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The average woman will use 11,000 tampons or pads in their menstrual lifetime. This averages out to be around 22 sanitary items per month. Which sounds like a lot when you put it like that. Could there be a better, greener way? And would you have the stomach for it?
Every time I do a post about periods (like here and here and here) the subject of reusable sanitary ‘cups’ comes up in the comments. So I thought it was about time it had a dedicated post of its own and went straight to the source for more info.
Hello Mooncup!
The blurb on the website says…..
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The Mooncup® is the original silicone menstrual cup designed by women to be a convenient, safe and eco-friendly alternative to tampons and sanitary pads. Loved by women all around the world, and made in the UK by a multi-award winning ethical business, the Mooncup offers an end to the waste, discomfort and expense of disposable sanitary protection.
- Made from medical grade silicone, the Mooncup is latex-free and contains no dyes, toxins or bleaches. It’s also great for women with sensitive skin.
- On average, one woman will use over 11,000 tampons or pads in their lifetime, which will end up in landfill or in the sea.
- One woman uses up to 22 items of sanitary protection every period. Regardless of your flow, you only need one Mooncup, and it lasts for years and years, making it the most economical sanitary product you can buy.
An actual mooncup
The Mooncup is a reusable menstrual cup, around two inches long and made from soft medical grade silicone. It is worn internally a lot lower than a tampon but, while tampons and pads absorb menstrual fluid, the Mooncup collects it. This means it doesn’t cause dryness or irritation, and also that it collects far more (three times as much as a ‘super-absorbent’ tampon’!).
Because the Mooncup is reusable, you only need one so it saves you money and helps the environment, too.
The Mooncup is designed to be folded and inserted into the vagina, then removed, rinsed and reinserted up to every 8 hours. A light seal is formed with your vaginal walls, allowing menstrual fluid to pass into the Mooncup without leakage or odour. This seal is released for removal, allowing you to empty the contents, rinse or wipe and reinsert. Comfortable, convenient and safe: the Mooncup can be used overnight and when travelling, swimming or exercising.
The website itself is quite heaven and includes tabs for “Mooncup Community”, “What size are you?” “History of the Mooncup” and the delightful suggestion you follow Mooncup on Twitter (373 followers) or Facebook.
So. The Mooncup.
Would you? Should you? Could you? DO you?
Comments
343 Comments so far
It sounds really good, but I am just so used to using tampons/sanitary pads. They are convenient and relatively mess free. The thought of cleaning it doesn’t sound like much fun (and in public toilets? with a water bottle? nuh uh!) I also would be concerned about leakage.
As an aside, I think 22 products per cycle sounds like a huge number. I don’t think I use that many.
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in the spirit of learning new things I was just doing some googling on mooncups and came across this site ‘Museum of Menstruation’ http://www.mum.org/ it has some great info if anyone is interested – I love some of the old ads and ‘you’re becoming a woman’ material from yesteryear
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A lot of people seem interested but don’t like the idea of coping with them while out.
Who says it has to be all or nothing? Why couldn’t you wear one overnight, and use traditional methods during the days where you wouldn’t be comfortable if you needed an empty?
Surely that would save about 5 pads or tampons per cycle – which would really add up over a 10 year life of a cup.
I think I’m sold… I can’t see any difference between washing in the shower a cup that had blood in it, or a vagina that’s been producing blood for 1-5 days. i certainly wouldn’t be washing one out in a public – because I’m not the person who cleans out the work toilet basins and i think it would be rude to assume that just because I think it’s ok, that the other people who use the facilty feel the same.
It would be interesting to have a graph of disgust levels vs. age – there is no way i would have been comfortable even considering this 10 years ago.
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I’m 21 and have been thinking about it for 2 or 3 years but still haven’t taken the plunge
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Did a man invent this? Personally I think that it sounds awful. Where would you empty the contents, down the sink? And like Katie says below, what would you do at work? Or if you were out and needed to do this?
As much as I want to help the environment, can’t they think of something else to cut back on instead of tampons/pads eg all of the plastic bags/bottles etc?
I guess each to their own, but I would never use this.
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Just to clarify a few things on how to use the moon cup…
I have been using one for 10 years now and would never consider returning to tampons and pads… I find if more convenient, cheaper and better for the environment – so all positives for me.. here are a few points for those who are unsure how it works..
The Method:
- Insert the cup, then pull down slightly and it seals. When it’s time to empty, sit on the toilet, break the seal by squeezing slightly, tip the contents into the toilet, then reinsert.
Answers to common questions i have seen in this discussion..
- it is no problem even in a public toilet or at work as you don’t actually need to rinse the cup each time you empty it… you would just need to wipe your finger tips with a piece of toilet paper if you need to and then wash them as usual..
