blacked out after taking cup out for the first time

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22 April 2012 @ 08:56 am

Alright so I went to take my menstrual cup out last night before bed to empty it(first time doing so). It took my awhile to get it out since I am rather small down there, and still a virgin. And anyways it hurt pretty badly when I was taking it out, I tried my best to relax and everything, but it still hurt. After I got it out, I suddenly felt really sick, and had to sit down. I noticed I hadn't started my period yet, but there was a tiny bit of blood on the cup(not from my period since I still haven't started) I was a little confused, and still feeling ill, and then started to clean the cup, feeling very dizzy. After I cleaned the cup I started to try to walk into my bedroom. On my way to my bedroom my vision just started to go black. Like I couldn't see at all. I wasn't really scared that much, but felt like crap and couldn't feel where my bed was. (In the end I had to close my eyes for a couple seconds while standing, and yell at myself really loudly to get my vision back to normal. No idea why that worked, but it scared the crap out of my dogs) Anyways after that, I laid in bed for a few minutes waiting for the sick feeling to go away.(I also felt extremely hot, so I just kind of took all my clothes off) Then I drank some water, and just slept..
I don't really know why this all happened, like why my body did what it did. I also still haven't started my period yet. Though I had a pad on last night just in case( teeny bit of blood on it but not from my period) It isn't likely but is it possible my hymen was still in tact, and I broke it while taking the cup out? But if that is the case then why would I black out so badly?
Sorry for the long question, I am just a little uneasy. I do plan on trying the cup out again, but not until I get some answers. Oh and if means anything I am 18.
Oh and the cup I have is the lunette diana

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arrow_bright on April 22nd, 2012 05:50 pm (UTC)

Tearing your hymen shouldn't do that. The same for taking out your cup. You should definitely see your doctor before using your cup again, though.

Edited to add that you should definitely see your doctor, anyway, but also before you use your cup.

Edited at 2012-04-22 05:51 pm (UTC)

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kuradi8 on April 22nd, 2012 05:55 pm (UTC)

Sounds like you had a vasovagal reflex. Google it for more info. The good news is that as you learn to remove your cup painlessly, it shouldn't happen again.

In a nutshell, you need to relax your PC/pelvic floor muscles for insertion and especially removal. Open your mouth a little, keep your jaw slack and don't forget to breathe! :o) The idea is to get air into/above your cup for removal. Try creating an air channel on the soft back side of your vag with your finger. As you discovered, the harder you yank, the more suction it creates and the more it hurts. If you want more advice, check the REMOVAL tags for helpful hints on how to get your cup out with less/no pain. Most importantly, DON'T RUSH!

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thelittleredfox on April 22nd, 2012 06:23 pm (UTC)

I second this.

Some women have a response like this when something comes into contact with/dilates their cervix. I blacked out once just like this when I had an orgasm just as my period was starting - it completely freaked me out but has never happened since - and it also happened when I had an iud fitted.

It won't necessarily happen again, but you need to learn to remove your cup gently when you are relaxed. I generally bear down to grab the bottom and then squeeze the base of the cup and twist to break the seal.

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gryphonwing on April 22nd, 2012 07:40 pm (UTC)

Childbirth, too - it's actually one of the dangers there.

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tokajein on April 22nd, 2012 06:50 pm (UTC)

Alright I was reading about it, and that sounds exactly like what happened to me. makes a lot more sense now c: Maybe I should try meditating next time before removal to help get myself in a calm state of mind.

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jessiebanana on April 22nd, 2012 05:56 pm (UTC)

I'm not saying don't see a doctor, but your response sounds more psychological than physical...especially in the way it escalated.

There nothing wrong with pausing at the first sign of discomfort. Give yourself time to calm down. You can't really force relaxation, ya know? If it takes days or weeks to work up to it, than so be it.

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gryphonwing on April 22nd, 2012 06:17 pm (UTC)

Actually, while it's a good idea to relax, I'm with kuradi8 and tisiphone: this really is a classic vasovagal response. Some people get them more easily than others. Wikipedia's article isn't bad. The vagus nerve reaches all the way down to the vaginal area, and this isn't the first poster to have a vasovagal response to her cup.

It's not impossible to get dizzy and pass out for psychological reasons, but I wouldn't think it very likely either, and I'm hesitant about suggesting that someone's very physical problem is actually psychological. We are too often dismissed with "it's all in your head," even when it most assuredly is not.

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jessiebanana on April 22nd, 2012 06:23 pm (UTC)

I never said she should dismiss it entirely and I tend to think people underestimate the power of the mind than the other way around.

