*******Psssst*******, ^Mooncup^ users over here please....TMI warning

[DragonFaerie]

Ok, I have some questions for all who pledge allegiance to the Mooncup ,

I'd be very grateful if you could answer them for me as every month I consider buying one,have even got as far as picking them up in Boots or as far as checkout online...and then I chicken out,if you can help I may actually go ahead and buy one!

1. How do you deal with Mooncups in public/ work/ friends loos etc? It's one thing to rinse it out and reinsert it in your own bathroom but surely a totally different kettle of fish when you have to go into a public loo to remove it , come out to rinse it and then return to the cubicle to reinsert it . This is my biggest worry tbh. Do you all revert back to tampons in these situations?

2. If you have heavy periods is it a problem? Leakage etc. (in my case TMI warning, changing Super plus tampons every 2 hours on heavy days and still wearing an ST just in case as it has been worse on occasion)

3. The suction thing , is it actually physically harmful do you think?

Sorry these q's all seem very negative, I really do want to start using one but I'm a bit of a wuss, (despite 2 out of 4 protracted labours, therein lies the problem perhaps!!)

I'm sure I had more questions but I can't think of them now, I think it's the embarrassment

My answers are...

1. Use a disabled loo with its own washbasin, if poss. I don't work, so don't have that issue. Don't have a problem at friends' homes as their loos tend to be in bathroom, with aforementioned basin.

2. I do wear a ST most of the time with mine, because I do leak a bit. However, am still using fewer STs and no tampons. I do need to empty the mooncup 2-3 hourly on my heaviest day.

3. No worries about the suction thing. Just don't worry about that kind of thing.

HTH

Thanks purpleturtle!
BTW I LOVE your name, I tried to register it as my Mumsnet name when I signed up and was v disappointed to find it was taken! Makes me wonder if we'd have similar interests in common (besides Mooncups !) Is that a very bizarre assumption to make??! >

1. You can just take it out, empty it, wipe it and put it back in again, although they recommend only doing that once, and making sure you wash it next time. It's also suggested that you can take a small bottle of water with you and rinse it out, but personally I've found that too much of a faff.
   I think the 'out and about' with it in IS the biggest downside to be honest. For me it's also the fact that your fingers seem to get more messy than with tampons, and then you have to open doors, and wash them in full public view.

2. Leakage can be a problem for me on first 1-2 days (but then it is with tampons too). I usually wear a liner just in case.

3. not a problem at all - just doesn't feel like 'suction' to be honest... I think tampons give more of a 'plug' and 'dragging' feeling than the moncup.

1. Friends' houses usually have a washbasin. Public loos, well, if there's no disabled loo available then I'm afraid I simply wipe clean with loo roll and re-insert. I know some people carry a small bottle of water around with them for such times but tbh I can't be bothered with all that faff. I do find that using a mooncup has made me far less squeamish about such things...

2. Luckily periods are fairly light but I think most people would use a pad as 'back-up' on heaviest days.

3. Never crossed my mind. The suction is minimal, after all. It's not like removing a hoover from your fanjo.

Give it a try! If you hate it, go back to tampons. You've lost nothing (except a few quid...)

X-posts gameboy

And definitely agree that the dragging feeling when you remove is x1000 worse with tampons.

It is so worth trying, it really is.

i am so happy that i'm not the only one it leaks on. My friend says hers doesn't so i thought i had an odd shape fanjo or something, lol.

Message withdrawn

DragonFaerie, can understand your concerns, but as others have said, tis worth giving it a go!

1. Empty into the loo, wipe out with loo paper and reinsert. Agree that the water bottle thing is an idea (got one of those little travel size ones from Boots) but don't generally bother with that, too much faff!