-no you cannot feel it when it is inserted correctly at all.. i can remember sometimes feeling a tampon, but I cannot feel my cup at all
-it’s fine for before or after childbirth… it doesn’t leak unless you forget to empty it
All I can say is I love mine and everyone I have recommended it to thanks me because they love it too.. so if you are considering it, then certainly give it a go.
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It does sound good to me, but what about when your at work and you need to take it out and rinse it, how do you do that with your work collegues coming in and out? I know I really wouldnt want to walk in on someone rinsing theirs.
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I used to think cloth pads were disgusting until I had a baby. Now I wipe up her poos and wees every day as well as the occasional vomit and runny nose.
Suddenly dealing with blood on cloth pads didn’t seem so disgusting any more. In fact it’s quite preferable dealing with my own blood rather than the aforementioned body wastes. So after trying a couple of different brands of cloth pads I found one I like the most and forked out for a period’s worth. The thing I most love about the cloth pads are that they feel so comfortable! Just like underwear, rather than something stiff and plastic. When I’m finished with a pad I pop in in a container with water until I am ready to wash them. Then I throw them in with my normal load of washing.
The only thing is I haven’t gotten around to using them when I go to work because of the inconvenience, but it is something I would like to try at some stage.
I haven’t gotten around to using a cup because for some reason I wonder if it really is safe? Though I guess why is a tampon safe? safer? Reading through the posts is convincing me to give one a go.
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My grandmother maintained that the greatest invention of the 20th century was “modern sanitary wear” (to use her term!). She would be completely baffled by the resurgence of cloth pads.
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The difference is I am using modern cloth pads, which are leak proof and very very comfortable. Much more comfortable than disposable pads. I imagine the cloth pads your grandmother wore weren’t as nice or as comfortable as the ones I use.
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I can’t seem to find an independent/unbiased article on the environmental credentials of the Mooncup vs. convential sanitary products. I think this is an important thing and I want to know more about it. I’m also a natural skeptic and want some things explain/proved to me before I jump on the ‘Mooncup is the saviour of the world’ bandwagon. Everything that comes up on Google is from a Mooncup/similar product company or is from general users or not relevant enough. I’m definetly convinced that for some people (disclosure, not me) that this is a great alternative, and that in itself the product is enviro friendly. More products to suit more people is a good thing. But I have some questions on the environmental claims and some issues that revolve around the product that I can’t seem to find answers for.
1. The water issue. I live usually with Stage 4 water restrictions (Victoria, The Dry State) so what to some people may seem like not a big deal, washing something every 8 hours, I would like more info on. You have to use clean water, obviously for hyiene reasons. I would not be washing mine with recylced bath water. This water is then pretty much no good for 99% of recylable activities like washing your clothes or watering the garden (although, i’m not sure on this one, green thumbs – any benefit from menstrural blood water? Serious question). And even if you plug the sink, when I imagine the amount of washing I would do to my Mooncup, every 8 hours, to get it my cleanliness satisfaction that is a decent amount of water used only for that. Even the Mooncup website itself says ‘Wash well’.
And carrying a water bottle around for public space washing? I thought water bottles were a big no-no environmentally. So it has to be a environmentally friendly bottle. But what if you forget? And buy a bottle of Mount Franklin to pour down the toilet to wash your environmentally friendly Mooncup? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose? Can someone explain the water issue to me, even if it is “the benefits outweigh the water thing”.
2. Drying. Do these dry in the time it takes for me to rinse it and be on my way? I cannot envision people sitting on the toilet, during worktime, waiting for the thing to air dry. How long do you need to change this? First I have to rinse it, does it dry automatically? For people who have places to be this is sounding like a lot of time in the cubicle. As someone suggested below, they might use baby wipes on theirs, which is no enviro friendly. Nor is wiping it with toilet paper, often you wont be home where your loo paper is, naturally, as enviro friendly as possible.
3. Following on from two is the time and effort factor – Are you supposed to carry a drying rag from enviro friendly recycled cloth in a zipbag, if it doesnt air dry? And don’t try to tell me you can always plan when you need to change it, maybe some of the time, but I will not use a product where I need to remove it unexpectadle and need a tool kit in my handbag to deal with it. So I might need a water bottle and a drying cloth, or time to air dry it – this is sounding less and less like the marketing promises – how can you sell something on the grounds you dont have to drag around a ton of tampons or pads in your bad when I have a water bottle and now maybe a drying rag?? When I go out at night I have a tiny purse that fits phone, keys, money and a couple of tampons if needed. As a young woman I wonder who this is aimed at, it seems somewhat unworkable so many women etc. Can someone who is young who goes out without a big bag use it without worrying about being caught short, or who does need to be quick in the bathroom? Every question that has been asked so far seems to slowly reveal more and more effort involved in something marketed as an alternative to having to carry tampons around and is effortless, supposedly. If the answer to this is simply ‘more effort but benefit for the environment’ fine, or if I have read it wrong and it isnt as much work as it sounds, cool. But to me it’s sound quite convoluted. And when the marketing is lying to you on these grounds, you wonder what else they arent telling you.
