BugLover

I've never heard of something like this before, but I'm definitely interested in giving it a try. I just went out to their website at http://www.keeper.com and looked at the order form. It asks for a "Friendship Code". Supple Cow - since you are the presenter of this concept to many of us in the forum, is there a code we can use so that you get credit for spreading the word? I didn't know if this "friendship code" was something that might get you free stuff or something - i couldn't find any info. I think if so, you should definitely get credit for enlightening all of us!

Thanks for a great post!

Supple Cow

Hmm, I don't know anything about the Friendship Code, but it would make my heart warm if all y'all who were buying one just said a friend had referred you. No other credit is necessary, really. I'm just happy enough to spread the relief. Also, I don't know if I (or anybody else) had addressed this yet, but it's pretty impossible to push them out with your muscles. I do my Kegel's religiously and the best I can do is to push it down a little bit so I can get a better grip. I've never been able to push it all the way out sans hands... and I've tried!

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"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
(Michael Jordan)

cellophanedeity

So, I am reviving this thread to announce my new purchase!

I finally got the Diva Cup. It's in right now, but not correctly. (It can't be, it hurts a bit) I'm going to see if it works (got a pantsu liner just incase) Or if I need to try again.

Just thought I'd share ladies!

genuinegirly

I've never heard of something like this! Fascinating. I'll have to try it out one of these days.

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Sage

Man, I *LOVE* mine! A few weeks ago I had some spotting issues (I think stress combined with the IUD) and I needed to wear something for about three weeks straight- the Diva cup paid for itself five times over in those three weeks, considering how many tampons I would have had to wear!

Resuable Menstural Cups forever!

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Rubyee

Okay, I want to try. But, I think I will go with the disposable Instead before I make a serious committment. Wish me luck!

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You don't know from fun.

HedwigStrange

Oooooh, these look fun! Has anyone tried running with one of these in? I'm curious to know if I would be able to use these without them leaking or falling out mid-jog.

Supple Cow

*bump*

Earlier today, I was trying to tell my roommates about a fight I had with a guy who is period-phobic and I talked both of them into getting Diva Cups. Sweet!

Rubyee, how has Insted treated you? I was going to suggest that you go on ahead and just get a Diva Cup even for a trial since Instead is so expensive (per use anyway) and not really comparable in feel during insertion. You can always come back to it later if you don't like it at first -- it will still be perfectly useable.

Hedwig, you can run with them, swim with them, horseback ride... just think of those old tampon commercials and all those things we could do! The point is that these are like tampons but much better for you, not to mention the lack of Mr. Hangy String. I've done everything but have sex with my Diva Cup inside. Even getting kicked in the gut and thrown around in karate class hasn't caused a leak -- and nothing I do can make that sucker come out except for my reaching in and grabbing it with my fingers.

How is everybody else doing with their Diva Cups or Diva Cup purchase anxieties?

__________________
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
(Michael Jordan)

Blaise

I came across a description of the mooncup on some vegan site a while ago and thought it was an excellent idea, but never got round to ordering one. But I'm sick of other menstrual products and it does make a lot more sense than throwing away all those used tampons and pads that aren't even good for you- I should be able to get mine just in time for next month.

raeanna74

I read about these before but it's perfect that the subject comes up again now. I finally quit using my BC pills. For good. So far so good - no migrane yet but had to take some Imitrex to stave one off when I noticed the aura beginning. So - instead of having a period 4 times a year, now I have one every month again. Or at least that's what I'm expecting. I haven't had a monthly period for almost 6 years. Pregnancy, breastfeeding and no period for 2 years then, and finally Seasonale or the equivalant for the past 3 years. Who knows what things will be like now. If it ends up going to what it was before (exactly 27 days each cycle) then I will be purchasing myself one of these within the next year. Thanks for the heads up at least.

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"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

cellophanedeity

I have a day that goes from 7:30AM to 9:40PM. This thing is awkward on these days.

I need to empty it, but only have access to public washrooms. The "shhhquelllsshh" noise it made as I took it out to empty it was horrifying.

Perhaps it was my own insecurities that caused the "horrifying" bit though.

Supple Cow

^

I never even thought of that. When I was in high school, I used to be very conscious of the krrrrrrrrrrrrrrip! sound my pad would make as I tore it off my panties. I wonder if I actually manage to pull my Diva Cup sans noise or if I just stopped noticing it.

