Just a quick rave about my LadyCup!

[Indadhanu]

I'm a bit worried about it dropping in the toilet when I take it out! Or spilling all over me!

[Traveller]

It'll be like 2nd nature after a few months, then you'll wonder why you used tampons for so long!

[NaeNae]

I am curious ... how do you know when its time to empty it? can you feel it ... sorry I am just trying to imagine this, is there a little handle or something to help get it in and out? I hate tampons and regular type pads, using cloth pads doesn't really appeal I would worry about the smell (soak buckets don't bother me its just blood afterall)
Are they hygenic ? I mean can you sterilize them or do they not hold any bacteria? Do they have a special container they go in when not in use ?

Sorry if I sound dumb but this is the first time I have really heard of them

Nae x

[Traveller]

there is a stem on the bottom of the cup, but most women find it more comfortable to cut that off and just gently grip the bottom of the cup, squeeze and twist, and out it comes. Taking it out can be messy at first, but if you do it over the loo that will catch all the mess and you will find it only takes a couple of months before you can take it out easily and without spillage.

I used to empty mine every couple of hours when my flow was heavy (better than changing my tampon and pad every hour, a ladycup holds a lot more than cotton pads or tampons) and just when I went to the loo once my flow was lighter. It gets a bit heavy if too full, but it's so easy to empty that I found that rarely happened. There is no risk of toxic shock syndrome if you leave it in too long, but if you forget it is there and leave it for 5 days (not me, a friend) you will start to notice a bit of an odour and a yucky discharge.

You can sterilise it in boiling water, and some with milton sterilising solution. There is a bag to keep it in between uses, but you could get a tub if you were happier with that. One cup will last you around 10 years, so they say. A huge saving on the environment

[angelaartsstudent]

Do they go in just as far as a tampon, or further?

To explain the question, I have had some horrible situations with tampons and menstral sponges, requiring trips to hospital. A later ultrasound of my internal bits showed that I have an "extra long" uterus and vagina, according to the Dr. This is a pain in the bum becuase it also means I need extra long toys to feel nice :-P but I also can't use tampons anymore becuase, as I discovered, I either can't get them up far enough and they fall out, or I magically manage to shove them up far enough and they get stuck and disapear, requring a hospital visit to remove them. The string doesn't even reach out. This limits me to horrible, horrible pads.

So...can you sleep in the cup? How does that work? It doesn't tip out becuase of the changing angles of the body during sleep?

I have heard of them before but becuase I never had a person to ask questions to about them, never thought to try one. I am intrigued.

[blessedatlast]

I would like to try one.. Can you PM me where you got yours from Leasha.. (or anyone that has one?) They are only avail on the net right? Also, if you have to rinse between use, what happens if you are out in public? Or at someones house? I don't dig the idea of having someone wash out their cup in my sink!

[Traveller]

I don't know if they would be suitable for someone with an extra long vagina, sorry. The general advice is that if you can use a tampon, you can use a cup, so maybe that's not the case for you.

However you can sleep in them. When you insert it you fold it once, then twice. When it is inside you twist and it springs open forming a seal below the cervix. So you could do gymnastics and nothing would seep through. They are very comfortable to sleep in, you can't feel them at all.

If you are going to be in public during your period, you can take a bottle of water with you for rinsing between uses. However it really is ok to reinsert without rinsing for one or two uses, there is no infection risk as long as you wash your hands before as well as after.

There are a few different brands. I use a mooncup, there is also a ladycup, lunette, keeper menstrual cup and diva cup. There may be more too. They vary in the amount they will hold, so my advice would be to read their websites and make a decision based on how heavy your flow is. I got mine in a chemist in Britain, I'm not sure where they are available here other than online but the website of your chosen cup should give you the details of how to purchase and any local stockists.

[Floweryfields]

I'm a bit worried about it dropping in the toilet when I take it out! Or spilling all over me!

I think everyone does the dip in the loo at least once!!