2. Actually the Mooncup is a boon for very heavy loss - just empty more often (and I have on my worst ever day last Sept emptied it every hour for 10 consecutive hours, and it was full to the brim every time!!!) You have my sympathy with that problem, pre Mooncup I thought Lillets were doing me a personal favour making the super-plus-extra which are thumb-sized Also have used pads in conjuction with Mooncup, but they don't have to be the nighttime extra length variety (as you can tell, my Mooncup has saved me at LOT of money on sanpro. I reckon that is why Boots stock 'em on the lowest shelf there is so people don't notice, LOL!)

3. Suction no prob and tampons worse - far worse!

Go for it, you know you want to!

As long as you clean it regularly throughout the day (ie give a proper clean with hot water and soap before and after you go to work) then hygiene is not a problem when you are out and about. You can just wipe it with toilet paper as mentioned.

Mooncup holds more than a super large tampon so you should find it less of a problem with leakage. However you may still wish to wear a towel as protection while it is very heavy.

The suction thing isn't harmful - and not that bad, really, when you get the hang of it! I decided to try to pull mine out without releasing the suction, the first time I used it, but I can say although I will not be trying that again, it has not damaged me permanently. I promise

I feel pretty bad because I keep meaning to try a mooncup but I am afraid that reading this thread doesn't inspire me.

What really are the Benefits? Are they only environmental?

No, not just environmental for me, Mears - I can carry a more acceptable sized handbag these days too! LOL

Goodness! This has put me off too!

The environmental benefits are huge, obviously, plus the money you will save long term.

It is very comfortable to use and people have said they love avoiding that squeaky dry feeling when inserting and removing a tampon.

Some women report having lighter and less painful periods when using the Mooncup. Personally I just find it has very much altered my feelings about menstruating - from regarding it as something annoying and messy which leaves behind rather revolting rubbish which needs to be disposed of carefully, to feeling it is an interesting and natural process which I can deal with with virtually no fuss or mess.

Franney - sounds more messy to me though. At least with a tampon there is minimal handling.

Which parts of this thread put you off, out of interest? We've all agreed that being out and about shouldn't cause a problem, that it makes it easier to deal with a heavy flow, and that suction is a minor part of removal and easy to get the hang of.

Misdee did once tell me that there is a money back gurantee if you don't get on with it after 3 months....

...still not quite made the plunge personally though....

And it comes in a dinky little bag with a pink ribbon. What's not to like?

I know it all sounds a bit yuk-making but it's really not.

Come on, 'a significant number' of Mumsnetters can't be wrong!

With the Mooncup all the blood is on the inside, so you just remove and pour it out. Your hands don't touch the inside. With a tampon, it is saturated, with blood all over it, and when you remove it there is sometimes blood flying about, I find, unless your flow is quite light.

Then of course you have to find somewhere to dispose of your tampon, which I would say is harder in a friend's bathroom than using a Mooncup.

I have never had spillage with a Mooncup. I did, frequently, have 'splatter issues' {gawd, sorry] when removing a tampon.

Yes it kind of 'sprays' when you remove a very saturated tampon

sorry but you did ask

It has given me Freedom! Honestly, pre-mooncup I had to consider loos with such priority during heavy days (and there were Lots of Those)and I am not kidding about the handbag, either. Where others used makeup bags for makeup, I had stashes of the slimmest, longest, most absorbent pads available that came in wrappers; the heavy-duty ammo type tampons aforementioned, those little purple pop-in bags to wrap all the gubbins in; wet wipes and tissues! Oh, yes, and not forgetting my Ibuprofen/Tranxamic Acid tabs!! Would carry such a makeup bag in my handbag, another in the glove compartment of my car, and in my workbag.

Life is cheaper and sweeter now, believe me

Message withdrawn

Thanks to everyone who has and is taking the time to repond to my OP.

I think if everyone else just does a basic wipe before reinsertion then maybe I'll go with it, I do have a fear of using the one hot water tap in our ladies loos at work to rinse it out and cringing with embarassment if someone comes in, having said that another girl at work wants to try it too so maybe if we take the plunge we'll all be converts and it won't matter so much!
Thanks guys.