It takes me some work to break the seal and it feels pretty funny, but then again, it’s only twice a day. The first night I used it, it decided to go on a little vacation up the canal, if you know what I mean. But their advice (sqat and bear down) worked like a charm. It doesn’t really have too many places to go, you know?
OK, your testimony and one of the Amazon reviews have convinced me. I just ordered one. I’ll see how it works with my horrible flow and report back (in about a month)…
Ohhhh, I get it now. They’re foldable :smack:
I’ve had a Keeper for years. I’m going to get a Diva Cup now just because they’re silicone. As I get older my periods have gotten heavier and of a consistancy that isn’t readily absorbed by tampons. I routinely use it to it’s full capacity. It’s the best thing ever. I did try the Instead and it dumps for me if I laugh wrong or cough. No problems with the Keeper. I recently had to wear tampons for a few months and it was horrible.
Even though I rarely have to empty it in a public rest room I carry a few latex gloves and paper towels in my purse just in case the rest room isn’t set up to take care of things.
Yup, my local London Drugs carries them. I can buy a Diva Cup, a dildo, and a vibrator at the same drug store! Canada rules, man!
I think in the states The Man is in cahoots with the makers of disposable products. Why sell something that a person will only buy once when you can keep them on a moist, wicking line for 40 years?
I agree that’s why they’re not readily available here. Why have something that women will spend $30 on once, when they can be spending $10 or so per month on tampons and pads?
Also, I’m ordering one! I tried the Instead cups, and they were OK but not really worth the price, IMHO. I still had to buy new ones every month like tampons, and they were kinda leaky.
Yes, I’d forgotten that they were called Gladrags. I almost ordered some, but was kind of skeeved. Which is ridiculous–the pads I buy at the store ought to skeeve me more, I think.
I also sometimes stop using mine (the Keeper, for me) when my cramps get bad. I don’t know if it’s actually making them worse or if my mind is making a connection where none exists. But apparently Vihaga and I are unique in this.
Bought it a few weeks ago (at the Willy Street Co-op in Madison, where it was only about $24) and, er um, am just trying it out this week. So far so good. No sloppier than a particularly slimy tampon, and actually nice to put a nice clean, smooth thing back in instead of that dry old cotton. And the gunk is contained in the cup. The handle did stick me at first, but I cut off about 1/8 inch and repositioned it, and now I can’t even tell it’s there.
I’m still trying to figure out the logistics of getting to the sink with my pants around my ankles, since you’re supposed to wash it twice a day. Also tried wiping it out with toilet paper, as one would do in a public bathroom – rather a lot of toilet paper to get the thing clean, as it took several passes.
Also not fond of making that SHLORP noise in a public bathroom when it comes out, but I guess there are worse noises to make. And I never had to stick my fingers all over myself so much with tampons, but perhaps I’ll get better with practice.
I bought an old pot at the thrift store for boiling it in once a month, stuck it under the bathroom sink, and informed Mr. S why it was there. I imagine he was glad I’m not going to boil it in our food pots.
And I bought panty liners for the first time, just in case of leaks until I get the hang of it, but so far nothing.
Call me a convert!
Addendum: You can also resort to dropping the mooncup into a cupful of hydrogen peroxide to clean it up after you’re finished with your period. The advantage is that it can also remove any stains that show up on the silicone - worked a treat on mine. (I don’t know if this would work with the keeper given the different materials, so caveat emptor) But do NOT keep it swimming in there all month as that will damage the silicone, folks. Seems to work pretty well as an additional step or alternative to boiling with a healthy glug of white vinegar.
I bought one as a result of this thread and this is my second period using it. Today I had an experience I haven’t had since junior high - I leaked through my pants :eek: Not a cool thing to experience while wearing light khaki colored jeans. Wound up tying my sweater around my waist :::grrr::: I still can’t figure out what happened … when I went to the restroom to remove the cup there was still a good seal, but the cup was FULL. Any ideas or suggestions to keep this from happening again? I’m not ready to give up on this yet!
If the cup is full, I think you need to be emptying it more often. How heavy is your flow? If I check my cup after 9-12 hours of having it in, typically there’s been only a teaspoon or two worth of fluid inside.
I think some of the very minor leakage I’ve been seeing is because with tampons, when you remove one and put another in, the cotton soaks up any blood that might have been coming out slightly during the process. If you have some dripping going on while you’re cleaning out the cup, it might get missed by the lip when you re-insert it. Sounds like I might benefit from those GladRags. Hey, it’s better than it was with tampons - even a light flow would seem to seep out down the string much of the time.
If the cup gets too full, stuff starts seeping out around the edges. Happened to me a couple of times. For my first couple of days, while I’m bleeding like a stuck hog, I have to empty mine every 4-6 hours. It is kind of a hassle to do this in a public bathroom, but I’ve gotten the hang of wiping it out with some t.p. and re-inserting it without getting it all over my hands.
I find that it does make my cramps slightly worse than a pad, better definitely not as bad as a tampon (which was always absolute murder, cramp-wise), and I can put up with more painkillers in return for all the convenience of the cup (I have a Mooncup).
I use Milton Sterilising fluid or tablets at the end of the month. I usually soak it overnight, and it comes out sparkling clean, just like new!
It’s paid for itself many times over, and I wouldn’t be without it.
Forget whatever normally wins Invention of the Year, whoever came up with this should be getting a major Prize!