Menstrual cups

[Eleanor Rigby]

Boys, if you didn't get it from the title, this thread is going to be about periods, so if you feel like leaving before it gets explicit, that's now or never

So, I hope there are other menstrual cup users on EC that are going to be able to help me out here.
I finally bought a menstrual cup (fleurcup, french brand) after a tampon disaster during my last periods.
There was sales on fleurcup website and I bought the 2 sizes of cups, as I was unable to decide with one to get. I'm in my thirties, didn't have baby (yet) but I'm always loosing a lot of blood when I get my periods.
I trained a bit with the smallest one before I get my period to learn how to put it in place correctly. Then my periods started (yesterday morning). I soon realized the smallest size wasn't enough (lots of leaks) so I moved onto the bigger one.
The problem is, when I'm in the same position for a long time and then change position, it tends to get leaks too. So I'm starting to wonder if I put it in place correctly.
When I put it in place, it's around one phalanx length into my vagina and I make sure it can turn (I read in the guideline that you had to make it turn to make sure it's open).
Every time I remove it, the cup is around 1/2 to 2/3 full so there is no wonder if it's open.
Do one of you have ideas about what the problem could be ? Because, getting leaks is definitely annoying.

Thanks, Cécile

[Rosina]

I have the equivalent Mooncup and have been using it for about a year now, so far so good!

It's correct, you need the larger cup, regardless of whether you've had children (pulling from Mooncup's page),

"Because vaginal and pelvic floor tones naturally reduce with age, the size ‘A’ [larger] is recommended for women aged 30 or over. The difference between the ‘A’ [larger] and the ‘B’ [smaller] is only small (3mm), but it is crucial! Size ‘A’ [larger] is also recommended for all women who have given birth vaginally, regardless of age.

Size 'B' [smaller] is designed for young girls and women under the age of 30 who have not given birth vaginally. It may also be suitable for women over the age of 30 who have had corrective surgery to the vagina, or who are advanced in tone-maintaining activities such as yoga, dance or pilates."

There's no doubt that the cup's open when you've inserted it, that's for sure, but I think you're placing it too low still; one phalanx is the space between two knuckles on a finger, correct? I place mine much higher, I'd say I can reach the top rim with a full finger's length. I rarely get leeks, and I've taken to wearing panty-liners when I think I might have them to save the hassle of dealing with blood stains and possible embarrassment later.

[Eleanor Rigby]

Originally Posted by Rosina Chicita

one phalanx is the space between two knuckles on a finger, correct?

Yup !
Thanks a lot for the tips Rosina. I'll try to put it higher than I do.

[Sadepeura]

I'm so happy I found this thread!

Eleanor, did you manage to make yours work? I was actually planning that if I end up buying another cup, I'd buy a Fleurcup.

At the moment I have a British Mooncup, but I'm just using it for the first time. And against the website's rules, I actually bought the size A... So I'm not sure how it's going to work, but I'm hoping for the best. I'm using it for the first time and am afraid of the leaks as well.

[Eleanor Rigby]

Originally Posted by Sadepeura

I'm so happy I found this thread!

Eleanor, did you manage to make yours work? I was actually planning that if I end up buying another cup, I'd buy a Fleurcup.

At the moment I have a British Mooncup, but I'm just using it for the first time. And against the website's rules, I actually bought the size A... So I'm not sure how it's going to work, but I'm hoping for the best. I'm using it for the first time and am afraid of the leaks as well.

It took me a bit of experimentation with this, but now, I don't have problems with my fleurcup anymore.
The biggest size was definitely the right one for me and Rosina was right, I was putting it too low. Now I place it much higher in my vagina and I didn't have any leaks happening since.
The thing is, the more you use it, the easier it gets. I also tried several ways of folding it before finding the one that suits me best. Honestly, now I know how to use it effectively, I'll NEVER go back to tampons.

[Rosina]

Originally Posted by Sadepeura

I'm so happy I found this thread!

Eleanor, did you manage to make yours work? I was actually planning that if I end up buying another cup, I'd buy a Fleurcup.

At the moment I have a British Mooncup, but I'm just using it for the first time. And against the website's rules, I actually bought the size A... So I'm not sure how it's going to work, but I'm hoping for the best. I'm using it for the first time and am afraid of the leaks as well.

See how you go with the Mooncup, it's practically the same as Fleurcup (same item, different brand name). I think you'll find a B's fine, as that's what I use; A is designed for those who have had kids and are more mature women, as stated on the website. A B-cup will do you just fine with no leaks.

If you're worried about leaks, wear panttyliners until you get the hang of placing it at the right height and get the whole folding thing sorted out. It takes a bit of practice (took me a few months) but once you get the hang of it, it'll be easy as pie

[Sadepeura]

Eleanor, I'm glad to hear that you're managing with your fleurcup!

Originally Posted by Rosina

See how you go with the Mooncup, it's practically the same as Fleurcup (same item, different brand name). I think you'll find a B's fine, as that's what I use; A is designed for those who have had kids and are more mature women, as stated on the website. A B-cup will do you just fine with no leaks.

If you're worried about leaks, wear panttyliners until you get the hang of placing it at the right height and get the whole folding thing sorted out. It takes a bit of practice (took me a few months) but once you get the hang of it, it'll be easy as pie

Rosina, I've only tried to use my Mooncup for a day now but so far I haven't had any problems although it's the size A.

My periods are a bit confused at the moment so I didn't leak very heavily. A doctor told me to start the Pills to get my periods more regular, so hopefully it will work.

But to me it just seems like the Mooncup website is a little bit keen on the fact that the size difference matters. Which is a bit weird because to me it sounds like their two sizes are not that different.

