Menstrual Cup & Fourchette Tearing

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

The good news: Apparently, my large Fleurcup forms such a solid seal inside me that I can fill it up well past the rim before it starts leaking. (I base this on the fact that I can remove a cup that's basically full to the rim, then watch and listen as the menstrual fluid continues to pour out of me.) This means that with the cup alone, I can now go for slightly over an hour between bathroom trips.

The bad news: Insertion and removal with this cup is causing my posterior fourchette to tear. I think, actually, that most of the insertion teething troubles have been solved with lube (like, not that I'm going to put it there, but it would hypothetically be sufficiently lubed for anal play) and a different folding method.

Unfortunately, I've not yet found a way to remove the cup that doesn't exacerbate the tear. I've tried a standard 2-finger "pinch and pull" removal as well as hooking a single finger over the rim of the cup and wiggling it down that way. But I can't seem to find a way to squish the cup small enough to remove it without tearing. Ideas?

Cross posted to menstrual_cups.

Comments

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

Just checking, but there are no signs of yeast or other symptoms that might indicate the posterior fourchette is compromised or the skin there is thinned or more prone to tearing?

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

No symptoms at all before this. And still, nothing outside the very localized tear and resulting irritation (i.e., it hurts when I touch the tear directly, either with my finger or the cup, but doesn't even really hurt at other times). I will keep it in the back of my mind, but... the Fleur, she is possibly the stiffest cup I have ever seen.

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

Yeah, figured you would've ruled that out.

I'm going to throw things at you (duck!) in the hopes something will be Marvelous and Fabulous: could you use a (non-latex, medical-type) glove on your removal hand to help grip the cup more firmly? I know for myself slipping fingers are a part of the problem when I have a rough removal, and if that could be playing a role here, perhaps less slipping would make grasping the cup for a closer fold on removal a little easier? also i'm envisioning using like, a chopstick in removal. what i'm seeing in my head is pushing the cup in on one side, inserting an instrument like a chopstick (ok in my head it's one of those plastic-coated hair chopsticks for fancy updos) to push against the cup and you could try to fold the cup around it in a tight c-fold. it works in my head, but this might be one of those times when my head hasn't met reality. i'm also not experienced with very stiff cups - my diva is the stiffest i've used (for uh, 10 years or so), so that might rain on the parade in my head as well.

if this all sound stupid chalk it up to drinking. i haven't been, but will be later, so we can attribute it in advance :p

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

And then, when I see the new gyn in 10 days, say, "I need this ablation 'cause I can't keep sticking chopsticks up my vadge."

And just... wait... for her response.

(Also for your fun and amusement, I did try it, but with a crochet hook. Unfortunately, it did not work any better with a small metal object than it did with a finger. I think what I gain in space I lose in fine motor control.)

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Wow...that's a pretty serious seal! I have no advice, but have my fingers FIRMLY crossed for you that you can find a way to make this work - I know that an hour+ with just a cup would be pretty awesome for you.

Here's my not-quite-advice, because I'm not sure its all that novel or useful. But what I do is push my cup down low, and then fold it in half (I think like a c-fold) to remove. Pushing it down before I pinch makes it easier to fold. It would also probably result in blood all over your hands. And it may not work if your vag is much deeper than mine...the cup tends to be pretty near the opening anyway, so pushing it down a bit further is no trouble for me. And...I'm not sure this is different at all from the pinch and pull. So....yeah.

Anyhoo, good luck!

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Good news! Sort of.

Apparently what works really well is squatting down pantsless in the bathtub. (Well, the squatting is probably the most helpful. The bathtub provides a convenient place to drip blood. And pantsless... well, that is just very often better anyway.)

Not exactly a spectacular solution in the long run, but if I can manage it sometimes for the next few months, that may be all I need. Now, off to scheme about how to squat in the bathroom at work... ;)

[atalanta0jess.livejournal.com]

Ah, I'm glad you figured it out!! The work bit does sound tricky...but it sounds like maybe you at least have a bathroom with a door (not a stall)? Squatting in a stall sounds scary.

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

No, I only have a bathroom with stalls. But the faculty bathroom has only 2 stalls, which tends to limit the number of people in it at once. I cannot squat at all in the little stall. So so far, my plan involves squatting in the larger stall and having someone "cover me," action-movie-style, while I pull a silicone cup out my vadge.

*sigh*

I will think about this more when I am on fewer drugs.

[1girl.livejournal.com]

So I'm really late to the party on this one, and I don't know what your mobility is like, but would you be able to squat while standing on the toilet seat? I learned to do it while camping at a site that had really gross seats at their outdoor toilet. It might take a little bit of practice (at home first maybe...that would be entertaining).

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

Nope. I have actually tried this a couple of times before for other reasons. My hip anatomy is such that in order to squat, my feet need to be wider than toilet-seat-width apart.