The cup itself seems great. Enviro friendly, reduces waste etc etc. But I can’t seem to find any concrete answers to the above? Is this a Claytons enviro product? The product itself is great but everything required to use it – water, drying, time, effort, etc makes the enviro positives redunant.
Also – please buy it from a local supplier, which you can find on the website. You cannot feel good about buying an enviro friendly product from the UK and then shipping it halfway around the world.
If someone could explain the time/effort and water bottle issues to me I would be grateful. I can’t really see myself using the Mooncup but so far I am not entirely convinced it is as amazing as everyone seems to be making out. At the moment I’m more inclined to see it as a reasonably enviro friendly alternative, no more.
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1. You dont need to wash it everytime you empty it.
You certainly dont have to take a bottle of water to wash it either – although when I go overseas later this month I will probably do that, as I’m not sure how clean the running water will be.
A quick wipe with a square of toilet paper would be sufficient – and one extra square of paper once a day for a week or so really wont make much of an impact – especially if you compare that to five squares that are needed to wrap a used tampon or pad.
Remember, youre not emptying it five times a day!
If you really do need to rinse it – your pee is sterile, so you could always pee in it – no environmental harm done there.
Do you shower? The easiest thing is to wash it in the shower once a day. If youre truly that concerned then you could use the run-off from your body as you wash. Easy.
2. WRT drying – you dont need it to be dry to re-insert – I don’t really understand the drama here?
3. Time and effort? Well initially it can be a bit of time and effort – they are very different to tampons, so require a bit of practice. After that – its actually much easier – you dont have to carry ANYTHING else with you – you never have to worry about spare pads/tampons because you already have your cup. Simple.
Really – the “better for the environment” factor wasn’t my motivation to get a cup – for me it was about not putting a whole lot of synthetic stuff in my precious lady – and also the money saver! One cup can last you for 10 years! Ca-ching
Hope that helps!
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Thanks, that clears some things up. I thought it sounded odd when taking a bottle of water into the public bathroom was suggested.
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i think they sound really good from all the info provided except when you pee does it go into the cup? (sorry im a failure at my own anatomy) so would that fill up the cup and then you have to empty it when you pee?
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GB, your pee comes out of a different hole to your vagina..is this what you’re asking??
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hahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahaha…. too funny
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hahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahaha…. too funny can’t believe you were game enough to post that..
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Yeah i was thinking about the washing in public places too! Coz most people hopefully aren’t gonna walk up to the sink to clean their mooncup in the shopping centre restrooms!!
So yeah you’d have to bring a bottle of water. And you’d think it would have to be good quality water, maybe distilled/sterilized in the same way that tampons and pads need to be sterile..
I’d reckon the cup probably doesn’t need to be dried though..
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Pads/tampons are not sterilised. There is one brand at the moment that is advertising itself as ‘sanatised’ but none are sterilised. The cotton bleaching process would kill off most bugs but it then depends what happens to the cotton after it is bleached and before it is packaged as a pad/tampon.
It’s worth remembering that the vagina is not sterile. It is host to millions of normal micro-organisms. Bugs in your va-jay-jay are normal!
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Drying it? What for? It seriously never occured to me. Empty it, rinse it or swipe it with a square of paper, then pop it back in – to its MOIST environment. Why does it need to be dry?
And when you go out at night with your tiny bag, you’ll only have to take one which fits your phone, keys and money. Nothing else needed.
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I have read a few websites today learning about these – as just heard of them today – & there is no need for a water bottle or a drying rag. You just empty & reinsert, then wash your hands (just like you would after changing a tampon).
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Can I ask a question..
What if you need to wee? Does the cup need to be removed, and reinserted after every trip to the loo?
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Um… you don’t wee from your vagina…
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LOL with anon. but girly also has a point (not sure if she meant it this way tho… ) in that when you pee, if you kept the cup there, your urine would go all over it. So i’d say yes you probably would have to remove it when you pee?
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no – the cup is inserted like a tampon. You don’t take tampons out to pee do you?
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um…yes?
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wow! I’m amazed people take tampons out to pee! Don’t you use an awful lot of tampons that way?
Oh well, each to their own I guess!
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I always took tampons out to pee – otherwise I’d have to try and keep the string out of the way… That is another thing I love about my cup! There are so many things to love, I just can’t keep track
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Definitely not. It’s worn internally like a tampon and I certainly never took my tampons out to wee. That said it can be slightly more difficult to keep a cup in when you poo because you are using similar muscles so sometimes it’s easier to take the cup out first.
