OMG - mooncup agony - what has happened?? Help please!

[Helium]

Have been using my mooncup now for two and a half days (never used one before). Trying to get to grips with it - experinceing a fair bit of leakage - general discomfort and tring to insert it properly.

Anyway I thought I had it in OK - couldnt feel anything and also not leaking massively. However suddenly out of the blue whilst sat down still on the sofa I had this massive pain - it felt like it had flipped or turned itself inside out and back again whilst giving me a hysterectomy. I could barely move for about a minute and went into a rigid position whilst I tried not to faint.

It's out now (didnt seem to be PARTICULARLY twisted/upside down back to front or aanything).

But OMG what happened?? Thankgoodness I was at home!! Any help/advice or something to spur me on to continue would be gratefully received!!

Originally, I was doing the U one, where you fold it in half but I was feeling like it wasn't staying in place properly so I changed to the push down way. Now, when it is in, I can feel the pushed down bit pop out again and it sometimes causes that sudden pain.

I use the push down one sort of combined with the origami fold, it ends up looking like a tulip shape!!. I found the c method hurt me to insert, as have birth scarring ( 8 yrs on ffs).

ah fantastic! god the mooncup looks weird in brown though!

Wow looking at that link it looks enormous! I had imagined it was smaller. I have always held back from asking this question but I heard on another forum that some women had suspected that their mooncup use had aggravated, exacerbated or possibly contributed towards a prolapse situation. Anyone have thoughts on this?

I am pro-Mooncup as an idea but haven't tried it yet mainly because of my worries on the prolapse front but also because I seem to be coping these days by packing with toilet paper and using towels. I haven't used a tampon for years as I think they are on the whole not a good thing.

how do you mean packing with toilet paper? Up your chuff? That sounds like a bad idea to me

Why did I read this thread - I'm now unable to move in imagined sympathetic agony!

OP - hope you get this sorted - you are very brave and a bit mad to continue imo

Would agree 'packing' sounds dodgy tbh. Much as I hate tampax you're far mopre likely to leave something behind with random pieces of loo roll.

Oo-er

I have only been using mine during this week, and had a couple of pingers...it didn't hurt though. I does sound like it's in a bit high if it's leaking though. And it's more comfortable if you get rid of the stalk as much as possible.

Maybe packing was the wrong term. I kind of just get quite a few layers of toilet paper in a vague "towel" kind of shape and position it/wedge it neatly underneath but because it is more pliable it kind of moulds to the body contours better than a towel and acts quite effectively. I've always wished a towel could be that moulded. Apologies if it gave the impression that I was stuffing a roll of Andrex up there!

Doesn't anyone else end up with just a bit of tissue in their knickers when they're coming to the end of their period? You know that time when it's not enough for a tampax/mooncup/towel but still needs a little bit of absorption as it were?

ajamore - i use panty liners at the end of my period,

this mooncup thing is quite fasinating, i swear reading this thread is the first time i have ever heard of it! if i was brave enough i would try it as i have heavy periods and have to wear tampons and towels for the first 2 days, this sounds like a possible alternative.

at Ajamore

Thanks for explaining! i have used tissue before in a similar way but beware, it can fall out of your pants and down your trouser leg at inopportune moments. Thus the invention of the sticky backed liner I imagine

Re shaping I guess you are right...there is a gap in the gusset market, write to Always and ask them to make something like that!

that should say, the sticky backed liner which will attempt to do the same but be saved by adhering to your pubes just in time, causing perhaps a similar level of facial grimacing but without explicable cause for onlookers.

The sticky backed liner before the invention of wings was not good. I frequently managed to get mine upside down (ouch). I'd like to try the mooncup, but as I find tampons painful I think I stay towels and go on wishing for an early menopause!

LOL and @ adhering to your pubes. Have been there many a time. Equally bad is having a pube trapped up your hoop with your tampon and then sitting down.

I am actually smiling at this thread, so glad nobody can see me. I tried a (brown) mooncup once, inserting it was fine, it was the extraction I couldn't manage. I posted yesterday about having to use the end of a teaspoon for leverage and was advised I should have twisted as I pulled. Too late for me, it went into the bin

I agree with others that it sounds as if it isn't in properly and has 'unpinged' while in, that bloody hurts. It really shouldn;t be leaking if it is in properly.
Try squatting when you put it in and then twist it after it is in and this opens it up.
Also the easiest position to remove them is sitting on the loo, just scooch your bum back and reach down, having had tears and hysterics when not being able to remove it once
And you have to trim the staklk down, mine is about 3mm long and I reckon it could be cut more now I have the hang of it.

Oooh thanks for comments everyone - I had trimmed the stalk right down - I think I need to work on postioning. I havent tried squatting whilst putting it in (becasue stupidly I hate squatting as it makes me feel even more undignified!!!) - but will try it (is it possible to squat whilst in public loos?!?!?!?).
I'll try the twisting after insertion thing - though probably have to wait til next month (at least!) now. Mooncup now safely in it's little pouch.
The irony is that Ive ordered a shed load of stickers and stuff from the mooncup people in an attempt to persuade others to use it - havent even sorted myself out yet!!!!

Ooh I've had the 'ping' too, I thought it was just me. I hadn't heard of it before but now that I know it's fairly normal I can stop worrying. It usually happens if I bend down or something a little while after I've put it in and I must admit it does make me shudder a bit.

I've got no stalk on mine. I trimmed it off straight away as that looked the scariest part!

I haven't had the ping, sounds painful.

I find that twisting mine around after insertion is the way to prevent leakage. And not inserting it too high.