Sometimes my vagina gets sore from all the in and out. I think the pain I sometimes experience and the sound you hear come from the same thing: tugging on the seal of a vacuum. I usually am able to suck my abdomen up in such as way as to pull air into my vagina and that breaks the seal more efficiently than squeezing the bottom of the cup. (Not quite sure how to describe exactly how that works, but maybe you know what I'm talking about.) I imagine that wiggling it out with the vacuum seal already broken probably makes less noise, too.

__________________
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
(Michael Jordan)

raeanna74

Well apparently this thing WAS a little more widely known back in the day. MIL told me today they had them back when she was a teen/young adult. She'd never used one though since she's always been fairly Latex allergic and they didn't have the silocone kind back then.

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"Always learn the rules so that you can break them properly." Dalai Lama
My Karma just ran over your Dogma.

Supple Cow

From the way it's hardly talked about, you'd think they invented it last week, which is infuriating. When I think back to the dozens of times I've tried to recommend it and was met with steely, unapproving glares... *&%@!

Those women were always the ones who thought it was just "a little too--yuck" (most definitely their words, not mine) to even give it a chance. It's just unfortunate because for every three of the women who got the yuckies, there was another whose eyes widened hopefully upon learning of such a prospect. I wonder how popular it might have been back then if they did have the silicone kind... or if it would just be the same story all over again. :\

At the end of the day, I'm just glad I have one.

__________________
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
(Michael Jordan)

Sage

I get around the vaccum thing by sticking a finger in there and kinda pressing on a side- disrupts the vaccum and so no pain! I'm doubly sensitive to that because of my IUD- for some reason the vaccum on my cervix causes pain akin to the cramping I had after they put the IUD in.

Diva Cups forever!

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cellophanedeity

So, I thought I'd share the humiliation that I actually suffered due to this noise.

As I was taking the cup thing out, someone walked into the bathroom. I assume that the person heard the "squelching" noise, that is similar to the sound of wanking when you're really really wet, as they snort-laughed and left.

*sigh* And all of this for Mother Earth. I wonder if she'd mind if I still used tampons on Mondays...

Supple Cow

Okay, now that I'm actually putting it to good use, I see what you're saying about the sound. I guess I just missed it before. I'm going to have to question just how closely it resembles the sound of wanking when extremely wet, though. I think it sounds just like what it is: a plunger's airtight seal being broken in a wet place. If anything, I would guess that the person who walked in and laughed thought you were farting while dropping a wet load. Heck, I'd probably turn around and leave if I thought that was happening, too. That shit smells! (I'm just ribbing you, of course. )

I'm sorry to hear that you go to school (or work?) with a bunch of immature people who would laugh at you in a public place.

/me shakes fist at the world

__________________
"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
(Michael Jordan)

Sage

Man, I get the jitters when I'm in public restrooms when I have to pee! I totally understand how you feel Deity... perhaps this will be a good way to get over embarassment of public restrooms for me...

/seconds the fist shaking

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Atropos4

I recently found out about the Diva Cup. I perused their site and the Q&A's but I'd like some honest opinions from women that use it or have used it. From everything the site says and a few other women I've talked to it's the best thing there is. Their competition "The Keeper" I've heard leaks and many women have problems using it because of the latex. I'm not even going to attempt to try the keeper as I know I have a latex allergy.
I do have a few specific questions if anyone feels like answering and enlightening me I'd be very greatful.

Is it comfortable like the site says? Messy?

If anyone also has endometrosis and heavy flow, does the diva cup leak?

The site says that athletes and swimmers use it and don't have a problem but would I be able to take a soak in the bath without issue?

I know this can be a touchy subject for some but I'd really like to know before I spend the money on it. Thanks

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Lady Sage

I have never used it but I have a friend who does. Worth its weight in gold she says.

In answer to your questions: Yes, No, No, Yes.

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If only closed minds came with closed mouths.
Minds are like parachutes, they function best when open.
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Supple Cow

Atropos - I know the search function is a little funky on this site, so you probably weren't able to find the old thread on this, but here it is:

LINK

I would suggest reading it to get the full range of opinions.

To answer your questions directly, yes it is comfortable just like the site says. Once I have it in, I completely forget about it for hours unlike when I used to wear pads or tampons and I could always *feel* them there no matter how comfortable they were.

I don't have endometriosis, but I'm of the opinion that if you have a heavy flow, just about anything will leak. You can take care of this by emptying it more frequently. Sometimes when I know I won't be able to empty it in time, I'll bite the bullet and wear a pantiliner (or a pad if it's going to be a really long time) just to catch the over flow.

Soak in the bath, swim, and do sports? Absolutely.

