Reusable Menstrual Products....

3460 Views 71 Replies 43 Participants Last post by gardenpoetry, Aug 23, 2005

bklynmum

Discussion Starter · Jun 4, 2005

I was reading the thread about pads and it too got me thinking about the waste we produce and the amount we could reduce.
I am a bit more of a tampon girl and I am going to order some different things and see how they work...just wondered if you take the cup route, how many do you need, are they hard to keep clean? Also with sponges?

You Mammas who was pads, how do you keep them clean and do they stain? Do you have to soak them?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to be informed!

B

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beemama

· #2 · Jun 5, 2005

I have one keeper & can't see a need for any more! I also have 3 glad rags to take care of any leakage that I really only need for the first 2 days of AF, in which I wash them once (usually w/ the dipes). I bought the unbleached cotton ones & pour some cheap hydrogen peroxide on them as soon as I'm done with them. This has been my system for over a year & I love it! No waste & I'm already saving $... I was buying organic tampons/liners for the few years prior & that can realy add up.
If I had to do it over again, I might find some prettier mamapads... but mine work so they're getting used!

HTH! Good luck!

orangefoot

· #3 · Jun 5, 2005

Love my Mooncup,

and only need the one. I dinb't use pads at all.

I rinse it when I empty it then sterilise it by boiling or in sterilising solution between periods. Get one, you won't look back.

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julesinottawa

· #4 · Jun 5, 2005

I use mama pads most of the time but use my Diva for my super heavy days with pads. For me the Diva leaks but it also fills up so I think I just have a really heavy flow. Also, I'm not sure, but my cervix is way lower since my second baby so that might have something to do with it. If I didn't use the Diva on those days, I would have to change my pad every hour including at night so I would have a terrible sleep. With the Diva I only have to get up once in the night. I have just one Diva. As for the pads, I soak them in a container of plain water and change the water each day until wash day.

MyLittleWonders

· #5 · Jun 6, 2005

2

I have one Diva cup and it's all I need. I rinse it out each time I empty it with hot water (simply because the hot tap handle is closer to me at that time). When I'm all done, I wash it good with some soap and put it back in it's little cloth pouch until the next month. I have pads that I use as back-up, but since they barely get anything on them, I usually just throw them in the wash with like colors and that takes care of them. If they get a little more blood than a spot, I'll just rinse them in the sink with cold water and throw them in the diaper pail until those get washed. (Then again, I'm not that big on stains ... diapers or pads, they really don't bother me

.) Down the road I might get a second cup just to carry in my purse/diaper bag, but that's just because I'm one of those paranoid types that always thinks I'll start my cycle while out in public!

:

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Maeve

· #6 · Jun 6, 2005

I LOVE my Diva cup. I'll never go back to using anything else.
And a trick with that (to help keep from leaking) is to not put it too far it. It should sit kinda low down.

rainbowmum

· #7 · Jun 6, 2005

I am in love totally with my Mooncup. I was never an insert it type of gal then I saw I could try it and get my money back if I didn't like it. I use lunapads liners for the first couple of days as back up but it has transformed my life, not to mention the planet!!

DreamsInDigital

· #8 · Jun 6, 2005

I bought some Little Lambs hemp postpartum cloth and then some regular menstrual cloth and I can't wait to try them out. Being a member of MDC has made me so much more crunchy than I ever thought I could be!

MyLittleWonders

· #9 · Jun 6, 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamsInDigital
I bought some Little Lambs hemp postpartum cloth and then some regular menstrual cloth and I can't wait to try them out. Being a member of MDC has made me so much more crunchy than I ever thought I could be!

Me too! Or maybe it has just brought out the inner-crunchy-ness in both of us.

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EnviroBecca

· #10 · Jun 9, 2005

One cup. Very easy to clean, and it doesn't have to be cleaned every single time. (In a public restroom, just wipe w/TP and reinsert.)

I've never tried sponges because I'm nervous about the cleanliness. I know that studies of kitchen sponges have shown that stuff really grows in them! Also, sea sponges could have all kinds of contaminants in them even when they're "new" because our oceans are so polluted.

