Menstual Cups

[cementisawkward.livejournal.com]

I've been getting a lot of back and forth contradictory opinions on menstrual cups. I'm thinking of getting one, and I would like to know your experiences with them - what's best, what's not.

For me I have really bad cramps, and I'm wondering if when my uterus is hating me, if the cup would hurt?
I really know next to nothing.

Edit - I posted on the lj group menstrual_cups, but I'd still love some VP feedback

Comments

[nickelshoe.livejournal.com]

Some people find cups help their cramps and some find they make them worse. And I think most people find it has no clear effect.

I think my cramps are better with my cup. I think part of it is that I can more easily forget about my period and I am a little bit more active than when I used pads.

[kimie-catclaw.livejournal.com]

"What's best" is really a matter of preference. I'd suggest taking a look at the tags and comparison charts at menstrual_cups. There are lots of different brands to choose from.

I, personally, love my cup. I don't feel it at all and think my cramps are actually less severe when using it.

[cementisawkward.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I posted on there :)

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

I really like my cup. I got my divacup in ... wow, 2003? And I still think it's one of the top 10 best things I've ever purchased (& for the record, other things on that list are my computer, my college education, my beloved Honda Fit, etc. it's a fairly limited list!). I find I have less cramps using a cup than I do using tampons, though there is definitely a learning curve to cups, and if I slip and let it create uncomfortable suction on my cervix it's ... well, uncomfortable. I'm so good with words today.

As far as learning more, I'm sure you'll get lots of feedback here in VP, and there's also the menstrual_cups community here on LJ.

[cementisawkward.livejournal.com]

Thanks loads.
Hrmmmm, on par with my college education? Halfway won over already.
I joined that group. Thank you loads.

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

and idk about your college education, but my cup was um, alot cheaper. *grumbles about paying off loans forever*

[cementisawkward.livejournal.com]

I am only paying $5,000 for this year (I'm a first year, yay)...but part of the cup appeal is saving all that tampon money.

[fee-parisienne.livejournal.com]

Definitely! One less thing to pay for is a major plus in any college student's life.

[cementisawkward.livejournal.com]

Maybe my mother will buy me one for Xmas, if I tell her which one.
God I love Xmas. People are just giving me gift cards and money to buy textbooks.

[spicytoys.livejournal.com]

I have a Diva Cup, and I love it. Some people find that they're too big though. Sometimes it does make my cramps a little worse, but it's not enough to make me want to use anything else. And the learning curve for insertion is a little steep for some people, but I figured it out quickly.

Don't do a dry run when you first get it. It's really hard to insert them when you're not bleeding, and it'll just be really frustrating for you.

[neek-love.livejournal.com]

For me the actual insertion requires a little more thought and effort than pads and tampons, but once it's in I don't have to think about it for eight hours! Bliss! And insertion really does get easier, I'm on my fifth cycle and it's only gotten better (except for my last cycle when my vagina decided to hate me and it took, like, five minutes to get it in and popped open every time!!!). But you really won't know if it works for *you* until you try it :)

[cementisawkward.livejournal.com]

So...I could be wasting my money?
That sounds rude, but college has made me poor and unwilling to pay for things that I'm not 100% sure of.

[mizraelle.livejournal.com]

It's definitely worth trying, and I'm also a poor student. I've been using a cup for almost 7 years now, imagine how much I've saved on tampons! Plus, I'm pretty sure with diva cups anyway, they offer a refund if it doesn't work out for you. Look into it!

I love my cup so much, I can no longer imagine being without it!

[neek-love.livejournal.com]

Yup, could be! The menstrual cup community has a pretty active trade/sale thing going on because sometimes people buy a cup and find it's not right for them. Doesn't mean *all* cups aren't, but there are big differences in brands. If they do work for you, you'll be saving a lot of money in the long run...you'll just have to weigh up the pros and cons I guess!

[moniusia.livejournal.com]

I <3 my cup. I think it helped my cramps, since I think the bs they put in tampons messed with me. I've used mine for about 6 years and would never go back :P

[katrina-splat.livejournal.com]

Read as much as you can of menstrual_cups. I mean at least 3 pages back on each tag. Seriously. That's the only thing that might answer this question aside from trying at least one brand yourself. There is a learning curve, you don't know how long it's going to take to learn to use until you try. It took me 2 years and two cups, some people take less. I will never look back, though :).

[nil-chi-tsosie.livejournal.com]

I have a luna. I love it. My feelings at the beginning were something like, "omg how am I going to f it something like this into my body,' but I figured it out and it has been smooth sailing ever since. Its never painful, but if I insert it incorrectly I will feel it and know to move it around a little. Usualy I don't feel it at all. When I finally decided to give up tampons I read a lot of comparisons of each brand and chose the luna. hope this helps!