Never mind mooncups -

[shakingmyfattybumbum]

What about these? Eek?? www.moonrabbits.co.uk/

thanks both

I started buying un-dyed organic cotton tampons about a year ago after having a sudden epiphany about bleached stuff going up there. Now I'm thinking mooncups and those reusable pad thingies!

I have a question as well:

If you have to use public toilet, do you wash your hands before entering the cubicle? Do you manage to avoid touching the door handle etc?
It just seems gross to have dirty hands, take the mooncup out and then put it back in your vagina.

I've been thinking about trying it out, but I have to say the hygiene and logistics of emptying it have put me off a bit.

No such problem with tampons with an applicator or pads.

ooh winny I didn't even think of the dirty door handles...

I know!

Hopefully someone will come and answer my question...

OMG there's a tartan one! The shame imagine if you were whisked off to hospital for some reason and then remembered about your tartan insole.

Oh come on!
Will someone answer my question (see few posts up) about mooncups and hygienic way of emptying them in the public toilet, please?

They sound very practical, except for that one issue.

'insole', LOL cornsilk

I personally don't wash my hands before emptying it barring me having gotten my hands visibly dirty.

The way I look at is - are you fingers cleaner than a penis? If yes, then we are good to go. If no, you might want to give them a clean.

I did not know that you could have/buy reusable pads before this thread!? I am liking the idea though.
winny - just guessing here but maybe if you had a spare (unused) on you for these kind of occasions (out in public for long length of time) and could carry with you some of the scented nappy sacks (can you get them biodegradable??) then you could double/triple bag the used one for sorting out at home (or in one of those private public toilets IYKWIM ones with a sink) bit of hassle suppose

i just, wait for it... wash my hands. and most toilet cubicles don't require much contact to walk in and flick the lock with a sleeve or left hand.

honestly, you people... you're quite happy to stick a wodge of bleached man made fibres up there without a hazmat suit on, how is that so different with a mooncup? you do realise that you're not exactly rooting about in your own vulva, don't you, it's much the same as inserting a tampon. i presume you don't come over all howard hughes when faced with a lilet?

oh ok I Totally missed something got preoccupied with the loverly patterned reusable pads particularly liked the one with the pussy cats on so I just googled the mooncup,,, yeah a nappy sack not really gonna help with that is it!! Anyone actually used one of them?

what about reading the thread, huh?

Thanks, dilly, my issue was with having dirty hands though and removing and putting back the mooncup iyswim.

Am not paranoid about hygiene, and it would be totally fine at home, but the idea of entering public toilet and touching the door handle etc and then putting my fingers in my vagina, handling the mooncup and putting it back...eeew

I like those, I use them.

Better than the disposable thrush causers

I agree that tampons and towels suck out moisture. My periods are much nicer, better, calmer more comfortable since using the Mooncup. I've been using it for years and would never go back.

I also have the brushed cotton washable pads for lighter days. I now have two very heavy days and around four light ones.

So now you know.

I don't bother to rinse it if in public toilet with no sink in cubicle. When I first used it it took me a few attempts to insert and I didn't rinse it every time then - and besides, the blood is more slippery than water which makes it easier to insert (sorry for TMI there!)

You might get a bit of blood on your fingers but can wipe on toilet paper and then wash your hands when you get out.

No I don't worry about touching the toilet door - I have never asked a man to wash his hands before sex/foreplay/etc unless they were particularly dirty, obviously you wouldn't shove just anything up there but I think that normal day to day hand germs are not really anything to worry about.

Its really depends on your flow. I have quite heavy flow so have to empty at least twice at work on my heaviest days but some people can get away with emptying last thing before they go to work and first things when they get back.

Honestly though, changing it in a public toilet is not something I have ever worried about. Once you are used to using a menstrual cup, you just won't think about it.

I've never used a Divacup before so can't tell you what they are like but I think they may have a slightly larger diameter compared to the Mooncup and possibly a larger capacity.

chipmonkey, I've had blood tests so just waiting on them at the moment and I've been refered to the hospital as I'm high risk of clotting so they can't give me hormones to stop it. I never expected it when I'm still breastfeeding almost exclusively at 15 months and tandeming! I've been exhausted by it, even though it stopped a week or so ago I'm still struggling.

Cheeseontoast, just tip it out and wipe it or carry a bottle of water with you. I have a seperate toilet so I have to keep a bottle of water in there.

yes yes yes but i need to know, all you tampon users, surely you touch the door of the cubicle etc and then stick a tampon up your vulva? i'm sorry but i really don't see the difference, can you explain?

soryy, im still stuck on the 'disposable products make your period worse' thing.
i dont use tampons, but tampons go in your vagina yes, not up your cervix, yes. definately not into your uterus, where the bleeding is started.
so how could tampons cause damage exctly?
and disposable pads definately dont!

i love all these mooncup threads, im so insanely curious but still grossed out!
working courage up to try one...

I tried mooncup and also bought 1 for each of my daughters, they thought it was disgusting and wouldn't even take them out of the box, where did I fail as a mother, I always taught them bodily functions were normal and healthy? Anyway I digress, I had total faith in the mooncup but after wearing it for about 30 minutes I got terrible pains like labour, my abdomen became swollen and painful and I thought I was going to faint. The symptoms remained for about 5 hours after I removed it, except the fainting feeling, then I couldn't sit down properly for hours. I did cut the little tab as directed but maybe I should have cut it right off? Now I'm too nervous to try again! i've never been shy of periods etc and have a healthy attitude to my body and its doings, whenever I'm at home and not planning to leave the house I just let it flow, having wooden floorboards helps but it is very liberating if you're brave enough give it a go, there's not that much blood and it's really not so messy.

Britfish, I think the damage is caused to your vagina because a tampon will absorb all the nice lady goo and leave you too dry. A lot of women do report that tampons leave them with more painful cramps than pads. I'm not exactly sure why that is but suspect its related to their high absorbancy.
I can't see why disposable pads are a problem though. Apart from the always ones being all plasticy and sweaty that is [blerg]