The Scary Mommy Community is a place to find support and camaraderie with amazing moms who love to help one another. We are scattered all around the world, of all different colors and sizes and lifestyles, united by a single thing: motherhood.

Please create a profile to post and for access to all of boards. It's quick and completely painless!

Motherhood Comes Naturally (and other vicious lies) is available in stores, and online, NOW. Do you have it yet? Have you told all your friends and family about it? **Get it, share it, and spread the joy!**
Non-disposable Feminine products. Yay or nay?
  • JennysNook
    Posts: 1Member
    I have been using the DivaCup and Imse Vimse cloth pantyliners for about 4 months now and I love it! Less wast and saves money! Anybody else doing the same? I wish I had thought of this sooner. Definitely gona encourage my future daughter(s) to do this.
  • unforgivenunforgiven
    Posts: 12,699Confessional Manager
    I've seen reusable tampons on Etsy... It's not for me. When I get my period I just use regular disposable tampons. 

    confessional-manager

    "What looks like torture is a time to rejoice
    What sounds like thunder is a comforting voice
    When what is beautiful looks broken and crushed
    And I say I don't know you
    But you say it's finished"
  • breezybreezy
    Posts: 3,483Member
    @love 

  • jezebeldelilahjezebeldelilah
    Posts: 337Member
    Its not for me. I don't feel clean I prefer flushing away that mess I give kudos to the people that can because it really does help the planet.
  • shadylaneshadylane
    Posts: 3,037Member
    yeah i wish i could say i would do it, but no
    ~slim shady~
  • GingersnapGingersnap
    Posts: 7,290Member
    I say "yay". There is a thread here about diva/ moon cups somewhere. I really like mine.
    image
  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    I use the MoonCup, and I'd like to kick my OWN ass for being too close-minded to give it a try years ago! It's awesome!

    @Gingersnap, I'll dig it up LOL I think that was the "follow me as I experiment with this newfangled contraption" LOL total play-by-play!

    community-manager


  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    Here it is!

    community-manager


  • Thefinder
    Posts: 1,626Member
    Nothing says Happy Thursday like diva cups :D
  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    @love, can you try these sea sponge "tampons" next. I would love to read a play by play of that =))

    http://www.jadeandpearl.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=18
  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    @Chaosmom....you know...we ARE set up for a Review Board now...I wonder how "Jade and Pearl" would react to a request for freebies to review?

    ::rubs hands together in anticipation::

    community-manager


  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    @love...I would absolutely be willing to test stuff like that out if it were free! I am just amazed at what products are out there to shove up your vag lol. Sea sponges, bamboo tampons, cups...
  • Katescrazymom
    Posts: 1,847Member
    I'm thinking of trying reusable something when ds stops nursing (if he ever does).  I found pads itchy and irritating after dd, and I have yet to find comfortable tampons.  My flow is either very heavy or very light, and neither seems to work well with tampons.
  • Charlotte_SometimesCharlotte_Sometimes
    Posts: 1,756Member
    I think I'd like to try a cup.   I have a hard time with tampons -- they make me itch.  I use pads now but they gross me out completely and I have to remind myself to have clean undies ready for that time of the month because normally i am not an underwear person.

    I used washable pads many years ago when DS14 was little.  I figured why not, I was already washing cloth diapers.  But I had a little ceramic pot to put them in to be washed and a couple times I forgot to take care of it right away and it was, well, fucking disgusting.  So I eventually went back to disposable.
    "But a lesson must be lived
    In order to be learned"

    Ani DiFranco, Manhole
  • canadamom
    Posts: 867Member
    Yeah, uhhm NO.

    Saw reuseable pads years ago and thought WHY would I do the Laura Ingalls thing. I get the environmental thing about filling up the landfills but with all the detergent, water and bleach I would use cleaning them - is it really less harmful?
  • AnonUser28
    Posts: 2,083Guest
    I love the cup! I have a close cervix, so can't use a tampon, and pads are eeewww. There is actually a disposable version of the diva cup you can get to try it out before making the investment for the reusable one. It's called Instead.... gives you an idea anyhow.
  • OnmylastnerveOnmylastnerve
    Posts: 1,648Member
    I use the instead cup. Idk what's up with vag but I can only use it certain days of my
    Period and then I leak like an hour into just putting it in. I can't wear tampons and pads are uncomfortable and irritating so I'm thinking I might switch to the diva or moon cup.
    not my chair, not my problem
  • DreamerDreamer
    Posts: 2,266Member

    Im interested in it... I hate tampons, they always feel uncomfortable (and yes they are in right) I think its something with my cervix too.. so pads for me.. But I HATE working out in them..

     

    Anyone work out with these things in?

    There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other. Which one are you?
  • loveitloveit
    Posts: 1,738Member
    Washable pads??? Whaaa??
  • sunnymommasunnymomma
    Posts: 2,243Member
    nay, i like when all evidence of that time of the month is promptly thrown away
    “There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”
    ― John Lennon
  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    I never did answer the original question did I?! I also use the Instead cups ($6 at Walmart). You are supposed to use a new one every day but I just rinse mine out with hot water & use the same one for my whole period. So far, I haven't had any problems...except (TMI alert) my cervix gets extremely swollen & sometimes it is hard to position the cup in there. Feels like my damn cervix is trying to escape!