A pad that's stayed pretty wet will just rinse clean. One that's had a chance to dry (during lighter flow or overnight) may not, in which case I soak in cold water in an old yogurt bucket. Then I just put the pads in a mesh zippered bag that goes in w/my regular laundry. If stains are really bad or have an odor, I soak in hot water and Oxi-Clean.

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dinade

· #11 · Jun 10, 2005

like tampons/divacups. I haven't tried the diva just don't like putting stuff inside myself I guess. I'm more of a pad girl but man I've been using them for about a year and can't imagine how much money I've saved and the landfills thank us Im sure. I'm also one that has one in my purse at all times and one in the car just incase. LOL So I like to be prepared I'm constantly checking myself as it gets closer to AF. :LOL

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tangozulu

· #12 · Jun 11, 2005

OK this may be a dumb question, but...

Some years ago I used Instead. Now I have a diaphragm (for BC - obviously). Could I use the diaphragm? Is this a totally stupid question? I mean, it looks about the same...?

I'm not too cheap to buy something new, just curious.

No PP AF here yet anyway, so really I am just

: for info!

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suz515

· #13 · Jun 15, 2005

I LOVE my Keeper/Diva cup. It is about the most amazing invention. I also have some Liz cloth's pads that work well as a back up but I never have any spills with the cup so the pads rarely get used.

Best,
Suzanne

broodymama

· #14 · Jun 15, 2005

I'm just finishing up my first cycle with my Diva Cup - I'm completely converted! Love it love it love it!

I have very heavy cycles - I would usually need a super tampon with an overnight pad as a backup. I went through so many disposable menstrual products (and the associated $$$) each month it was crazy. I'm so happy I got my Diva!

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suzysprite

· #15 · Jun 15, 2005

Chiming in on the love for the Diva cup here!

I don't see a need to have more than one, as others have said. It's totally easy to clean, just use soap and water, or boil it if it starts to get discolored or has an odor. When I'm in a public bathroom and have to "dump my cup", I just wipe it out with some toilet paper rather than carting it to the sink in view of other people. I can mostly get away with using it by itself, but during my heavier days I like to combine it with a Luna pantiliner, just in case. I've just been using the reusable stuff for about six months, but I feel so much better about my periods now! I don't know how to describe it- it's crazy.

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HoneyTree

· #16 · Jun 15, 2005

I'm so envious of you mamas who can use your Diva cups! I tried for six months, but mine always filled a little bit and LEAKED LEAKED LEAKED. I switched to the bigger size, made sure to keep it really low, and rotated it often to make sure it was fully open, but I could never get it to fit right. And on several occasions, when I'd sleep with it in, it would work its way all the way up inside me and get stuck -- I had at least a half-dozen frustrating and tear-filled mornings trying to get the darn thing out, and twice it took so long that I gave myself one more good reach before I was going to call the GYN. (Luckily I never had to do that.)

I finally gave up, thinking maybe I was too wide/long/suctiony (TMI, I know), and bought sea sponges and Luna Pads, but of course that month I got pregnant, and never got the chance to use them!

cheery

· #17 · Jun 15, 2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangozulu
OK this may be a dumb question, but...

Some years ago I used Instead. Now I have a diaphragm (for BC - obviously). Could I use the diaphragm? Is this a totally stupid question? I mean, it looks about the same...?

It looks about the same but is smaller, isn't it? And perhaps the stem is required for easy removal without leakage.

i'd be curious in case you try using your diaphragm though. not that i plan to do so, but jsut for info

Maeve

· #18 · Jun 15, 2005

You know what, have no idea why the stem is even there on the Diva Cup. You don't pull it out by there, you pinch lightly to break suction, then pull out. Why is that stem even there???
It's never bothered me though, so I just leave it. I have heard of people trimming it with no negative results, as long as you don't trim it too much I guess?

boycrazy

· #19 · Jun 15, 2005

2

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangefoot
Love my Mooncup,

and only need the one. I dinb't use pads at all.

I rinse it when I empty it then sterilise it by boiling or in sterilising solution between periods. Get one, you won't look back.

I second Orange, love my keeper.

ETA I trimmed my sten way down, you don't use it to get cup out.

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boycrazy

· #20 · Jun 15, 2005

This is a cool site http://www.mum.org/

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