An alternative to tampons or pads. Females only, please.

[doppelgaenger]

Menstrual cups, huh? Well, now you can make your very own bloody merry!

(Chill out, I know it's "Mary")

[ShellyZ]

I've heard of these cups but never used them, they sound totally disgusting to me. I have no desire to rinse and reuse. Tampons work just fine for me.

My preference when at home is to use nothing and dash to the toilet when I feel like I'm about to drip.

How is that possible?! Menstrual flow is continuous, isn't it? I'd be in the bathroom every 2 minutes if I didn't use something. What do you do when you're not at home? Or during the night?

[MerryH]

I've just reread you post, it's some kind of silicon ball? How do you remove it if it doesn't have a string?

It's a silicone cup. There's a stem on the bottom of it so you can reach in and grab it.

I've heard of these cups but never used them, they sound totally disgusting to me. I have no desire to rinse and reuse. Tampons work just fine for me.

The idea of tampons are pretty disgusting, too, though, when you think about it. As for reusing, they're easy to clean. You wash it each time with hot water and soap and they can be boiled to sterilize them. It's not like they're absorbing anything. Tampons did work fine enough for me, but cups are so much easier and cleaner.

[MaidenMinx]

For me at least my period is more like a drip than a continuous flow. Night time if I'm heavy I use pads but that's only ever for one or 2 nights a month. The rest of the time at night I don't need anything because there's not enough of a flow to push it from my body and having an ensuite means that gravity doesn't effect it quick enough to be a problem when I get up in the morning. When I'm out and about I use tampons.

[ShellyZ]

The idea of tampons are pretty disgusting, too, though, when you think about it.

Haha well yeah, the whole thing is pretty disgusting in general. There's no non-disgusting way to deal with it, so you just gotta settle for whichever method disgusts you the least.

[IndiReloaded]

Never heard of them, thanks for posting Merry. Some questions:

How reliable are they for controlling leakage? Do they work if in a swimming pool? What about nighttime?

I like the fact they are decreasing waste (possibly lower CO2 footprint). And, I just have to ask:

Can you make haggis with what you collect?

[IndiReloaded]

Oh, and which brand do you recommend? Lunette seems well thought out.

[doppelgaenger]

A round of red snow cones on me!

[MerryH]

Never heard of them, thanks for posting Merry.

Yay! Someone is interested! Haha. Thank you.

How reliable are they for controlling leakage?

The only times I've had problems with leakage was once when I first got the cup and didn't put it in properly, and then a couple of other times during heavy flow days when the cup got too full. That only happened in the first few months of use. I'm more familiar with it now and haven't had a single leakage issue since. When I was using tampons I'd regularly soak through them within a couple of hours. Ugh.

Do they work if in a swimming pool? What about nighttime?

Swimming and other physical activities shouldn't give you any problems at all. Nighttime? Eh, Possibly. But it wouldn't be because of lying down, it might just get too full. If you can get through a night wearing a single tampon, then you probably won't have any issues.

I like the fact they are decreasing waste (possibly lower CO2 footprint).

Yes. Also, it's cheaper in the long run and you never run out.

Can you make haggis with what you collect?

Oh GOD. No. Nonono. You may not use the collection for any recipes or arts and crafts. This is a rule (that I just made up.)

Oh, and which brand do you recommend? Lunette seems well thought out.

I use the Diva Cup. I saw one in a store so I grabbed it. That's how I picked mine. But if I were trying to make a more educated purchase, I'd shop depending on their size because really, they all basically work the same way. Here's a lineup of some of the more popular brands: [url]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/Elettaria/allcups1fourth.jpg[/url] And here's a very helpful post about it: [url=http://sizecharts.livejournal.com/]sizecharts[/url]

[warriormaiden]

That sounds really.......gross and uncomfortable.
I rather stick with pads. I'm not so squeamish by it, that I can't remove it every 6 hours.

[IndiReloaded]

I'll look into it Merry. The silicone sounds better than latex, which irritates.

[doppelgaenger]

How do you hide a "cup" in your pants? Haha, a more visible cue of when *not* to hit on women.

[IndiReloaded]

Good point. I don't use a purse... hmmm. Guess I'll have to keep it in my workbag, next to my laptop. LOL. Suppose there's a market for a case, just like for pads.

[IndiReloaded]

Oh! I know! We can thread a hook through the pullout nub and use it as xmas tree ornaments. LOL, spraypainted silver & red even.

[MerryH]

That sounds really.......gross and uncomfortable.

Uncomfortable as in, you might be able to feel it all the time? You can't feel it at all once it's in. And getting it in and out might be a little weird until you get used to it, but I wouldn't say it's uncomfortable.

As for "gross", I don't know. I was never really that horrified by the idea. Why should anyone be? It's just another method of dealing with a not-so-fun thing our bodies do. To me, the cup is hands down the best way to deal with it. I was never that impressed by pads (uncomfortable, worrisome, stinky, bulky) and tampons (uncomfortable and unhygienic string, soaking through them so quickly, removing of a dry one is horrific.) I was intrigued when I heard so many women speak so highly of these things. So I researched them a bit, happened to see one in a store, and grabbed it. I'm so glad I did. My time of the month has gone from me fretting over leakage and having it in the back of my mind constantly to not even really thinking about it that much. Such a huge relief.

I guess maybe this product strikes people as some sort of fad or gimmick or weird hippie shit and that's why they're so apprehensive/skeptical, but that's really not the case. I think any aversions to cups could be easily overcome once someone realizes the benefits of them and how much easier they make your life.