mooncup!

[wohmum]

HiLadies,

last month or so I treated nmyelf to a shiny new mooncup ater reading the glowing repots on here....

I got it on ok, but really struggled to get it out again! and felt very odd(queasy?) when i literally had to grit my teeth and yank ....

now, that time is coming up again - what do I do ? anyone got success stories that will nsprire me to try again?

Don't give up, I'm on my 2nd month of the mooncup and think it's great. First month I had a panicky moment when I couldn't get it out, I couldn't seem to get a grip on the slippy little sucker, but bearing down did the trick. The only trouble I have had is that it tends to move down when doing a "number 2". Don't know if I'm the only one this happens to . Has anyone else had this problem? I used to push tampons out as well. I don't know if this means my pelvic floor is useless or really strong!

i have that prob too girlandboy, i just removed mine first

I am on month 4 of Mooncup, and this month has been much easier than last. The first month I was very about it. Now I think there is no other option for me and will never go back to towels/tampons.

Two bad things

• one is that due to period not seeming nearly so much hassle, I am not as vigilant about keeping track of when its due, so have been caught out (still carry a towel in handbag though, just in case)

• two - when removing it, it sometimes unfolds itself a bit suddenly and hurts my fanny on its way out, but I am getting better at it over time.

I couldn't get the hang of it and gave up. I bled far too much and it was unbelievably messy every time I had to empty it!

Thanks dylsmum1998, nice to know I'm not the only one! First time I tried, the mc shot out at some speed! It took some catching.

Astrophe - your 2nd point. I have this problem too, but so long as I slow it right down on removal then it's not too bad. I think you're right, it's something you have to practise at and it will get better.

lol that sounds grossly amusing! girlandboy mines not quite that bad- i just feel it moving

It's taking me a couple of months to get used to mine. Sometimes mine pops or shlurps inside me [bucket fanjo], tis very disconcerting. I also take out when doing a poo, puts me off me stride otherwise .

Persevere wohmum, it does get easier!

It can help to spiral it out, rather than just yanking straight down. I find it easiest to insert and remove while sitting on the toilet. Try also puffing out with your mouth relaxed, as that tends to relax your pelvic floor as well, whereas gritting your teeth will make you tense up.

It does get easier, honest! Took me a few cycles to get used to it.

feeling guilty now as i never even tried it this time! even after 2 very messy overflows with tampons - is it really less hassle?

Yes!

Absolutely!!

Oh please please tell me how a mooncup works. How big is it and what you actually do with it. I have heavy periods could I still used one? Do you have to take it out etc and wash it everytime you insert it? No idea on this but am a bit sore with using tampons when have heavy flow.

its a cup slightly smaller than my thumb in length. you fold it into a kind of U shape to insert it in a similar way to inserting a tampon. i only have had mine for one period, so am def not an expert but from how things went this month;
i take mine out every couple of hours or so, its never full when i do rinse it with water and re-insert. you cn get away without rinsing i did once when i went into a public loos and realised i couldnt rinse it (will take bottle of water next time). then at end of period when finished with it sterilize and store for next time
it does say can use it with all flow types, the packing says you dont get the soreness you do with tampons
hope that helps, i was a bit skeptical this time with it but no nasty suprises and much more comfy especially at the end of period when i get tampon drag when removing them. i had none of that with the mooncup. i have no qualms with using it again. would def recomend them

Where do you get them from?

official mooncup website

apparently larger boots stores sell them. lots of ebay shops sell them too

Thanks - found it on boots.com too.

Kally, you'll never know until you try one! There are lots of message boards with statements that say women are experiencing lighter periods with a mooncup (or with washable sanitary pads). You may well find that you don't bleed as heavily with a mooncup. I use one, and although my flow isn't particularly heavy, this last month was even lighter, and shorter. Instead of 6 days, it only lasted for 4, and I only lost about 15 mls of blood in total. This is unheard of for me. The general opinion is that the chemical residues in tampons and towels seem to make women bleed longer and heavier. Don't know if this is the real reason, but it can't hurt to try.
I was also able to leave the mooncup in for a lot longer between changes. Didn't even bother with the mooncup on the last day - just used a washable pantiliner. These are much nicer than the plasticky ones you can get - soft, comfy, not sweaty and not stinky (sorry, probably tmi!) It is also the chemicals in disposable san pads that make them smell yucky - cloth ones don't.
Anyway, I got my mooncup from Boots (£19.99), though you can order them direct from Mooncup.co.uk, or get them off ebay. If you look on the mooncup website, you will see pictures of it too. Hope this helps.

girlandboy where do you get washable pantiliners from? i use throw away ones usual on my last day.
how do you care for them ie do you soak, for how long in what, blah blah

dylsmum1998 I got mine from two different places. You can only get them from the internet I think. Got some from www.lunawolf.co.uk and also some from www.angeltots.co.uk

They are great! You just rinse under the cold tap and maybe a quick rub with some soap. This usually gets 95-100% of any staining off. If I'm not doing any laundry that day (most unusual) then I put them in an old ice-cream tub with some cold water & salt in. The ice-cream tub sits on top of the washing machine so I don't forget about them. The salt gets rid of any remaining stain. If the rinse under the tap does the job then I just chuck them straight into the washing machine with everything else. They come out like brand new.

I have written on another thread, that washable pads plus a mooncup make me feel completely self sufficient - I will not have to buy anything else again!!

Oh, I forgot, you can also get the pantiliners from www.weenotions.co.uk Put "washable sanitary" into google and see what comes up.

thank you. have ordered a couple to see how i get on with them. will make me feel even more angelic
i agree with you re being self sufficient.i love doing things to save money and the environment too

I've been reading this with interest as I've always wondered about mooncups and so all your enthusiasm has made me quite enthusiastic too - I think I should go and rest now though because I was just about to post asking if they were safe to use in pregnancy ...durr!!!!!
I think I have very severe preghead

@ using in pregnancy- is it to catch baby when it falls out?

dylsmum - just being really nosey now, but which liners have you ordered (who from).

i ordered 2 from lunawolf thought i would see what i think and get some more if i like later

dylsmum - yep they're my favourites. I've got half a dozen now - couldn't resist the lovely fabrics. Must stop looking at her website, think I'm addicted.