"The Keeper" anyone?

[Len]

I have been using The Keeper (rubber cup that you insert like tampons, but reusable) and although I found it pretty awkward at the beginning, now I LOVE IT! My periods now come and go almost without noticing. I also love the fact I don't have to buy and dispose of the stuff anymore. I used to forget to carry extras all the time and you can imagine the mess.
Now this keeper thing sounds too good to be true; I haven't found anything really against it, so I thought you illustrated mammas may know of something I don't.
I used to wear Tampons all the time because I find pads uncomfortable and inconvenient for certain activities, and I can't imagine taking (soiled!) cloth pads with me wherever I go!

[Elphaba]

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[Ceili]

I just got it a few months ago and I love it. I was trying to make the switch from tampons to cloth pads, and while the cloth pads and certainly much more comfortable than disposible pads, I am really the queen of the heavy flow and even the nighttime pads weren't always working for me on Day One...

I haven't had any problems with mine since I started using it. I use the cloth pad covers as panty liners occasionally, but that's mostly out of paranoia on my part, since I haven't had any leak problems at all.

Ceili

[Lila]

I haven't tried it yet, though we are ttc and so I think I'll save my money for it later :) My best girlfriend just got one and thinks it's amazing.

[treehuginhippie]

LOVE IT! I will NEVER go back to tampons!

[TripkeHughes]

Where oh where can I find the keeper? Is it reusable for a long duration?

[mamaoso]

Is it one size fits all? I used to use the cervical cap for birth control, and that came in several sizes, since not all cervixes are the same. I assume it goes over your cervix. How do you empty it in a public restroom? Wouldn't it be too messy to deal with in a stall?

[Len]

I got mine at our local natural supermarket. You can go to http://www.thekeeper.com/ and order one. It's sooo good that I was trying to find out if someone has anything negative to say about it.

[Heather]

I was wondering if it could be used if you have a "tilted uterus"?

[treehuginhippie]

Keeper come in two sizes - one for before vaginal child birth, one for after vaginal child birth. If you've had a cesearean (?), you usee the before size. I don't think they are messy to change in public. I take a wet paper towel or a bottle of water into the stall with me. Then you just dump out the contents, either wipe or squirt it out, and re-insert.

[RasJane]

I just got mine and I am still getting used to it. I flow very heavy (filled it 3x on day one!) and it leaked a lot the first day. I don't know if that was because I was flowing so heavy, because I was just getting used to it or if it is because I too have a very tilted uterus. But I liked it after Day one.

[mamaoso]

Heather-
I too have a tilted uterus. I haven't used the "keeper", but I did use a cervical cap for birth control. I sometimes had a difficult time removing it, I would have to squat down in the shower to get it out. I'm thinking the "keeper" might present a similar problem. Anyone else know?

[Ceili]

mamaoso

I wouldn't think you would have the same trouble with the keeper as you would with a cervical cap. The keeper is designed to sit just inside your vagina, not all the way up at the cervic.

[Lila]

My friend who got the Keeper said that her sister, who also uses it, had a lot of leakage in the beginning too. In her case it was due to an improper seal. It appears that it takes a bit of practice for some people to learn to insert it properly.

[Sierra]

I've been working on all issues health related, and my period is among my issues of focus:). I thought I would try out the disposable alternative to The Keeper, Instead, before investing in The Keeper, and I could just not get the things to work. It hardly ever felt like it was in the way it was supposed to be, and when it did feel right, it still leaked. I might as well have been using nothing. So I gave up on the idea of The Keeper until people kept telling me that it wasn't the same as the disposable Insteads, that it was in fact, much different. Now I'm thinking that when I have some money, I will go ahead and get The Keeper.

I like to have all kinds of options during my period. I've totally gone off of the OB tampons. I've started buying organic cotton, unbleached tampons at the health food store, but they are expensive, so I supplement my use of the tampons with the cloth pads my sister gave me this summer for my birthday (she made them from some flannel fabric). I'm not a gal who has ever dealt well with pads, but I have to say that there is something that feels sorta comforting about slipping on a pair of panties with a cloth pad during my period. I mean, it makes me want to curl up with some tea and read a book while I snuggle with a warm pack on my belly. It just feels so good! It is a totally different experience than those weird plastic pad deals. I would never go back, and in fact, I'm becoming less attached to tampons LOL.

[Millie Ivy]

I love the Keeper. In fact, I am Lila's friend she keeps mentioning. I did leak a little the first two days but I think that was due more to inexperience. My sister had problems with it but she did not read the directions and totally did it wrong, she is going to try again soon! I have also tried the disposable Insteads, and they are NOT the same! Completely different, at least for me. Anyway, love it!!!

PS my mom and a few others think I am insane for taking a new approah to my cycles. I am really enjoying them to an extent. I don't have the cramps due to tampons, and the cramps I do have, I haven't needed painkillers for in months. Anyone else dealing with this?? Or am I crazy? (Don't be too honest...) ;)

[treehuginhippie]

I have almost no cramps anymore and my periods are shorter and lighter :D

[TripkeHughes]

I bought it last week or so and it still hasn't come. However I am very excited about it :)

[Missgrl]

I also bought the alternatives "Instead" just to try it out!
But as i read the pamphlet it said not to use with an IUD!

So what about the Keeper??? Does anyone use it with an IUD....or does anyone know if it is ok?