I've noticed it's touchy for a lot of people too. My sisters and my three childhood friends were all too icked out by it to even want to try it. I personally started using the Keeper before the Divacup existed and I think both are a great idea though I personally prefer the Divacup. I like the little ribbed pull-tab at the bottom better than the Keeper which is just a long one that you trim (taking the scissors to mine left a kind of sharp edge on it). This is my 5th year using a reusable menstrual cup and I can't imagine doing it any other way. Just for a little perspective, I'll even do a little calculation for you.

A 20-pack of brand-name tampons is about $5. Let's say I would have used one pack per period. In the 4 years I've been using the Keeper then the Divacup (a conservative estimate) I would have used (12 mos. x 4 yrs.) 48 packs. That's $240 plus another $5 per month that follows. In reality, I bought one Keeper and one Divacup (not even out of necessity - just a desired upgrade) and spent a combined total of less than $70. That's $170 I've saved so far and I know that my Divacup has at least another 5 years in her. They're supposed to last about 10 years but I haven't even seen any significant wear. I'm sure the material might degrade eventually, but it honestly seems a long way off at this point.

I could go on and on about this, but you can read the other thread to hear about the environmental and health benefits as well.

(Mods - maybe you could merge the two threads?)

Atropos4

I did do a search but didn't find your thread.

I've read it now and I am thoroughly impressed. What really seals the deal with me is that I find it amazing I could take a bath while on my monthly. It would help my endo cramps so much to be able to soak.
Seems consistant that it takes women around three months to get accustomed to using the cup.
Another thing that is sort of personal, I jumped at the chance to learn more of this because of the problems my endo seems to be causing lately. I LOATH pads with a passion. So I use tampons, but lately the endo has gotten worse and it is becoming painful to use tampons. I hope that I would be able to use the cup.

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Supple Cow

Is the pain from insertion and removal or from something being *in there* at all?

Atropos4

Insertian and removal...Once it's there it doesn't seem to bother me. I've only heard from one gal who has endo and she bought a divacup but only used it once because it was too painful.

But I don't know if maybe it's just more painful because tampons seem to be so drying.

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Supple Cow

Well, in that case, I would suggest giving it a try. Like I've said before, it's only slightly larger around than a tampon, but it's also not such a compressible material - you can only squish it so much to make it so small. I'm not sure if your endometriosis pain comes in waves or not, but you could try transitioning slowly until you get better at inserting it. Try it only on a good day when the pain isn't too great.

I noticed that when I first started, putting it in was most painful and yanking it out was easy peasy. Now, I'm an expert at putting it in, but sometimes I yank it out too quickly or don't put enough effort into pulling it out carefully and it's actually more uncomfortable on the way out than the way in. I think the bottom line is how carefully you treat it when you have to insert or remove it. If you don't traumatize yourself by switching cold turkey, you'll give yourself a chance to learn how to do it better at your own pace.

The other nice thing is that if it IS the dryness that hurts with the tampons, you won't have that problem at all! And if it isn't the dryness, then you just don't have to take it out as often as a tampon because it doesn't absorb all your natural juices and it isn't bleached or full of other chemicals. It's still a risk for TSS, but not nearly as high as with tampons. On my slow days near the end of a period, I've been able to leave it in all day, only emptying it when I woke up and again before bed.

Not dead yet.


If you go ahead and take the plunge, keep us updated! I'll be glad to coach you through the learning stages.

Atropos4

Some cycles are more painful than others. I like the idea of transitioning slowly.
I think I will order it online tonight and will deffinately keep you updated on my thoughts and questions.

From the site I was under the impression there was no risk of TSS? As it does not absorb all the natural cleansers in the body?

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Supple Cow

Good for you. I'm glad you're giving it a try - I think you'll find it to be a welcome change once you get the hang of it.

Oh. Cool!

Back when I bought mine, they still considered TSS a risk even though it was a smaller risk than with tampons. I guess there have been more studies (or just more TSS-free users) over the years. The old risks were supposedly about trapping the bacteria in for too long. You can leave the cleansers alone, but if you don't let any of it go anywhere, cleansers and bacteria alike, you're in trouble! Guess that's not as likely as they once thought.

lime

I am so intrigued by this. I had no idea that these menstrual cup things existed. I think I'm definitely going to have to try one out and see what it's like. I feel like I need to tell all my friends about them too, like we've all been missing out on something. Hehe. Thank you sooo much, Supple Cow!!

Atropos4

Has anyone ordered one from the site itself? I ordered but it wasn't like a usual order page in my opinion. They didn't even tell me how long it would be till it arrived. Unless I over looked it.

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Supple Cow

It's been awhile since I got mine, but it did take 2-3 weeks if I recall correctly. I got an email confirmation when it shipped. It's not the most high tech website there is.

