It has now been almost 4 days since I first tried a menstrual cup.  The DivaCup to be exact.

I'm a Murphy's law kind of girl so I figured nothing would go right for me and my money would have been wasted.  I just knew I would have to convince my husband that I needed to buy name brand after name brand of cups and then finally find out I would never be able to use a cup for some bizarre reason.

Alas, no.  Today, after only 3 days, I did NOT leak AT ALL!!!!  Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy. 

To quote a friend that recommended cups to me: 

I'm 16 and a sophomore in high school. I have a Divacup and love it, so I wanted to share how great of a product this is and to spread the word that there's more than just tampons and pads. I looked in the flyers section here and found these really awesome, youthful flyers that might spark some teenagers interest:

http://menstrual-cups.livejournal.com/2433854.html#cutid1

So a few weeks ago I printed some out and taped about 10 of them on the inside of some of the bathroom stalls ( So when your sitting on the toilet you can read it because it's taped on the door.) Every once and a while I would tape a few up. Then yesterday I put 6 up on different floors. So far I hadn't heard anyone talking about them. Then today I was in class and I heard two of my friends talking.
Girl #1: Did you see those flyers for those things in the bathroom.
Girl #2: Yeah ... menstrual cups?
Girl #1: Yeah, I just threw it away.
Girl #2: Good, that doesn't belong here.

At first it bummed me out. It doesn't belong here? It's sad that people can't talk about menstruation without feeling that there's something inappropriate about it. I just had to remind myself that I was grossed out at first too and I never did any research because I wasn't interested. Then a little later I started researching because I got curious, and that's the point of posting these flyers. I want other menstruating person's to at least know what menstrual cups are and that they DO have options.

I just wanted to share.:)

That subject line sounds completely bizarre but hear me out!

As we all know, menstrual cups don't get anywhere near as much publicity as they deserve.  Don't know about your country, but here in Australia you can't buy cups in the supermarkets or chemists and there is zero advertising.  It seems like no one even knows that they exist.  So how do we make menstrual cups go viral?  - Toilet paper!

Every time you visit a public toilet, bring along a pen and after you've taken the toilet paper you need, write a very quick one-liner about menstrual cups on the next square of toilet paper for the next user.  A few examples:

"Menstrual cups!...
- look them up
- never using a tampon again
- no more stinky, soggy mess
- Kotex/Stayfree/Libra must hate me
- you'll thank me later
- visit menstrual-cups.livejournal.com
- spread the word" etc.

It's quick, simple, it doesn't make you a vandal, it reaches beyond your immediate circle of friends/family and it's anonymous which is great if you're not comfortable ranting about periods in person.  And because toilet paper is probably one of the weirdest forms of communication, it's not likely a reader will forget how they found out and if they become a happy cup user too, there's a chance they'll be tempted to spread the word in the same way, hopefully making it viral.

Personally, all I needed was to stumble across the term "menstrual cups" and it was enough to pique my interest and do a bit of research and ultimately become a happy cup user.  Of the people I've mentioned them to, curiosity seems to be the most common reaction so I think that simply getting the term "menstrual cups" out there in peoples' awareness can be quite powerful.

So go forth and start scribbling!

Hi all,

I'm a undergraduate anthropology student at Georgia State University and a huge fan of this site. I'm doing a short class project on alternative health systems, etiologies, and practices and I'd like to include some of your word and/or opinions if that's all right with you. I'm really fascinated by this community and how it contributes to menstrual cup usage and alternative approaches to understanding menstruation.

If you're interested in discussing, here are some of my questions: 

How did you find out about menstrual cups, and what was your initial reaction? What motivated you most to try using one?

Do you relate using a menstrual cup to another alternative lifestyle practice, such as environmental sustainability or alternative conceptions of women's health and fertility (for instance midwifery)?

Has using a cup changed your conception of menstruation, whether just learning about yourself/your body, or menstruation as a biological occurrence, or how menstruation is conceptualized in our/your culture?

Have you promoted or suggested menstrual cups to family or friends since beginning to use one?

Obviously this will be anonymous! I will not mention the name of website or the community in the project or anyone's usernames especially. Participation is voluntary, and feel free to PM me if you don't want to post publicly. Write as much or as little as you like. If you have anything to add or critique, please do. I am open and eager to all opinions, viewpoints and considerations.

