Menstrual cup!

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I've put the rest under a cut because it's totally TMI, but most of you are probably curious, and some of you may find my observations useful.

I highly recommend ryrdra_wong's post Menstrual cups: why they are awesome and you should get one*
{*If you are a menstruating person.}. (I'm linking to her DW post because all the comments are there, not at LJ.)

I had been thinking about a menstrual cup for three reasons. I mostly used pads, but they seem to have begun giving me a slight rash in very sensitive places. I use tampons occasionally, but I worry about toxic shock, and I just plain don't like them much. They leak, so I can't use them without a pad. Finally, I do want to do my part for the environment.

After I became interested, I really wanted to hear from someone who had actually used them, but I didn't, until Rydra made her brilliant post. Not only does she describe her experience, she gives good links. The comments are also valuable. The best link for me was given in comments: Menstrual Cups at WordPress. I clicked My Comparisons and Ratings, and it is awesome. I decided what brand I wanted based on ratings and comments for cleaning, insertion, comfort, and removal. I then followed links to Lady Cup and ordered one online.

My Experience:
I figured the cup would arrive while I was in Kalamazoo for the International Congress on Medieval Studies; my period was due while I was there, so I'd practice with it after that period, then be ready the next time. Well, the cup (which came from the Czech Republic) arrived the day before I left. I tried it out the day it arrived and brought it with me, along with a supply of maxipads.

I brought home nearly a full supply of maxipads; I only used a few. I have the hand-eye coordination of the average five-year-old: illegible handwriting, not so good at tying my shoes, etc. Okay, maybe the average three-year-old. If I can get the menstrual cup to work right just after I get it in the mail, most women can!

The cups are clean, comfortable, and safe. They're environmentally friendly. As far as I can tell (and I've done some reading on the subject!), no one has ever had an allergic reaction. They should be emptied and cleaned at least once every twelve hours. That's it. You might have to empty more during heavy times.

Some people have trouble inserting it, I've read. Doing Natural Family Planning / Fertility Awareness Method accustomed me to sticking my fingers inside my vagina, so I guess I had an advantage there. (If you ever want a post about NFP/FAM, let me know. I still feel smug that my doctor was convinced we couldn't have a child without IVF. He was so surprised when I became pregnant naturally!) I never even looked at any videos or diagrams of how to fold the cup to insert it. I saw people refer to the "C-fold" and "7-fold," and I went in the bathroom and did what seemed like it would work. It worked.

I am, however, a klutz, and in the two periods I've had with the cup, I've twice dropped it on the floor while attempting to reinsert it. The good news is that I spilled no blood; the bad news is that I had to boil it again. Fortunately, I was at home both times; I am more careful when I'm not. I worried about taking it out and putting reinserting the cup in public bathrooms, but I did it over and over successfully at the ICMS (in a wide range of bathrooms, including some tiny and dim stalls).

It's easier when I'm home. Once I got the hang of it, I found insertion and removal easy; I find insertion painless, though removal is sometimes a little uncomfortable, if I do it awkwardly (which sometimes I do).


Learn from my mistakes:

- Some women leak. I am one of them. So far, I seem to need maxi pads on my one or two heaviest nights and two or three heaviest days. I use small pads probably a day before and two days after. I'm still new at this, so I'm trying to see if I can figure out any way of minimizing leakage. I can't prevent it, because my heavy days are so heavy that I can overflow the cup over the course of the eight hours I'm asleep. I use the larger size, and apparently such a heavy flow is really rare. What can I say? I'm exceptional! (I might turn to cotton pads instead of disposables, but I'm not ready for a second change to my period routine yet.)

- It is possible to insert the cup beside my cervix if I'm not careful. I did that my second or third day of period with it. I didn't feel anything wrong; I just found I'd bled on the pad and not into the cup. As soon as I went to remove it, I realized what I'd done. Other people might not have this problem, but it doesn't hurt to check and be sure it has unfolded inside you properly.

- Don't just pull it out by the bottom. I did that the first time. Fortunately, it was before I left home for the conference. I made noises like a wounded animal because it pulled on my cervix! Now I know: I need to put a finger up to bend it and break the suction as I pull down. It's occasionally a little uncomfortable coming out, I think because I'm trying very hard not to tip it until it's entirely out. I want to be really careful where I'm pouring it. Into the toilet, not onto the clothing.

- My fingers get bloodier than I expect. I need to check them before I touch anything. I have left bloody fingerprints on my panties a few times, and once when I was at home, I got my shirt. I have also left blood on the toilet paper roll and the toilet. I seem to be exceptionally talented in this regard.

If you want to try it, please, read Rydra's post and any links that interest you, and give it a go!