Atropos4

Thanks The lack of the "high tech" kind of worried me a little.

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roulette

I was just reading this thread and am amazed! I had no idea there was such a thing! I also found a website on google that they are cheaper through another company, but like it was said before, if it lasts 10 years or more, then $35 isn't bad at all! Wow, I just registered on this forum and look at all I am learning! LOL thanks!

shannon

i got one recently and tried it once before my last period ended, but i don't think i had it in right. you know how you fold it and then it's meant to pop unfolded? i think mine somehow stayed sort of folked. anyways, i want to give it a try when i'm at home for a bit, so that if i wanted to fiddle with it i could, and right now i'm in the middle of a practicum that doesn't really allow that. also, i'm not on my period. haha. i suppose i should wait for that. i'm excited to make it work, though.
i'm in canada, and i bought my divacup at venus envy in halifax (venuseny.ca- they ship and there's a store in halifax too. super cool to check out anyways). the storekeep actually told me that she wanted me to take it home and try it for at least a few cycles to get used to it, but that if i didn't like it after that, i could return it (i think that offer is good for up to a year...?). i don't think i would bother to take them up on the offer, but i thought it was awesome that it's there. i paid about 50 after taxes and all for the cup, but i will easily get my money's worth, and have an offer to return it for a full refund. how can i argue with that?!
oh, and i tried the instead cups, and found them awesome until i had to poo. grossly descriptive, perhaps. but i tried it during a time when i had some, um, digestional problems. and i went to poo and pushed out the cup, so it wasn't a very productive time.

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venusinfurs

I have heard of these devices. I came across it seaching for vegan desert recipes (i am not a vegan, but we sometimes like to eat vegan deserts, yum) and i got linked to the keeper. I was intrigued. I always wanted to know what people used before tampons/pads they sell in the store and alternatives. They seem very wasteful. Since It is too painful for me to wear tampons, I always wondered if these cups would be painful also. Thanks you this thread, I know a lot more about this and may even check into it more.

Thanks you guys so much for all the information about these, you all basically already answered most of the questions I had.

Atropos4

Venusinfurs: I have endometriosis so tampons are rather painful for me also. So far though the diva cup doesn't seem to bother me.


Although, I don't know if I just don't have the hang of how to position it or what but something about sitting makes it want to leak. Or it could be that because of my endo I've noticed I cannot leave it in as long as 12 hours as the site says. Because if it does get to full it leaks. Hopefully after a couple cycles I'll be used to how often I have to empty it and I can forgo the pad as backup.
Also it was irritating me a bit so I trimmed the little nub thing and it seems to have helped. Don't know how much I can safely trim and it still be ok.

I've told a few gals at work about it and I know one of them for sure is going to try it out. She has endo also and is tired of the cost of tampons and pads for herself.

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relenawolf

I haven't trimmed the stem of mine at all because it's not a bother to me, but I know some of the women at the the menstrual_cups community on LJ have completely removed their stems with no negative side-effects. I guess it all depends on how easily you can get a grip on the bottom of the cup.

One of the women strongly suggests a bevel edge. I don't trust myself with an exacto knife enough to try, but she swears that it's much more comfortable. glapaloopscap's illustration:


I've also found that the 'figure 4' method of insertion, where it's sort of punched down into a '4' shape is much more effective and comfortable for me when inserting. The memories section is a pretty good place to start accessing specific information.

Atropos4

Oo Thanks for the link to that lj community. I'm checking it out. I'm somewhat of an lj whore so this is perfect for me.

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surferlove007

Ew I dunno I just find the idea of reusing a period object is not right...my opinion though

Supple Cow

Well, I kind of see it just like reusing a toothbrush or contact lenses or deodorant (which actually seem more and more unsanitary the more I think about it). I wonder of that feeling of reusing = dirty just comes from the fact that all of the period products that are ever marketed widely to women are disposable absorbent things. I mean, these cups aren't absorbent in any way - it's no more gross than the fact that you reuse flatware that different people eat off of all the time with all kinds of different (and sometimes nasty) food products.

Or maybe we're just conditioned to think of our periods as something that's "not right"... an unsettling idea to be sure, but I don't think it's too far off the mark.

Beyond_Borders

Hmm... never had a problem with tampons.. Slight problem with getting together my own personal cup structure to collect blood in all day everyday... Just my opinion, not that tampons aren't gross.. but there's jut somethign significantly.. ick about the thought of pulling out a rubber barrier, and putting it back in and just.. i dunno.

Not buying anytime soon. But that doesnt mean never, who knows.

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