Thanks so much everybody! I look forward to responses!

Hello community,

Heres the deal. I'm watching a documentary about plastics... it details how only the specific plastic manufacturers know what exactly is in their raw products, that the companies eventually using the raw plastics to make things are kept in the dark, that questionable materials are likely being used to make plastics, that most plastics have been found to leach all sorts of toxic compounds, that many plastics leach endocrine disruptors, yada yada yada.... THEN I REALIZE THE CUP UP MY VAJAYJAY IS MADE OF PLASTIC, well thermoplastic elastomer at least, and isn't my spare silicone cup held together with plastic polymers?

I know manufacturers of plastics all stand by the safety of their products no matter what, and that companies using plastics do the same, but I don't trust them worth a lick...ALWAYS DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH I stopped using plastic water bottles, plastic food containers, and plastic-lined canned foods ages ago due to personal concerns I had about phthalates and BPA. These concerns turned out to be well founded, as tons of articles are being published about their dangers today.

So what I want to know is: What is in our menstrual cups? What has been done to ensure that toxic endocrine disruptors are not leaching right into our reproductive organs?

If anyone has any literature to site about thermoplastic elastomers, or medical grade silicone (I know it sounds safe, but you never know) or any other materials cup companies will own up to using PLEASE SHARE. If any cup companies themselves are willing to pipe in that would be greatly appreciated as well!

Ok, after getting settled with new studies and everyting,
i'm back on track with my goal to get the info about menstrual cups out to as many as possible (in Norway).
I'm aiming for something great in 2012
( Read more... )

So, I'm going in for surgery on Tuesday and had to go in today for pre-registration. They slam you with tons and tons of questions about your health and blah, blah, blah. One of the questions was, "Do you have any contacts, dentures *insert other removeable things here* that would need removed before surgery?"

I answered no and then said, "You should add menstrual cups to that list."

The lady look up and kinda laughed. "Really? I don't think I've ever met anyone who has used them and liked them or had them work."

I then sang their praises. About how they completely changed my world and opened up my mind. Which, of course, sounds over the top, but we all know it's true. I told her how I had skipped the sugar pills in my birth control so I wouldn't be bleeding during surgery and that because I love my cups so much, I was actually just a little sad I would be skipping my period this month.

So I again said they should probably find a way to add that to the questionaire and definitely add it to the list of stuff they look for on women when they come into the ER.

She asked if it had a string or something they would be able to see. I told her nope. That they have stems, but sometimes women cut them off, but in anycase, nothing is outside of the body.

The exchange ended with her saying, "Interesting." But it was neat to have the conversation at all. And I just had to share it with you all! :)

I got into a discussion with someone about periods being gross, and how they felt that such subjects should not be discussed openly, which in turn got me thinking about the idea that talking about periods can be beneficial. Talking about menstruation challenges taboos and I think is important for the purpose of education, challenging sexism, helping people deal with menstrual problems, and trying to improve safety of our sanitary products. I'm also a firm believer that the less negatively you feel about menstruation the less negative you feel during menstruation. 

Thinking specifically where I've seen examples of this - here.
If it wasn't for talking about menstruation none of us would be here now. For many of us the ability to talk about menstruation has led us to discover cups, in turn cups have given many of us a way to deal with problems that made periods less-than-pleasant, but perhaps also changed our attitudes towards menstruation a little too. So in theory, for many of us talking about menstruation has been hugely beneficial. 

To my point - do you have happier periods as a result of using menstrual cups? 

I've seen many people say this, but I wonder what others attribute this too - finding a solution to a problem or turning your back on mainstream menstrual taboos - also with this in mind, do you think talking about menstruation is important? I've also seen many sources claiming people have happier periods with menstrual cups and I wonder where anyone here has an opinion on this, is this really an accurate claim? 

