Mooncups cause prolapse?

[Orangeblossom78]

Didn't realise this. Argh, they are so much better than tampons to use. Thought would share to make others aware too- seems it is about how you use them perhaps.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51805689

I don’t know about prolapse but I had to stop using mine as it caused my cervix to present as abnormal?! Multiple people digging around with instruments and cameras and what not, cells extracted and tested, scans and blood tests and they put it down to my mooncup.

Always broke the seal with my finger before removing (feels like you’re pulling yourself inside out if you don’t)

Sad though as I loved my mooncup - took a bit of getting used to, especially when sorting myself out in public loos. But was ace

They don't cause them! I wonder if they exacerbate them, but that's a combination of personal experience and discussions with my physio who feels that she sees a link in more and more patients.

I concluded it was still worth it for me to use one though. But my prolapse is v mild.

I'm a big fan of my mooncup and wish i had known about them 30 years ago! But yes, I do wonder when Im using my 'bearing down' muscles to get it out whether I could make something 'pop'. Been using it for 10 years and I haven't had any problrms but then again, I had 3 c sections so never gave birth 'properly'. When I had a coil fitted, one nurse did tell me that the mooncup would suck the coil out I don't think she understood how they work

Misleading thread title - used properly they are no problem, and my guess is they are enabling lots and lots of women to enjoy sport and outdoor activities more, making them healthier overall.

Have you tried a 100 mile bike ride wearing one? Uncomfortable to say the least after 10 miles and that was with a custom saddle. I'm sticking with tampons.

discussions with my physio who feels that she sees a link in more and more patients.

Thing is, something like 25% of women get a prolapse.
And mooncup use is on the rise.
So it could be she is seeing more patients with prolapse who use a mooncup just because more women use a mooncup, rather than any link between the two.

It was on BBC news today

I agree it was not detailed enough. It seems to be about the suction / breaking the seal?

Yes maybe it is about how you use it.

I don't want to give up my Mooncup and go back to tampons, it is so much better for me. I am going to continue with it, take care how I use it (no bearing down) and also do pelvic toning exercises as well.

Looking at the article I think the main thing is that you shouldn't "bear down" to get it out as that is bad news for your pelvic floor. I guess if you're not able to remove it without doing so a different cup type/tampons might be better.

I guess it makes sense, kegels etc are all about holding things up, so using it to push down probably isn't great

I used a cup for a couple of days last year and didn’t get on with it. My prolapse became evident at some point after this. I’m high risk for prolapse anyway as had 3 very big babies naturally and I’m overweight but I do wonder now if my crap usage of the cup contributed to it happening sooner rather than later.

It’s probably more the case that it exacerbates existing problems or speeds up prolapse, however that’s still not good and people should be aware of it.

It never crossed my mind to use mooncups because they haven’t been tested properly nor have they been in use for a long time. There’s a horrifyingly common pattern of adverse side effects resulting from gynaecological health products only coming to surface years after the fact. I’m sure that if men were expected to put a foreign item into their bodies regulatory bodies would ensure that manufacturers tested the fuck out if it before allowing it to be sold to the public.

my guess is they are enabling lots and lots of women to enjoy sport and outdoor activities more

Very true for me - exercise using pads and tampons was uncomfortable and messy. Now despite heavy bleeding I can happily swim/gym/yoga on all but the worst days

Jesus Christ, something else for me to worry about.

I've been using mine for a few years now. I think I have a slight prolapse, but that was pre-mooncup.

I'm not sure mine is ever properly "vacuumed" anyway, as I do get leakage with the cup.

Used mine for 9 years , no issues here.

The unfortunate issues experienced by TWO women is not cause for mooncup hysteria!

I much prefer stats and peer reviewed evidence to anecdata. HOWEVER I dont think we should disregard these womens experiences. The medical profession as a whole doesnt have a good track record of listening to women. Equally there is a danger of mistaking correlation for causation. So lets invest in a long term study with a control group. Oh but that will cost £ and womens bodies arent important enough to justify the cost.

Second point - what is all this bearing down other posters are doing? Have never done this in 14 yrs of mooncupping.

@Blobby10
“When I had a coil fitted, one nurse did tell me that the mooncup would suck the coil out hmm I don't think she understood how they work grin”

One time mine did suck out my coil. Took it back to them in a little baggy and had another fitted. May have been to do with insertion, but it was def sitting in my mooncup when I removed it...

It seems to be anecdotal rather than hard evidence, which is fine as long as you read it on that basis and take appropriate action such as not bearing down etc. Hopefully more robust study will yield better information.

There is some evidence that if you are particularly prone to cystitis, cups can bring on a bladder infection. This happened with me several times and I ended up binning my cup and returning to tampons, which resolved things. Annoying, as I would have preferred to stick with the cup, but not if it meant regular UTIs.

If it's causing problems on a bike ride it isn't in properly. It certainly shouldn't be anywhere near the saddle. Tampon strings are more likely to cause a problem.

Since my baby was born I haven't been able to use my mooncup. I've had my periods back for about nine months, but it now sits at a weird angle and is hugely uncomfortable. I can cope while I swim but that's about it - big disappointment as it made a massive difference to my life for the past decade+. I've been seeing a gyny physio for almost a year (not a prolapse) and she didn't bat an eyelid when I mentioned using a cup.

If it's causing problems on a bike ride it isn't in properly. It certainly shouldn't be anywhere near the saddle. Tampon strings are more likely to cause a problem.

I've not had problems cycling but have on occasion had problems running. I have cut the stem right off but now and again the stump has chafed a little just where it's rubbed. I suppose any natural lubrication is gone as it's all collected in the cup. Anyone who's chafed will know that once it's started it's hard to prevent it.

Have tried the cups and had to give it up. Didn't work for me at all. I've tried several sizes and different manufacturers. Perhaps too much information but I was never able to take them out as easily as it's claimed and always found them to be a total nightmare to deal with in public toilets, where there isn't always a sink right next to you to deal with any immediate mess.

Yes, they are an environmentally friendly option but one that, sadly, really didn't work for me.

barracker have you tried a softer cup like the meluna soft? It's a little fiddler as doesnt pop open as easily but designed for women with bladder issues

Personally I always found the "dragging" feeling of removing an unsaturated tampon worse, plus that's meant to leave little fibres stuck in the vaginal walls that can trigger thrush.
Oh and the lovely scented sanitary towels that are almost impossible to avoid and give me the itchy burns.
Strangely though there are no scaremongering articles about avoiding tampons or pads. I could suggest a conspiracy theory involving global manufacturing lobbies

If anything, my mooncup seems to help with my stress incontinence - if I'm wearing one when I'm running or weightlifting, I hardly ever get leakage.

As many others said, the issue described in this article is the wrong advice about 'bearing down', presumably with added suction from the mooncup, to remove it. That's not something I do anyway so I'm not worried.