menstrual cup question

happymommy · 05-07-2004, 06:45 AM

Has anyone here used more than one brand of menstrual cup and liked one better than the other? Are there any differences in them?

Thanks ladies!

khrisday · 05-07-2004, 07:39 AM

I've heard the medical grade silicone of the Diva cup is harder and less pliable than the natural rubber of the Keeper.

lao80 · 05-07-2004, 09:55 AM

Actually it's the opposite. I've had the keeper and the diva cup and the diva cup wins HANDS DOWN. I love love love it.

The sticks on both are pretty much useless to help take them out. I just cut them off. Either way you have to grab and kinda twist the bottom of the cup to get it out.

I love my Diva Cup.

Red · 05-07-2004, 10:07 AM

I like the Keeper better. I think it's a personal thing.

They both have great return policies, so you can try both!

Verity · 05-07-2004, 12:37 PM

Lindsey, I have a Diva Cup, and haven't been able to tolerate it. I wore it once for a few hours, but it drove me crazy because I could feel it the whole time. Maybe I'll try cutting the stem completely off. (Wonder if that will make it unreturnable?)

mommyofsweetones · 05-07-2004, 07:16 PM

Verity, I had the same response with my Diva Cup and I finally cut the stem off and it felt amazingly different....much more comfortable. And I didn't find the stem overly helpful in removing it either, so it was no great loss to have cut it off. I checked with the company about still being able to return it if I decided to and they indicated it would be no problem. I will say that it took me about 3 months before I really felt like I had the hang of how to use this and now I don't even know that it is in!

Boobs · 05-07-2004, 09:58 PM

I completely thought the Diva Cup and the Keeper were the same thing. I thought the Keeper had it's name changed to the Diva Cup. Shows how much I know! I have the Diva Cup and I totally agree that it takes time to get used to. I HATED it for the first 3 or 4 months and my sil kept telling me to hang in there. I did, and I love it now!

Tracie (who is creeped out by tampons now)

**TiredX2** · 05-08-2004, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Tracie (who is creeped out by tampons now)

ITA. With how strong my visceral reaction is to them now, I don't understand how I had *no* reaction for years.

happymommy · 05-08-2004, 06:02 AM

This is why i am asking this question. . . I just got done with another period and my "goal"lol was to use all cloth pads, which i have done before but they aren't exactly as comfy as tampons. I had a Mooncup at one time but i sold it here on the TP because i just could not get it to work for me at all! So anyway, I just drifted back to using tampons again and i HATE them!! The dryness is killing me--really, i swear it must be injuring my insides to pull them out like that! Sorry if this is TMI?? Plus i hate the idea of all those toxic chemicals associated with them. So I've been wondering if the Keeper was somehow different than the mooncup because i really really really want something other than tampons but more comfortable and easier than cloth, ya know?

rainbowmum · 05-08-2004, 08:39 AM

Oooooooh I have a question about menstrual cups. As the cup fills with blood, what happens if you lie down...? Does it go back into your womb? Does a cup mean you are still at risk from toxic shock syndrome? How the heck do you put it in? I could only ever use tampons with applicators. Thanks!

Verity · 05-08-2004, 09:37 AM

It's nice that the Diva Cup comes with a one-year return policy! I'm going to cut the stem off and try again. I have tried it several times. At first I couldn't tolerate it for more than a minute. A few hours was progress for me!

I've always used non-applicator tampons, so I really didn't think I'd have trouble with a Diva Cup. It is HUGE, though. That is the big drawback to me.

Red · 05-08-2004, 08:45 PM

Some answers to those questions...

There has been no link to the Keepr for Toxic Shock Syndrome, TSS is thought to be caused by the rayon in tampons.

The cup forms a seal with the walls of your vagina. It;s wron down low, unlike a tampon. When you oie down, the fluid is contained in your vagina. It's not held against your cervix, like a tampon is.

I sold Mooncups briefly, but didn't try one. I had 4 or 5 returned out of 12-18. I rarely get a Keeper back.

The Keeper, Mooncup or Divacup gets folded up. First you sqeeze the sides of the cup, then fold the whole thing in half the long way. It's then about the width of a tampon .

If it hurts or you have to 'tolerate' it, you're probably wearing it too high. Put it so low that the bottom of the cup is nearly flush with the outside of you.

Did I miss anything? I've had mine 3 years now. I can't imagine living without it. My cramps are wayyyy less intense, I wear a cloth pad, just in case. I love it!

happymommy · 05-08-2004, 08:50 PM

Red-
Is one cup really more pliable than another? And are they all basically the same size and shape?

By the way, that is strange about the big return rate on Mooncups!
Thanks for all your help.

Meiri · 05-10-2004, 06:21 PM

I'm getting used to my Mooncup, finally. It's taken awhile. I use it when I'm making short trips and should be home before needing to empty it, or on days when flow's light anyway and I can leave it longer.

I haven't had to remove the stem and do use that a bit in removal: just to get a grip and get it started....

Red · 05-10-2004, 08:45 PM

[QUOTE=happymommy]Red-
Is one cup really more pliable than another? And are they all basically the same size and shape?QUOTE]

It's ahrd to say. The Diva and Moon cups are made from the same material that those clear baby bottle nipples are. Maybe they're stiffer, but not as thick?

Try one. Hate it? Return it.

CluckyInAZ · 05-11-2004, 01:13 AM

I want to try a diva cup or a keeper, right now I use Instead, which I guess is kind of like a big diaphram, it is a clear medical grade plastic cup with a firm ring around it that you put in so it rings around your cervix. They are disposable, and that is why I want to go to a diva cup or something like that. But it seems like the two work very differently, since the opening of the cup is facing a different direction?

Maybe Instead is a good option for women who don't want to use tampons but find diva cup/keepers uncomfortable. You can wear an instead for 12 hours and they are very comfortable, IMO.

TSS is a bacterial infection that grows in the sponge environment of the tampon due to the wet, warm, super absorbent nature of a tampon. Therefore, Instead and other cups will not give you TSS because they involve no highly absorbent chemical sponges.

Jessica36 · 05-11-2004, 11:56 AM

I just started using the instead too. Working my way to the Diva

Do you find it can cause back cramps sometimes?

mommyofsweetones · 05-11-2004, 12:32 PM

I have been using my Diva cup for about 4 or 5 months now and sometimes I have very, very, very slight cramping in my back for about 30 minutes after I insert it the first time, but that's the only time I have ever had any discomfort like that....and it is very minimal. I liked the 1 year return policy that the Diva cup offers because I figured I should be able to determine if this was going to work for me or not in that amount of time and if it didn't, I wasn't out anything. Now, I can't imagine not having one to use as I hardly know I'm using it. It is sooooooo much more convenient than a tampon....I would never switch back!

damongeau · 05-11-2004, 09:40 PM

ok new question...

I tried and loved the Instead cups, and i like the idea of one that you dont throw away, but all of the ones I have seen are latex and I am allergic (not a place in which I want hives, ladies!!

) so does anyone know where I can find one that isnt latex??? Thanks much

happymommy · 05-12-2004, 01:51 AM

The Mooncup and the Diva Cup are both made of medical grade silicone.