 Hi! I've been busy with college and haven't updated my website in a very long time. If anyone's interested, I've done reviews and taken photos for:

-Divacup (size 1)

-MeLuna (size medium in the classic style)

-MeLuna (size small in the new style)

-MeLuna (size medium in the new style)

-MeLuna (size large in the new style)

-Femmecup

-Lunette (size 1)

-Lady Cup (sizes small and large)

-Yuuki (size 1)

-Fleurcup (Coming soon)


Hopefully I'll be doing more reviews for brands in the future! Stay tuned.  =)

Indigo Snow Menstrual Cup Support

Website:  http://menstrualcupsupportgroup.webs.com/
Email: lalala45677@yahoo.com

~Ellie

Surprised this hasn't been posted yet - hope no one minds my posting this.
It's a song from Mooncup/MCUK made-up of terms submitted to loveyourvagina.com
If for some reason embedding the video isn't working, click here - youtu.be/JgEXRKIZRvc 
I've had it stuck in my head for days, I'd love to see this get more views, or better still for it to go viral :-)  

Let’s share the love, friends!  At zanashop.com, we get A LOT of requests for free sample menstrual cups.  Sometimes from people who don't live near an area that sells cups in stores and cannot purchase online, or from people who simply don't have the money right now and want to try one.  We do have giveaways once in a while.  But sadly, we cannot hold giveaways as often as we would like to.  However, if anyone out there has a bit of extra money, and would like to spread the joy by donating, please do so! 

We are setting up a menstrual cup charity fund, and here is the link:  http://goo.gl/vV3Gp Every time we receive enough for a menstrual cup, we will grant one of the sample requests we receive, and send a brand new menstrual cup to someone in need. 

We will start the goal at $500, and if it is reached, we will simply raise it to keep the charity going.  Reaching the goal does not prevent future donations, however.  The charity FundRazr is based on Facebook, so if you have a Facebook account, please share it, and spread the word to any friends who support menstrual cups as well. 

Everyone has the option of donating anonymous, or sharing the amount they gave.  You can also be a supporter.  No amount is too small, and every little bit helps.  If you don't have a facebook, you can share the FundRazr on other pages by copying and pasting this link:

http://goo.gl/vV3Gp

This is the perfect way to give to others, while still supporting the companies, and their private distributors.  Now anyone can be part of the effort.  When someone in need is selected, they will receive the size, brand or color of their choice, among the cups we sell at zanashop.com.  Thank you to anyone who is willing to help, either by donating, or simply spreading the word by sharing the FundRazr on their own page! 

Hello again,
I wanted to post about doctor familiarity with cups, and my experience with different docs in "my circle".  I'm not what I would consider a cup evangelist, but it seems to have come up a lot lately and I've been really disappointed with the lack of knowledge out there.  So I started prodding every medical professional I know to see exactly what they did know.  Let's just say it's a sad day for cups out there...

My OB:  (A 40 year old cis-female ex army doc who I'm not crazy about, but got referred to after my primary left...) I started using cups after I got an IUD.  The IUD Divas page was a great resource for researching iud's, and I stumbled across cups there.  When I had the follow up appt for my iud I talked with the ob about cup use.  She says "Oh--you mean Insteads."  No... "Oh--you mean cervical caps?"  No.... So I bust out my Lunette Selene and do a little impromptu show and tell.  She was very open to the idea--her motto was "Whatever floats your boat, just don't yank your iud out." Very much a non-issue.  So accepting, but not informed, interested or enthusiastic.

My PCP: (A 50 ish man, trained in Kentucky, appears conservative and uber professional--he's just okay.)  Not a clue.  Never heard of them.  Neutral on the subject, appeared uncomfortable talking about it.

My kids' Ped: (A 60ish woman, has a female partner, self described "old hippie", LOVE her...She's ruined me for all other doctors...) I haven't had a chance to ask her specifically, but her staff, who were of a similar demographic had never heard of them.  So more show and tell, referred to the Lunette website, they asked questions, seemed open to it, kind of that frowny puzzled look.  A positive interaction.  I will ask the ped herself when we go back in 2 weeks.

My cousin's wife who's a Ped/Hospitalist just out of residency: (30 y/o, married to my cis female genetic research scientist cousin, very active in the LGTB community back east, super liberal--two of my favorite people in the whole world, godparents to my children) They had heard of the Keeper from someone at the all women's college they went to, but knew nothing more and didn't know any users.  *This one surprised me--I thought for sure she would know something about cups!  Lots of her residency was spent focused on women's health!!

