TMI WARNING: menstrual content!

Hey Ladies

(Figured it was about time to start a menstrual product discussion thread)
What menstrual products do you use?

• disposable pads (2)
  
• tampons (1)
  
• cloth pads (2)
  
• menstrual cup (e.g. Keeper, Mooncup, or DivaCup) (0)(1)(1)
  
• disposable cups like the Instead
  
• other
  
• combination of the above

Just curious! I'm a new Mooncup user (awaiting my second cycle on it) and ETA homemade cloth pads at night. Hoping to edit this first post to update for poll responses.

Anais

ETA in case no one's heard of this stuff:
Mooncup http://www.mooncup.co.uk
Keeper http://www.thekeeperinc.com
DivaCup http://www.divacup.com
cloth pads by LJ http://www.tlc-pads.com

i was once pretty interested in the mooncup (i think on the uk sites they called it the "divacup" or something) but never found them around here in a pharmacy. anyways, i used to use tampons cuze less mess and waste and i couldn't really use pads. but i changed pill around a year ago and now my periods are so "pathetic" i use like two tampons and disposable pads (no, not thinking about wearing coton ones like our grannies did  ;)  but i do try to use ones with less wrapping like "alldays", the big ones are as big as regular pads without all the wrapping).

Mooncups and DivaCups are different brands.. I've only tried the Mooncup but I hear the Diva has a wider small-end.

I'll edit my post with websites.

I use tampons and disposable pads when out and about and lunapads (cloth ones) when at home.

I think the cup is a cool idea, but I haven't done any research on them yet.  So far so good.  However, I am interested in less waste, hence the lunapads.

Styg, sounds like that particular pill isn't working so good...or did you go off the pill?

I used a Divacup and LOVED it.  I became interested in it because of 1) environmental issues, 2) health issues,  3) long camping and biking trips, and 4) irregular periods.

Once I got the hang of the insertion and removal, I was hooked.  I did use a cloth panty liner, for "just in case", but seldom really needed it.  

wrote on Apr 17^th, 2005 at 1:56am:

Styg, sounds like that particular pill isn't working so good...or did you go off the pill?

nono, i first used diane 35 but after two years i got more pimples and i was annoyed with water retention. so i switched to an even lighter one. most girls i know start bleeding fewer and fewer over the years. i was just used to bleed as a pig i guess, i couldn't use pads at all cuze i knew it would leak down my legs after an hour. what i have now is like peanuts compared to that.   8)

@BB oh yes ... irregular periods, i think i must have wasted a ton of tampons between my periods as a teen. why oh why didn't i start earlier with a pill. i never knew if it were going to be 4, 5 or 3.5  weeks in between  ::)

Totally forgot to put in my 2 cents ;) The Mooncup is a total godsend. In fact, I'm even making informational cup pamphlets to distribute in bathrooms on campus (even got permission the other day) It doesn't leak and I can't feel a thing ;D ;D ;D

::doin' the Mooncup dance::
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/AnaisSatin/Mooncup_cropped.jpg

Two more days until period! Two more days until period! ;D

Anais

maybe one day i really order one!  ;D

What I like about the cups is that you are not introducing a lot of other chemicals into your body.  Many people are not aware of the fact that tampons and pads ARE NOT STERILE.  They are a paper product that has a lot of bleach and other chemicals that were used to make it LOOK sterile.  Toxic Shock Syndrome can be the result of those chemicals along with bacterial growth that can occur when the tampon is not changed often enough.  Research shows that a tampon should be changed every HOUR.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't always have time to run to the restroom that often.  

I've heard of many users say that cramping is greatly reduced when they switch to cloth pads and/or cups.  The cramping was the result of the chemicals on their products.

The cups are made of either rubber or silicone.  I prefered the silicone because it could be boiled.  But either type are easily washed and less likely to introduce bacteria.

If you've never considered a cup - you might want to read up on it.  There are a number of discussion groups specifically about the cups, that can answer your questions.  (PM me if you are interested in knowing about the groups.)

(I didn't mean to hijack your thread Anais - jump in with the info from your brochure!)

Awww BB you sweetheart :D Jump in anytime :D We always welcome your sage wisdom.

One more day until period! ;D Only one more day and I can use the Mooncup again

BB! actually i did read about them before. i never had TSS with tampons so i figure this won't hurt me either. i was always more wondering if the thing is really comfy cuze it seemed so huge to me (but then well, otherwise it might leak and move  i guess). i am also quite interested in cloth pads ... never ever saw that around here, not even in pharmacies.

Styg, I can't feel the Mooncup when it's in ;D I have heard, however, that some people can still feel the DivaCup because it's a slightly different shape... so it really depends on the person.

Cup insertion isn't that bad either because it folds up really small.

the cup looks big to me too!  Tampons sometimes hurt for my to put in.
But I use tampons, tampax applicator ones, if you wanted to know. I can't use the non aplicator ones, I tried once but it hurt more than an applicator.

I found that once the cup was inserted, I did not feel it at all.  Suction actually holds it in place.  There can be a bit of a learning curve get the insertion perfected, but it is worth it.

I think all the cups come with a "tail" on the bottom of the cup that is supposed to help with removal.  Most people trim this off for comfort reasons.

Kathleen, your difficulty with tampons could be their dryness.  Since the cups are non-absorbant, you might not have that difficulty.  As Anais said, the cups are very flexible and fold up to be rather small.

Styg, some health food type stores carry the cotton pads and even the cups.  I don't think I've ever seen them in a typical grocery or drug store.  This is probably due to the stigma associated with the subject (and the fact that men make too many of the decisions ::) )

wrote on Apr 19^th, 2005 at 10:20am:

This is probably due to the stigma associated with the subject (and the fact that men make too many of the decisions ::) )

oh yes, my bf started already whining how disgusting it must be to have to boil the thing lol. i did agree though washing cotton pads is kinda annoying cuze if you'd really like them more or less sterile, you'd have to wash them above 65°C, and admittedly it's something i never do for anything else and since it's a big program on my machine, it would mean loads of water spoiling to wash like 20 pads. so in that perspective the cup certainly is the best thing.

Styg--as far as the 'grossness' of boiling it, most people I know have a special pan that is ONLY used for boiling unmentionables.  Sets their mind at ease at least.  Buy a really ugly one that doesn't match anything else so he'll never have to freak out that he is grabbing the wrong one to cook breakfast.   ::)

I once heard of someone using natural sea sponges instead of tampons.  I hope they find out about these other contraptions.  

I handled my cloth pads in a similar manner as I did cloth diapers.  I had a bucket (with lid) with water and detergent that I put the soiled pad in to soak until I was ready to do laundry.  I then rinsed them before putting them in the laundry with other warm water washed undies.  

I would wash my cup throughout my period with warm/hot water and mild soap.  At the end of my period, I would boil it before storing.  

With these methods I never had any sort of infection or other issue that could be related to the hygiene used.  I will admit that when camping or on my bike trips, tap water would frequently be the best I could do for rinsing, but I figured as long as my hands were clean, and I was careful, things would be OK.  I would then do a more thorough cleaning when I could.  I prefered using the cup during these "more primative" times since I would not have to deal with disposal of tampons or pad when there might not be a reasonable place.  (For some reason corn fields and back woods don't have waste baskets!)

When I was in a timecrunch or simply lazy, I would stick a mug of water into the microwave (or use the hot water machine we have) and dunk the Mooncup in there for 5 minutes. It worked really nicely... then I'd fish it out, shake a little, and stick it in the cotton pouch to dry. I don't know if this is adequate, but so far there have been no problems. ;)