Personally I usually empty mine first thing in the morning and last thing at night, that’s enough for my flow.
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I think it depends on you and your body. The vagina and uretha (oh please let that be right….anatomy not my strong point) are different holes. However, some people can pee with a tampon in (I can but prefer not to) for others it doesn’t work for them. Technically, yes you can pee with a cup in. But whether that works for you will depend on you individually. Don’t feel embarassed or like you’re doing something wrong if you can pee with a tampon in but not a cup or vice versa or not at all.
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I’m amazed that people flush their tampons and pads down the toilet. It honestly never occurred to me.
Maybe it comes down to what your mum told you to do when you got your first one?
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People who put tampons & pads down the toilet are the bane of plumbers’ existences!
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I’d be interested in trying one of these.
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How do they work with retroverted uterus / cervix? Or is it not even an issue? I think I’d be uncomfortable with the idea of it being lower down than tampons.
Luckily, I now have a super light flow, which I think only fair after years of very heavy flow. Maybe I could start off using it at night time and see how I go.
Am a bit worried about cleaning it at work. I’m thinking baby wipes, Evian spray bottle, ???
I know some people are horrified by the fact that I wrap tampons and pads and put them in the bin (baby nappy sacks are excellent for this purpose), so the gods only know what they’d think of a cup! I can see that it IS a sensible idea and I’m usually very practical but there is an ick factor. Side note – please tell me everyone doesn’t flush tampons!
But I figure I used modern cloth nappies a large percentage of the time with my baby, so that must buy me a few green points, huh?!
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They can make me feel guilty about using products tested on animals, or not eating fair-trade chocolate, or wearing leather, but i will not for a second feel guilty about using pads/tampons. As for the gross factor, i’m absolutely fine with blood (hopefully a future med student!), but there’s just something different about menstrual blood, not quite sure what it is?! Also, the mooncup would be really inconvenient for heavy flows and it would be too awkward cleaning it away from home.
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Haven’t read the comments yet but after reading about this last week in the post about women who can’t afford pads and tampons, I looked up the Mooncup. The only thing I couldn’t figure out was whether you can feel it once it’s in. It wasn’t answered in the FAQs and I can’t help but think it would be really uncomfortable because it sits so low. Does anyone know?
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Cut the stem off and you won’t feel it if it’s inserted correctly. The stem is pointless (no pun there either).
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Thanks!
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Thanks! I think I might just be convinced to try one… maybe.
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an alternative for you all…
re-usable panty liner!?
http://planetgilly.blogspot.com/2009/08/what-do-you-line-your-panties-with.html
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I seriously don’t get this – AT ALL. Tampons are biodegradable!
Besides, when I find myself accidentally forgetting to bring tampons – it’s easy enough to make do. A bit of a roll and twist of toilet paper and voila you have an instant makeshift tampon. Trust me on this it works – it’s easy and nearly as convenient as the real thing. You can also flush it straight down the toilet.
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That is fairly disturbing.
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I’ve done this when stuck, it gets you *just* from loo to shop to buy some tampons if you don’t bleed heavily.
Also, I find it great that many people are, from my experience, mostly tampon users followed by pads. You can always ask around when caught out and someone will come up with something that while it may not be your preferred size/type or brand will do the job for you. Mooncups can’t be shared. While it does sound funny, it truly is an ice breaker. The bathroom mood lifts just for a second as everyone bonds in the trials of womanhood. I’m not sure “does anyone have a waterbottle to lend to wash out my mooncup’ has quite the same ring. And secondly, on that note, isn’t that a waste of water? Are you seriously supposed to carry one around to rinse it over the toilet? Really?
Tampons/pads have changed, in the western world most are as many have mentioned biodegradable and disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. Use the Mooncup if it works better for you, but I am sceptical of the marketing. If you want to be environmentally friendly demand companies/governments come up with better ways to dispose of sanitary goods in households, regulate the types of tampons/pads for sale etc. Help to send such enivornmnetally compliant tampons/pads to other countries. Yes the Mooncup does sound quite environmentally friendly and that is great, but too much of the commentary around it seems to be “i love it and everything else is bad and so are the people who use anything but who must hate the environment and probably hate puppies too”. You know what some of the rhetoric around these things reminds me of? The “Smug Alert” episode of South Park where they all start driving Hybrid Cars. As Stan discovered, why can’t people just use something environmentally friendly that is a great alternative without being a jerk about it? Enjoy your Mooncups, excellent invention, hold the preaching.
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I think that the issue around tampons/pads is not just the disposal but the water & energy used to produce these 11,000 tampons/pads.