Anywho, I'm .5 for 4 right now.  (Half a point goes to my cousins wife for knowing the word Keeper"--not a full point because my cousin had to tell her what it was....)  Just to put it all in perspective, my area (The Pacific Northwest) is extremely "green".  Almost everyone I know cloth diapers their kids, you can find Insteads in every grocery store, breastfeeding a year and beyond is the norm, Diva Cups in the health food stores,  everyone composts/gardens/buys local/recycles/babywears, etc.  So I am just SHOCKED that the medical professionals who live and work in my area don' t know about cups...

Hmph. 
 

 

Hello, friends!
Well, I got through my first full period using my Diva size 1 and I'm so happy I made the switch! I think that perhaps if I had spent a bit more time researching, I may have gone with a softer/shorter cup, but all in all, the Diva Cup did well for me. I have settled on using the punch down fold, and have no issues with suction, although I did occasionally have to readjust the cup position because my cervix was outside the cup. I think it may be a little too long for me, but not uncomfortable or unusable. I had no leakage issues (I wore panty liners anyway, with very little if any residue on it). I did have one "morning flood" issue which I'm sure was simply because I stood up too fast. Luckily, I walked right from my bed to the bathroom as I do every morning, so nothing even made it outside to my underwear. I was also pleased that I did not have to try to use the cup and the ring at the same time as I had originally feared. (My vag is not a clown-car or catch-all, lol!)

I had a little trouble getting it our a few times. I felt as if it was too high to reach and I had to put my hand in an uncomfortable position to grip it. It kept slipping out of my grip (off to the side of my pinching fingers) because my vagina seems to be angled to the left and the cup end would sit behind my pelvic bone at a difficult angle. However, I eventually learned out to bear down just right so by the 3rd day, removal was a cinch!

The only difficulty that actually bothered me was that I had some trouble getting my bladder empty. I would have to alternately relax and squeeze to get out the remaining urine in "spurts" which was annoying and I'm wondering if this leaves a chance of UTI? I doubt it, since I change the cup at least every 10 hours and urinate while the cup is out, so eventually I'm getting my bladder totally empty.

Over all, I feel I made the right choice in switching to the Diva Cup because it is so much more comfortable, economical, and clean than disposables.

AND---- I made a video! It's a pro/con video explaining what I like and dislike about my experience with the Diva Cup and why I endorse cup use. I also mentioned this site so people can get more info. Here's the video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC2zWZEF9Zw

( Read more... )

Hi all! There are actually a lot of youtube videos with women talking about why they like cups, so I decided to make one too. It's here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcESUuvzobM

Oh and I compiled a playlist of menstrual cup videos on the youtubes:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=1496695B1317C2B9

And I have photos up of all my different cups here:
http://public.fotki.com/waterlily716/hair/menstrual-cupsother/

It's basically the same info as my blog post I wrote awhile ago--just a persuasive argument about why someone might like to use cups. :)

Also a side note, I am just so happy I figured about cups. They make my life so much easier... I have converted one friend over to them, and I have a couple others that have ordered/want to try cups. Viva la revolucion! D-- (that's a cup)

This is a silly cup appreciation post. ^_^

Do you have a name for your cup(s)? What about a nickname or a title? Does it have anything to do with the brand, color, or how you acquired it?

If this is an item we'll own for many years, why not name it to make it more familiar?

My smoky gray Fluercup is named Shropshire, but I usually call it my "plug" because I wear it for 12 hours on light days.

First of all I must express some gratefulness for the all of you who are making this forum so great! It was a great help in choosing to start with cups (which I of course are madly in love with).

Here in norway there's unfortunatly hardly anyone who has heard of cups, hardly even in the health care system. This annoyed me, so i deceided on spreading the word in norwegian also, since i'd like to share the wonderfulness of cups with all my "sisters"(/"brothers"), and not all Norwegians are so good in english that they can find info on the internet.. So i created a info-site in norwegian, and i hope this will help norwegian women in choosing cups. Trying to keep the site brand-neutral and ad-free as far as possible.