So far I've only experienced a problem with the antenna, but I cut the whole thing off and it helped.

I'll see what the cup is like with heavier periods and then maybe order the smaller Fleurcup if the size turns out to be a problem. The Mooncups just sound very small and like one would have to empty them all the time! Especially the size B.

[Rosina]

The size won't make a huge difference (from memory, A will be slightly larger than B) so it's not problem as far as I know that you're using A not B. If you do get heavy periods, probably a good call getting a larger one that doesn't need emptying as much.

I had to trim my antenna too, but kinda scared to lop the whole thing off... just me though being me.

[Sadepeura]

Originally Posted by Rosina

The size won't make a huge difference (from memory, A will be slightly larger than B) so it's not problem as far as I know that you're using A not B. If you do get heavy periods, probably a good call getting a larger one that doesn't need emptying as much.

I had to trim my antenna too, but kinda scared to lop the whole thing off... just me though being me.

I think it's just a personal difference how much of the antenna everyone needs to cut of. For me the best call was definitely to cut the whole thing of. Maybe my vagina is just shorter. It naturally is shorter for everyone during the periods anyway though, because the cervix will be lower. For other people having an antenna probably is useful if the cup naturally sits deeper up and the antenna fits inside their body. For me it's just impossible, I tried for a long time before getting the courage to cut it off.

[Fisnou]

Wow, I didn't know these things even existed! Ha ha. I must be from another planet!

[Sadepeura]

Fisnou, don't worry, you would be surprised how many people have never heard of them. And now you can find out more about them!

I think there actually is an Australian brand that makes them as well! They are very useful and one can actually save a lot of money buy using them instead of buying new tampons and pads all the time.

[Caoimhe Fayre]

I just checked, and I'm amazed at the lower prices... a couple of years ago, I bought one cup (a Divacup, I think was the brand) and a couple of Lunapads (cloth pads, reusable, better for the environment) for back up, and I spent around $150 dollars... I just looked for mooncups Canada and found one for $20 on Amazon... I haven't used the cup in years because I thought I couldn't afford to replace my old one (I'm on a hand-to-mouth type of income right now, whatever I spend on each month on menstrual supplies comes directly out of my diet), but now...

so to those who have used both, is there a discernable difference between the Fleurcup and the Mooncup? which is better?

[Rosina]

I've not used both, but I can pretty much vouch that Fleurcup and Mooncup are the same thing under different names, they'll do the same thing and shouldn't be very different.

[Sadepeura]

Caoimhe Fayre, yes these years they are definitely the way to save money!

There are these crib sheets that you can use to compare the different brands of cups: Updated the Cup charts « Menstrual Cups

They are catalogued according to their measurements, squishiness, price and material. I found the crib sheet really useful before I bought mine, but ended up buying a Mooncup because it sounded suitable and they sell them here in the pharmacies so I could get it straight away instead of ordering it online. Apparently it is quite similar to Fleurcup.

From what I've heard elsewhere is that the length of the cup is the most important because if it's too long it won't fit in and then it's impossible to wear it. Mine is actually technically wider than it should be because of my age and the fact that I haven't given birth, but it doesn't seem to be a problem.

You shouldn't have problems though if you've used a Diva Cup in past because that's probably the longest one there is. I think you just should consider what measurements would be good for you and which looks good for you. Some brands have coloured ones as well!

[Fisnou]

Just read a bit about them online. It's reusable and will save LOTS of money. Why aren't they advertised at all!? It would do so much good for the planet! Anyway, I'm definitely going to try them!

[Rosina]

Wow, Menstrual cup crib sheets... good find Sadepeura!

Originally Posted by Fisnou

Just read a bit about them online. It's reusable and will save LOTS of money. Why aren't they advertised at all!? It would do so much good for the planet! Anyway, I'm definitely going to try them!

Basically, if they were advertised more, then it'll put a very large market out of business, those who make pads and tampons, so yeah, the evil side of business prevents menstrual cups from really getting on the wider market

[Homo Novus]

**WARNING: About to get graphic!**

Do you have a heavy flow? If so, certain options may not be as efficient as others for you. My girlfriend has serious issues with heavy flow... One time she couldn't even get off the toilet because it was literally pouring from her, and her mom and dad had to rush her to the emergency room. She was terrified, and had to sit on multiple towels on the way to the hospital (and it was just a 4 minute drive!) despite wearing a pad. Her periods are all-around awful. Anyway, she finds that due to her heavy flow, the only solution that works for her is pads. Tampons and the like just don't do the trick. Instead, she gets the largest size pads as possible and changes them frequently. Have you tried this?

[Sadepeura]

Originally Posted by Homo Novus

**WARNING: About to get graphic!**

Do you have a heavy flow? If so, certain options may not be as efficient as others for you. My girlfriend has serious issues with heavy flow... One time she couldn't even get off the toilet because it was literally pouring from her, and her mom and dad had to rush her to the emergency room. She was terrified, and had to sit on multiple towels on the way to the hospital (and it was just a 4 minute drive!) despite wearing a pad. Her periods are all-around awful. Anyway, she finds that due to her heavy flow, the only solution that works for her is pads. Tampons and the like just don't do the trick. Instead, she gets the largest size pads as possible and changes them frequently. Have you tried this?

Is this aimed for me or someone else? I may have mentioned heavy flow, although it's not quite that heavy.

Was it really just her periods why you needed to take her to the emergency room? I thought that periods are just meant to come out and that it's not that dangerous. That sounds very extreme though!

I have mainly just used pads until now and tampons only if I've needed to do something where a pad would be in the way. Has your girlfriend tried a menstrual cup? One of the bigger ones might be really good for her, because they don't need emptying quite as often as pads need to be changed.