I don’t think the cup users have been jerks at all! Most are just stating “I use one & I love it”. In fact I think they’ve been very restrained in the face of all this “ew”ing about something they do.
In my opinion dealing with periods is already a hassle now with tampons, and blood is a bit yuck regardless of how it is ‘captured’, so I am keen to try something new. Keeping an open mind. Not preaching.
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Or you could just have a case of the “paranoid over-thinker”. It’s rife these days! I don’t think people are preaching. Perhaps it’s best to take a chance and a leap of faith. Trust yourself, trust your vagine and trust the ladycup. Seriously does this issue really require such extensive analysis.
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I love your comments Apples. Totally agree
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Toilet paper’s not sterile. I wouldn’t be shoving it up my internals!
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So, do you make your partner throw a bucket of disinfectant over his bits before they come into contact with your ‘internals’?
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Keen to explore these, as I find tampons not so great for me these days: 3 ginormous babies delivered naturally have left me with pelvic prolapse (noice… and a subject warranting a whole post of it’s own!).
A friend who works in the sex industry suggested I try sea sponges, which were ok but a bit fiddly, and difficult to clean (apparently they’re commonly used by sex workers).
Not sure if I’m a suitable candidate, but I plan to investigate!
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Perhaps this is a silly question….
As I understand it, when it’s full you empty it in the toilet, wash and reinsert, yes? How do you do that in your workplace? I work in an institution in which the bathroom features cubicles and shared sinks, and I know that there are plenty of other people who would be very uncomfortable with someone doing that at a shared sink. There’s a cubicle with a disposal unit, but that’s a private space (although the frequency with which those are emptied leaves MUCH to be desired, this is a separate issue with the contractors…)
Ditto washable pads – what do you do at work? I’d actually be reasonably happy to have them at home, where I don’t share a bathroom and there’s somewhere to leave them, but work? Not compatible.
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The site says you can take a water bottle into the cubicle with you, and wash it into the toilet. Or wipe it with toilet paper and reinsert.
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That will be easy to explain to the four year old in the loo with you at Westfield.
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You know, if you make it natural to your four year old because it’s what you do all the time, they won’t make any strange comments at Westfield toilets. What do they say about you using tampons now?
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I can distract four year old in the 10 seconds it takes to change a tampon. Emptying blood into the loo, plus washing (with bottled water), drying and re-inserting a silicone device might be a little harder for a kid to ignore… Hey, I know I am fishing for excuses. Mooncup is not for me. I think tampons are one of the greatest inventions of the 21st century, I really do, and even if we were flat broke they’d be the last thing to go.
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Haha, true. MUMMY, WHATS THAT YOUR WASHING? EWW LOOK AT ALL THE BLOOD!!!
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Ditto tampons though. I have had “Mummy there is string on your bottom” in public toilet. I just laughed – it was too funny not to!
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For those who are grossed out by the cup thing you will prob still be grossed out by my next suggestion which is cloth pads- just chuck em in a nappy bucket and wash! If that’s not your thing either but are appalled by the enviro factor, if u invest in a Bokashi bucket (a type of compost bin) I have been told by the company that you can put them in there! (they just have to be the all natural/organic kind.
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For those who are grossed out by the cup thing you will prob still be grosses put by my next suggestion which is cloth pads- just chuck em in a nappy bucket and wash! If that’s not your thing either but are appalled by the enviro factor, if u invest in a Bokashi bucket (a type of compost bin) I have been told by the company that you can put them in there! (they just have to be the all natural/organic kind.
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I think I can probably go the cup route, but the idea of having decomposing used tampons in my compost bin is not anywhere I want to go. A bit urk for me.
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I refuse to feel guilty about using tampons. When it comes to recent world environmental disasters, my period is a drop in the ocean.
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No pun intended?
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I almost wrote ‘I’m not giving up my bloody tampons’ but I had to draw the line (or pull the string) somewhere.
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hahahahahahah!
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Bahahahahaha!
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where do you think the fertiliser which is used to grow the cotton used in tampons comes from? what runs the trucks which transport them from the factory to our vaginas? recent world environmental disasters are exactly why we should be thinking of alternatives for the little things too
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I’d never heard of them, but would be interested in giving one a go. I too suffer heavy flow, so would want to know it would be able to cope.
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Nicky the average menstrual flow is something between 50ml and 80ml for the entire period (sorry if TMI). The Diva Cup holds 30ml and I expect the Lunette and Mooncup are similar. HTH.
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Kudos to you Mia (again) for discussing (again) a subject which might make many uncomfortable. I’ve been using a Diva Cup for 4 years now and my only regret is that I didn’t discover it earlier. Your post will let many women know that there are much better alternatives to the ‘disposables’.