If there's anyone who can read what's on the site, i'd love to get some feedback on the info i have there, if there's things i've left out etc.. Still a few minor details to fix, but here it is: www.menskopp.org 

Also thanks to zanashop, miss "whimaway", miss "m03m", and all you people on this site for putting up all the info on the net and making helpful tools in cup-choosing. You're great! :D

Anyways.. Further plans: putting up flyers on all kinds of female toilets, mail anyone i know the link,  and maybe if i have the time and resources, try to get in touch with the right people in the health care system, and se if there could be made some sort of info-campaign in the schools etc.. We'll see. ;)

At least, there's a beginning.

-M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs8OJUvckdQ&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fl.php%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.youtube.com%252Fwatch%253Fv%253Dvs8OJUvckdQ%26h%3D1a561&has_verified=1

I think it's beautiful!

Inspired by whimaway 's flyer, as seen in this post,  I made a Dutch version. Here's a preview:

( Behind the cut )

I'm really curious about this--how many people do you think you've told about cups?

I was counting up my "numbers" today following another cup-versation and here's the rundown:

Sister-in-law, 5 female coworkers, a work friend, a "regular" friend, lots of moms on an infertility website I belong to (not able to track those numbers) and maybe one or two others.  And my spouse.

Still haven't approached my mom about it (she had a hysterectomy 20 years ago so it wouldn't be of use and it's not something we ever would discuss--she'd be SO uncomfortable!) and don't have many other female family members.

I'm finding that it gets easier to talk about it the more I do it. 

Thoughts?
:)

Hey everyone! (note newly aquired political correctness)
I am looking to buy another cup that has similar stiffness to my size one Diva. I have a Lunette Selene and the thing is just too darn stiff for me. I know there was a stiffness chart floating around recently, but I can't find it. Can someone post the link for me please? Thank you in advance!
In the interest of making my post more interesting, I thought of asking a question that I don't remember seeing before---How many women have you converted from other methods of menstrual products to cups? I have converted seven women and I am really proud of that! What about the others in the community? Has anyone been keeping count like me? I look forward to hearing your responses!

Wouldn't it be cool if there were a Story of Stuff-esque video about menstrual products that feature menstrual cups?

I'm hoping that just by suggesting this, I can be the butterfly's wings that flap that will in some way get a whole process rolling so that a video can be produced.

I reaaaally want to spread the word about cups as best as i can. I mean, these things are better than sliced bread!
So, one day I was thinking about how I could go about this, and it hit me-- sex/body ed. in schools.
how perfect! if one were to hear about cups when first being educated about periods and such, they'd be more open to it(right?).

the only problems i see are costs. i'm pretty sure that schools have to pay very little to get those samples of 2 'always' pads, since they're advertising really.

ohgodireallyhaven'tthoughtaboutthismuch.

how do you guys think i should approach the school district about this sort of thing? i understand that it'd take quite a bit of work to get menstrual cups really out there in even just on school district, but i REALLY want to try!


on another note, i've been thinking about coming up with my own menstrual cup... crazy, right? i'm drawing some concepts at the moment, and i'll post 'em here when i've got enough.

... i have big dreams, and i'm only 13. oh well.

edit; i found this the other day on a quiz from BeingGirl.com.... it actually made me mad.

The menstrual cup, a rubber device placed into the vagina to collect blood in the 1930s, was not a success because it was too-
a;  expensive
b; hard, heavy, and difficult to insert
c; hard to find
d; all of the above.

yes, D was the correct answer.
technically. but it just really irritated me :\ ugh

( Really long and rambley and kind of political and controversial in spots. )

On another note, since I love my fleurcup so much more, I don't think I'll be using the diva again. But what was the wrong shape for me might be the right shape for someone else. I'd love to boil it and give it to someone it might fit better who doesn't have a lot of money. I went looking for a charity or something for used-but-still-good cups, but all I found was discussions on how cups are a bad match for women in developing countries because of a shortage of clean water (and the MPower, which seems to disagree). But what about poor women in the developed world, for whom clean water is generally easy to come by, but still have a lot of financial need?

 I'm probably the last to know, but I was in my local Boots today and noticed they now sell the Mooncup next to pads and tampons.  Wayhay!!  I've never personally seen them for sale in shops before so that brought a smile to my face.  Now that it's on the shelf, I hope that more women see this product and try it out :)

If I had known that they were there for sale a few months back, I would have bought one instead of buying my cup online and waiting days for it to show up.  Oh well!

www.boots.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/EndecaSearchListerView