portakabin on the Green Line in Nicosia.

I've used a mooncup for almost 20 years. There are guides online which show the differences between types of cups.

You only need one and sterilize it between uses. I boil mine. Some people use sterilizing fluid/tablets. I've had my current one for 8 years.

In my experience, they don't "need" changing in the same way as tampons or pads so it's more about when you want to. I tend to only change it at home but that's because I'm worried about dropping it down a toilet! If you don't change it enough though, they do smell.

I've never had to use pads as well but I don't have a heavy flow. If you are getting lots of leaks it might be that you don't have one that fits properly.

They are a little fiddly to begin with. You have to fold it to put into in which is a knack. To remove it, you pull it out. It has a "stem" which you need to pull but you also need to use a finger to break the seal sometimes and if you are likely to be full you have to hold it as well. It's not as difficult as it sounds though.

If it gets miscoloured or smelly, leave it in sunlight for a few days.

It's not easy to do but I put it in too high up once. It hurt. Lots! If it's too low, it can rub you. Some come with long stems which need trimming to the right length for you.

I read that tampons increase period pain because they draw blood etc into them which can cause muscles to spasm. I definately experienced less period pain since moving to a mooncup.

The blood doesn't congeal although obviously period blood can have thicker bits in it and it can be a bit... mucusy.

Absolutely yes about making sure you've flushed it all away!

I personally didn't get on very well with the mooncup as I had a double prolapse with my last birth and everything is a bit destroyed down there. However I found a different, softer, shallower cup (the name of which I can't remember) and that one's great. You may have try experiment a bit. I still use pads on the first couple of days in case of leaks - but they're fabric washable pads so it's easy and not uncomfortable.

Pre kids I loved my mooncup. I also had painful periods but it actually helped with this. I never had a leak once, in the 15 years I had a mooncup. I loved it.
However after delivering a 10lb baby I can’t even keep a tampon in, or a mooncup, but that’s another story!!
I would really recommend trying one. Go for the original mooncup if I were you. Hope it works out for you!

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Have a look at this website: putacupinit.com as there are loads of different types and they gave a quiz to help you find the right one for you. I use a mooncup but I have had it leak a few times after it turned sideways. I've also had it almost disappear up beside my cervix somehow. Still love it though, but if I wasn't so tight fisted I'd probably fork out for a different brand.

I use one. I can't use them for the first couple of days cos having anything inside me is too painful, but by day three, I can use a cup. I'm also perimenopausal with haywire periods from hell.