You pay around $25 just ONCE. You never ever run out of ‘supplies’. It’s so easy to use. It’s better for the environment. It’s better for your body. It’s perfect when travelling. What’s not to love?
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I just happened to be looking into these this week.
The best ‘advertisement’ for the menstrual cups seems to be that of all the people that say use them seem super happy about it.
Seems like even if you are hesitant you may as well give it a go and see.
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Yep, I’ve got one… well, I’ve got a Lunette, which is another brand of menstrual cup.
When I first heard of menstrual cups, I thought “ewwwww”, but slowly I got used to the idea. It is way more convenient than having to change tampons during the day as my cup does not runneth over!
I like that I don’t have to buy pads and tampons anymore, thereby saving me money and doing a bit for the environment.
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My friend brought back a Keeper from the US for me- I use it overnight and after the first 2 days of my period. The overnight thing was always the trickiest part, pads are unreliable! I think it’s a great alternative to tampons- and I’m relieved that there is finally an environmentally friendly option. I don’t find it ‘gross’ at all- have been menstruating for 15 years and have given birth to 2 children, so I’m pretty cool with blood. I definitely feel good about not buying so many tampons!
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I have one of these and I love it! So much less hassle than pads and tampons. I used to hate my period so much, and while it’s still not my favourite time, this makes it a lot more bearable. I especially love it because I can still sleep in the nude at night time – no worrying about pads. Also, my period isn’t too heavy so I can generally just empty it once a day in the shower and pop it back it. Too easy.
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I’m sorry, I know it’s bad for the environment, but the Mooncup is just too, too gross for me.
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I’d heard about these but had always thought it was too gross. Now I’m reconsidering. I like to think of myself as a bit of a greenie and this seems like a really easy way to minimise my impact on the planet.
I reckon once I get over the whole ick thing it’ll become as normal as tampons (which aren’t very pleasant when you think about it!)
Plus I’m heading off travelling for 3 months soon and it would take away a lot of hassle. Tampons/pads take up space and can be expensive or hard to find in a lot of places. I’m sold.
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You should (for all of the reasons listed above), you could (it isn’t that much different to using tampons), I do and have never looked back…
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i can’t understand how there is no odour as when the blood hits the air, the odour starts. also if it is lower down in the vagina than a tampon how does it stay in and non cause any discomfort. what are the care instructions if you reuse it every 8 hours? i can’t remember what the average woman’s loss is during her period. how do you ensure when you are removing it you don’t spill it? interesting development.
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From what I’ve read, it is still well and truly inside of you and the cup forms a suction with the walls of your vagina thereby creating a suction and eliminating the air issue you speak of.
I suspect it would come with care instructions regarding how long it can/should be left in for. Any Mooncup users care to elaborate?
I’m also intrigued to know how you don’t feel it, if it is lower than a tampon.
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I’ve been using a similar product (the diva cup)
( http://www.divacup.com/ ) for about 5 years now, mainly for environmental reasons. I love it! I am hoping that my daughter will choose this method when she gets old enough too….I’ve tried to “convert” many of my friends but people are pretty closed minded about menstral cups I’ve found. So far, only one friend has switched….
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when i get round to ordering one i am definitely going to give it a go.
what i want to know is (sorry of this has been answered somewhere) why can’t i just buy it at the shop?
how crazy that something so safe, so environmentally friendly and so convenient needs to be ordered from overseas.
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As I understand it, the reusable cups have not yet been cleared by the Therapeutic Goods Administration as it is a difficult and expensive process to get a new appliance approved.
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Everyone is different. Why are some people on here having a go anyone who comments saying that they find their period a bit yuck? I don’t hate my period but I certainly don’t love it. Quick frankly it is a bit yuck, totally natural, happens for a reason, but still yuck. I respect that some people think nothing of their period or even celebrate it, so why is it so wrong for me to feel differently.
Woman seem to always want to have a go at each other about this kind of thing. You know, breastfeeding vs bottlefeeding is another example. I might have my rose coloured glasses on, but wy can’t we just all be a little be more accepting?
No that I have had my little rant…
I have heard of the mooncup a number of years ago. I like to be environmentally friendly but I have not been able to bring myself to do it. I have the mother of all periods so I have a fear that I will have serious overflow issues. Does anyone else out there use the mooncup who feels they fall into the category of someone who has a very heavy period? To explain ‘heavy’, I bleed non-stop for 12 days each period and for 7 of those days I need to wear both a super tampon and a super pad and need to change that tampon every hour because after only one hour the little bugger is overflowing. Normally change the pad about once or twice a day. Don’t even get me started aobut how I survive the night. Let’s just say I don’t sleep much. I have had my children and am seriously considering having my uterus removed it is that bad. I would really love to hear from a mooncup user who is similar to me.