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tisiphone on April 22nd, 2012 07:54 pm (UTC)

I agree. A vasovagal reaction isn't really psychological, it's neurological. Different thing.

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jessiebanana on April 23rd, 2012 05:27 am (UTC)

I know vasovagal is neurological and I know the difference between neurological and psychosomatic but I wouldn't necessarily assume it's vasovagal to begin with . I was just putting a possible reason out there.

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nightmer on April 23rd, 2012 12:08 am (UTC)

Agreed.

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tisiphone on April 22nd, 2012 05:59 pm (UTC)

It sounds like a vasovagal reaction, which can happen sometimes just from random things. (I get them from shots and the sight of blood.) It might not happen again, but something you can try is inserting and removing while lying down for a few tries. Also, try again while you're on your period.

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gryphonwing on April 23rd, 2012 12:25 am (UTC)

Oh, and as for the blood: if you have very little experience with penetration, it's likely you tore a bit of hymeneal tissue. The hymen doesn't "break" all at once the way people often think it does - it wears away, thins, tears, and stretches out over time. But if you have a bunch of that tissue left, it's absolutely possible to tear it, and you'll get a bit of bright pink blood if you do. Some people stretch or tear theirs on purpose, to get the thing out of the way. I think the stretching idea makes lots of sense. :)

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m03m on April 23rd, 2012 10:08 am (UTC)

That, or bumping the cervix with the cup made it bleed a little.

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juliiie87 on April 23rd, 2012 04:58 pm (UTC)

I've had the exact same "ill feeling" and blacking out a few times when I was a teenager. Pretty much every single time I had a shot or a blood test. I can get it started even just knowing that the needle is about to go in : so the cause is mostly psychological for me, but the effects are very physical. One of those times, my vision went blurry grey just like snow on TV, and I was sitting in a class room ! It was so scary, not being in control, and usually I felt awful, had to lie down and even sometimes cried a little afterwards.

It's never happened to me while using a cup though. I'm with the others : you need to be really confident and relaxed before handling your cup, and find a position that makes it easier for you : generally sitting on the toilet makes everything more relaxed, and also for insertion, I found that lying on my back worked extremely well.

Edited at 2012-04-23 05:02 pm (UTC)

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seachelle76 on April 23rd, 2012 09:14 pm (UTC)

I'm new here, but have lurked on this community for a while. I started using a lunette selene on my last cycle with no issues. It's fantastic!

However, I joined this community just to add my two cents to this post. You need to go to the doctor. While it could be a vasovagal reflex, there are plenty of other things it could be as well. When I was a teen, I went through a phase where I didn't eat properly, skipped meals, and didn't do the vegetarian thing the right way at all. I experienced a brief moment of blindness and everything else you mentioned, plus some. It was terrifying. My mom took me to the doctor and I was told that I was severely anemic and hypoglycemic. You need to get yourself checked out.

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tokajein on April 24th, 2012 06:27 pm (UTC)

Oh don't worry I know I have a well balanced diet. c: I am quite the health nut. Eat tons of vegetables, get sufficient amount of protein, eat a lot of fruit. I avoid sodas, and candy, and don't eat any processed food, I even make my noodles from scratch. I also exercise daily, and do yoga. c:
I have had blood tests done, and the doctors said that I have 'perfect blood' Meaning no deficiencies or anything. And though in the past I did have a slightly higher blood pressure than average for my age, after I made my lifestyle changes my blood pressure is right where it should be c: I think my only current health issue is I have a slight hormonal imbalance, which runs in my family, but I am using all natural things to help balance everything out. Thank you for your comment though. I am going to be going to the doctors again sometime next month though, so I can still consult to him about it.

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tokajein on April 24th, 2012 06:19 pm (UTC)

Alright my period started yesterday, but I decided not to use the cup again until today(because I am no longer in state alone now, so if anything happened then someone could help me) So I put it in this morning(using punch down fold, c fold is too big, plan on trying 7 fold next and see which works best) I decided to take it out after about two hours of having it in(just to see what would happen) I was much more relaxed taking it out this time, and took my time(taking everyone's tips) And though it hurt a tiny bit(at the opening) it was much better. Came out so much more easily, and no blacking out! so much better. I did have to do the thing where you try to refold the cup while taking it out too, which I believe helped a lot. So thank you for the tips everyone! I am having a bit of trouble knowing if the cup is 'popping' because it is hard for me to stick a finger in to feel around the cup, and the punch fold (for me) is making it a little bit harder to tell. But I figured that as long as I don't leak it should be fine. I am still wearing panty liners though just in case. Again thank you so much everyone!

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