Well,
I can add my two cents to this thread, having tried the “instead” cup today. Insertion- no problem. Seated fine, couldn’t feel a thing. Went about 6 hours with it, then removed. Kinda messy, but not as bad as I imagined. Next one, upon removal- major mess. Yikes.
So I really thought they were great while in, but removal left a lot to be desired.
Since Opalcat gives the reusable ones such a great review, I think I’ll give that a try. I just think the whole feminine hygeine market is such a rip off! Oh, the money we throw away!!
I think so too! Also, I hate carrying tampons around with me! Btw, the Keeper comes with a little fabric bag with stars and moons on it so you can keep it in your purse…
i tried the disposable kind about a year ago, my sister introduced me to them( i think they are popular with dancers for obvious reasons) anyway, i agree with most of the posts, it was really messy, but comfort wise it was about the same as a tampon. think I’ll stick to the latter.
so you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts. what’s so amazing about really deep thoughts? Tori Amos
In your vagina, Boli! You just wad up the string and put it right in there next to the tampon. Keeps you from peeing all over it and having to keep a sopping wet string in your panties.
(I’ll bet the guys are just about FAINTING over all this data. Hee hee hee!)
Hmmm…I like to keep the poking and prodding to a minimum, I guess. I think I’ll just continue to hold the damn string over to the side. Sometimes being a woman really sucks.
well, this is saturday. I first tried Instead on wednesday. like the other women, insertion was fine. But, upon removal, I was completely grossed out. I live in the dorm at college, and the bathroom and sink room are separate. After taking the instead out…and having nice blood all over my hand (even though I followed the directions exactly and was VERY careful)…I had to walk around the corner to the sink room to wash my hands. …oh the horror. okay…it wasn’t really that horrifying, but it was messy and not pleasant. So, I have resorted to wearing Instead at night- that way I can wear it for the full time I am asleep and then take it out in the shower in the morning. this way I get the benefits of the thing without emerging from the stall with bloody hands. Also, about the second or third time I removed Instead, it felt almost suctioned inside of me. I had to really pull to get the thing out. Anyone else had this experience? Is this okay for me?
I’m sorta glad to hear I wasn’t the only one to have problems with the Instead cups (er, not glad you had problems, but glad I wasn’t deformed or something!) I went ahead and ordered the Keeper and it arrived yesterday…I’ll report back in a month or so
(Btw, I learned this the hard way, as I had to use pliers the first time to pull the damn thing out!)
When you put your fingers in to grab the tab, keep them pressed together so they stay dry until you grab the tab. Slippery fingers make it so much harder!
Grab that thing HARD and pull out and FORWARD. This might make you feel like you have to poop, btw, as the back edge of the Keeper will press against the nerves on the back of your vaginal wall and might press on nerves in yer butt. Just ignore that feeling, you’ll get used to it. Anyway, pull forward and out until it gives, then straighten it out to remove it, then dump the blood into the toilet
Note: I’ve never gotten blood on myself with the Keeper, at the worst I’ve just had damp fingertips.
well, I’m still trying the instead- since I like them so much, but hate the mess of taking it out, I think I’ll go ahead and order the Keeper- I like the Instead a lot better then tampons- I always seems to cramp a lot more when I use them. If anyone is interested, I too will report back on the Keeper.
Estronet is having a big discussion about them as well.
I think I’m about talked into trying the things. Anything would be better than trying to make sensitive skin deal with pads, or the cotton of tampons. I can’t even wear bandaids without them causing blisters on my skin, so you can imagine (oh, please, don’t try, that’s just way too much info) how bad a week menstruation can be.
Next month, I’m trying the Insteads. To hell with this.
As much as I worship and adore OpalCat, I think I’m going to stick with more conventional ways of being green. (i.e.- refillable coffee mugs, separating paper from plastic from aluminum from organic, etc.)
Stickin’ with the trusty (albeit expensive) tampon/maxi combo,
Chris
“ChrisCTP-…the sweetheart of the SDMB…” --Diane
Chris’ Homepage: Domestic Bliss
Tampons and pads both make me miserable, but I’m allergic to latex (yes, I know, everybody says that, but I really am) and I wonder if the Keeper would be a problem. Is it natural rubber or a synthetic, does anyone know?
I use the Instead cup and like it. I have 5-6 days of sludge before the actual bleeding starts, and Instead is the best way I have ever found of dealing with that. It gums up tampons and is too disgusting for words on pads. I only take it out in the shower, which takes care of the mess. My OB/GYN said that as long as I dry it VERY thoroughly, I can use the same cup for the entire time, so I just wash it out and reuse it. Once the bleeding really starts, I change to tampons, although I have used Instead the whole time. As long as I had unrestricted access to a shower, there was no problem, but in the real world, tampons are better for me at that time.
I see everyone intended to report back. I was hoping to read the reports on the keeper. I am thinking of getting one. I tried the instead and i have 2 problems.
the aforementioned messy removal.
Sometimes when I put it in it presses on the forward wall just so. I always thought the G spot was a fake, but now i understand all about it. Pleasant for a bit, unbearable for longer than that.