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Oh lord, you poor thing! That’s just not fair!
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Apologies for the shocking spelling and grammar in my comment. My youngest was doing gymnastics on the back of my office chair while I typed.
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I had the surgery. There was a little recovery time and a few days of pain, but it’s like having a baby – you forget in time. By the way, I did actually need the surgery, I didn’t just do it for convenience.
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I agree Happy and Clear, periods suck. I don’t find them a wonderful celebration of womanhood or my fetility potential. I think it might of been on here someone made the connection to other natural body happenings we don’t celebrate, namely we don’t usually celebrate pooing as a wonderful sign of the intensinal tracts healthiness and ability to clear waste from our bodies.
I think it is great we have moved on from the bad old days of periods being ‘dirty’ and women being ostracised during periods and all sorts of crazy ideas about what women can, should, shouldn’t and wouldn’t do during their period (Muslim knowledable MMers, is there a physical reason why women shouldn’t fast during Ramadan if they have their periods, genuine question, are you weaker during your period? Or is it a religious only thing?).
Sometimes when we move on from the bad old days we overcompensate. I have no problems with people who want to embrace their period, more power to you, but personally I will stick with finding it nothing to be ashamed of and not feeling dirty, but also still being annoyed by it and treating it like other annoying natural occurence in my body, like hair where I don’t want it. I think where the “love my period” movement bothers me is by connecting it to fertility. You feel like you can’t challenge something when someone can hit you back with “but its part of having adorable little babies! Don’t you love babies?”. Yes I do, and I want one, but the list of shit things connected to babies and my body is loooong, and it starts with periods. Being woman-positive, a feminist, a baby lover, sex-positive, healthy, natural blah blah blah does not mean you also have to like your period. You can also use a Moon Cup simply because it works better for you, not just as a sign of your proud womanhoodness or whatever. The marketing on this annoys me, but the product is fine if it suits you.
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In relation to the not fasting when they have their period, I’m not Muslim so don’t take this as the gospel truth, but, when you have your period you’re obviously losing blood and for some that can be quite a lot and if you’re not eating properly you can become iron deficient. I believe this is the reason why women are supposed to continue eating during Ramadan, similar to why breastfeeding women are supposed to keep eating as well…or so I’m told.
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I have had a merina (?sp)IUD put in about 4 years ago as well, I virtually have had no periods for the past 3 years (although still get PMS which is a bit weird). I was just like you Apples, with my absolute worst moment coming when I leaked all over a chair in a meeting. I was stuck on the chair getting some weird looks as to why I wasn’t getting up from the table when the motherly PA / minutetaker realised something was wrong and hussled all the men out of the room! Mortifying!!!!
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Actually, I always check my kids’ poos and I do celebrate when they have a good one because they’ve been eating well. You can always tell when they’ve been at day care the day before!
To be honest, I notice the difference myself when I eat more junk than usual – at Christmas, for example.
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I have just had a Merina IUD for a similar kind of thing. Lots of bleeding and painful cramps that go on for more than a week each month. It’s supposed to reduce your period by 80-90%… Just a thought!
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I don’t think you need a hysterectomy to cure that – instead I think you can get cauterisation in the uterus which burns large parts of the endometrium so you don’t bleed from those areas any more. I had a friend who had bleeding like yours and she has this little op, was back at work 3 days later and is happy as a clam now. No more horror periods!
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Hi as a mooncup user with an average flow (i think!) i would NOT recommend the moon cup to you. mine fills up some days quite quick, you would definitely get leakage…unless you wanted to team it with pads…
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I think it might be best for me to give it a miss then. Thanks for your feedback HelloKitty. I have been wondering about this for a few years now.
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Hi Happy and Clear
That sounds horrible. Poor you! But have you talked to your gyny? I think there might be other options before surgery….
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I now have 3 friends who have had hysterectomies after finishing having their kids and not being able to cope with really heavy periods. They all agree it was the most liberating thing they have ever done and wished they had done it sooner.
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Thanks everyone for your feedback. Lots of things for me to think about. I have another gyno appointment soon and I will probably bombard him with lots more questions this time
Hopefully I will find the right solution for me sometime soon.
Cheers
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I am not sure I could do it … but I do find the idea of not having to go to the 7-11 at odd hours and deal with the (usually) male staff member looking oddly at your single purchase of a box of tampons quite appealing. (For a while there I convinced myself he wouldn’t know if I bought a bottle of milk and the bread too, but I reckon he can see through it!)
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I freaked out a poor little checkout chap who had given me funny looks in the past. I flung a box of tampons, some chocolate and panadol on the counter, and glared at him until he turned red. Poor little thing never could look me in the eye after that!
As for the mooncup, I like the idea, but for some irrational reason can never bring myself to order one.
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Hilarious!
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you are classic!!!!
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I love that I’m not the only one who tries to ‘disguise’ my period my hiding the tampon amongst 10 random other items. Thank God for self serve checkouts at supermarkets!
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I am not sure I could do it … but I do find the idea of not having to go to the 7-11 at odd hours and deal with the (usually) male staff member looking oddly at your single purchase of a box of tampons. (For a while there I convinced myself he wouldn’t know if I bought a bottle of milk and the bread too, but I reckon he can see through it!)
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But…. how about for REALLY heavy periods. I can soak a tampon through in a couple of hours on my heavier days. And need to wear a pad for backup.
I just have this mental image of a high-schoolesque spillage and my skirt being drenched.
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I remember standing up from a double class (didn’t want to say period ha ha) and feeling it run down and hoping, wishing and praying the back of my skirt wasn’t stained. Oh happy school day memories….
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There’s a version of the mooncup made in South Africa called the Miacup!
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This sounds like a great idea. However, I’d have to empty it at work ( definitely spend more than 8 hours there!). But some baby wipes should do the trick I imagine.
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But if you use baby wipes, you get the same old problem with producing rubbish that goes in the landfill.
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True, but only when empting them at work which would be the minority of the time. 2 baby wipes per month vs. 22 pads/tampons must be better.
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But what about the flushable toilet wipes?
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i imagine one or two baby wipes would still amount to less than 8 hours’ worth of pads, though.
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It seems like an option worth looking into. I am just imagining being in the office and using it whilst running out of the cubicle to the basin to wash it and then running back in to re-insert it. As long as you didn’t have a really heavy period, it would be ok I guess. Thanks for exploring the options Mia
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… end up in landfill or in the SEA!?!?!?!? what the??? That statement alone makes me wanna buy a mooncup. Just checked out the mooncup website, its cheaper than what I expected. Will read the testimonials first before thinking about making a purchase I think..
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I think I should, I think I could… I think I could. I first heard of them a few years ago and thought the idea was pretty gross but reading more here it doesn’t sound so bad. Which just leaves me with the thought that ever since my very first period at the age of 11 mine are very heavy, painful and just generally uncomfortable – do I really want to add rinsing out my cup to that? Maybe…
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I’ve heard of these but with a heavy period, not sure about how fab it would be? Also, using them when out and about would be a pain, I imagine.
High five to anyone that can be bovvered.
x P23
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High five to you for the Catherine Tate reference!
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Am I bovvered? Am I bovvered? I ain’t bovvered.
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You cant be bovvered with a moon cup? How very dare you!
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I know, AnnaB … I’m waiting to be attacked by someone on this blog for being so unsupportive of the reusable tampon!
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What a great idea! I can’t believe I’ve never heard of them. I’m definitely looking into these
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I had never heard of them before now either, but I think it’s a fantastic idea. I’m definitely going to look into getting one.
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Interesting device, did not know of such a thing and keen to give it a whirl. But why so brand specific, Mia? Now that I’ve had a look on the internet and read some of the posts, there seem to many brands of cup like devices that you have not mentioned. Is this blog a big plug (no pun intended) for Mooncup, and if so where’s the ‘advertorial’ alert.
Thanks
Sarah
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A plug? That’s great.
No, as I’ve said, any sponsored post will be marked as such.
I had no idea there were other ‘brands’.
As usual, I am learning so much by reading the comments.
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should also add there’s another version called The Diva Cup that was easy to find locally.
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i’ve had one for a number of years. i don’t always use it – been a few months since I did. But I dug it out recently and thought I should reinstate it. Personally I love it. Was easy to learn to use and rinsing it out in the shower once (or twice) a day works a treat. I never again get stuck with ‘oh god I’ve got no tampons.’
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I had never heard of these before, but am overjoyed & can’t wait to get one because:
a. I try to be as environmentally friendly as I can & therefore abhor disposable products.
b. I feel tampons are far too absorbent for that delicate area
I really can’t believe the “ew’ reactions. Don’t those people find it repulsive walking around with a blood-soaked piece of cotton or worse, cotton & plastic in their knickers?!?! And then having them sitting in their bins for potentially a week!!! And how awful is it pulling out a tampon which goes flying in all directions on the end of its string?
If these cups can stay in for 8-12 hrs surely you can manage to avoid the public toilet issue as well: if you know you are heading out to a public toilet-only area, change before you go! Surely you’re not hanging around in public toilet situations for more than 12 hours at a time!!! Unless you’re a teenager at a music festival, in which case, yes: take tampons.
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Its not that difficult for me to change my bathroom bin or to not let my tampon fly around.
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I don’t have periods any more (yay menopause!) but if I was I would seriously be looking at something like this. I think it sounds great.
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