    I don't see being able to use any tampon, reusable or not. And I wouldn't really like a reusable pad but if that's all you got...
  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    @dreamer, you can most definitely work out with the cups in. If they are positioned correctly, you can't even feel it. The Instead cups don't have as much "suction" as the Moon or Diva but I still haven't had a leak unless I was bleeding super heavy & didn't dump it soon enough.
  • meandmy243meandmy243
    Posts: 6,316Member
    I used instead once my flow is so heavy that i fill it up quickly and leak with in 15 mins.. I dont think the diva cup would work if insteads dont.. Tampons and pads for at least the first 4 days..
    mom of wild children
    going to the chapel 7/5/2014
  • loveitloveit
    Posts: 1,738Member
    I wish I could use the diva cups (mostly for no mess sex on my period) but how in the world do u get them in and out???? You have to reach up there and position it and then fish it out? How is this doable, I ask you???
  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    @loveit, you have to check out the link @love posted up there ^^^. She was kind enough to be our guinea pig & give us a play by play!
  • DreamerDreamer
    Posts: 2,266Member
    Mine you Im kinda lucky.. my periods usually only last 3, 5 days MAX
    There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other. Which one are you?
  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    LOL ok, in response:

    I keep mine in the cabinet in the bathroom, where a large box of tampons used to sit. OR in my purse, if it's close to that time of the month.
    image

    image

    image


    I use the MoonCup, and this is how big it is. 

    image


    And it looks like, "WTF you put THAT big summbitch up in there???" 
    Right? 
    LMAO I know. 
    Because that's what I thought too! 
    But let me show you:

    image

    image


    And this is the stem, which functions just like the string on a tampon. Mine is shorter than the length that it comes, because it was poking me, and I cut it off shorter LOL Just remember to make SMALL cutting corrections until you get it the right length.

    image

    It takes a couple tries to get it in and out, just to get the hang of it--or it did for ME. 
    But once I figured it out, I will never go back to tampons or pads. 
    There's just no reason to. 
    I paid $20 bucks for this thing, and I won't ever have to spend any more money on period products ever again. 
    And also, I can wear this, without discomfort or irritation, even if my period is light or hasn't started yet. 
    Like, if I get up and feel crampy and know I'm going to start some time today, but I have a kazillion things to do, I can go ahead and put it in, and forget about it, and not have to worry about ruining my clothes because I forgot to check and see if I was spotty yet.
    Or if it's the last day, and spotting just a little, I can just leave it in, until I'm all done, and not have to worry.

    I've had mine since, what? The last part of last year sometime, I think. I have gone swimming, gone to the gymn, went to a bar and danced like a drunken maniac, chased my kids around the park, and etc, and never had a leak.

    community-manager


  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    And please disregard the pitiful state of my nails. I haven't been able to afford to get them done for two months, and I might just die soon! (Because yes, I am just THAT vain about my hands.)

    community-manager


  • jezebeldelilahjezebeldelilah
    Posts: 337Member
    Ok so I'm reading a lot about the cup and I would be willing to try this. The sea sponge tampons looked crazy and the pads just seem like a lot of work. I'm a tampon girl myself so this cup interests me. Thanks @Love your post was more helpful than any website I found. So one question..how do you sanitize it? How often and how long with a heavy flow would it need cleaned?

  • loveitloveit
    Posts: 1,738Member
    @love is that one u can use while having sex??? It looks big!
  • MommyFaceMommyFace
    Posts: 119Member
    I just don't think I could do it. I bleed heavily. For days. Mine last around two weeks... I bleed a trail from the shower, so I have to immediately put a pad back on. I mean, how do you handle getting it in right of you're bleeding really heavily?
  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    Thanks @Love your post was more helpful than any website I found. So one question..how do you sanitize it? How often and how long with a heavy flow would it need cleaned?



    Sanitize = just like you sanitize baby bottle nipples! Boiling water. 

    How often to dump = depends on how heavy your flow. Mine is pretty heavy, and I drink a lot of coffee, so I have to pee about once every hour, hour and a half, I dump every time. But I HAVE gone like 4-5 hours without dumping and didn't overflow. And on light days, I can go all day. It's medical grade silicon, too, so there is ZERO risk of TSS, like with tampons.

    How often to sanitize = personal preference. I dump every time I go to the bathroom. I wipe mine out with baby wipes. I rinse it out, after it's wiped out, after my shower at night. But I only sanitize with the boiling water at the end of each period cycle.

    community-manager


  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    loveit said:

    @love is that one u can use while having sex??? It looks big!



    ABSOLUTELY NOT. This is the MoonCup. You are thinking of the Instead Disposable Cups LOL I have HEARD that you CAN have sex with one of those Instead Cups in. I wouldn't. But I've heard you CAN.

    community-manager


  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    MommyFace said:

    I just don't think I could do it. I bleed heavily. For days. Mine last around two weeks... I bleed a trail from the shower, so I have to immediately put a pad back on. I mean, how do you handle getting it in right of you're bleeding really heavily?



    Silicone is a slippery BITCH when wet. It would be a hassle, I won't even try lie. I have that problem sometimes on heavy days. Not that getting it in or out is the problem, but accomplishing that while bleeding to death out of your vagina WILL mean that you get some on your hands, if your flow is that heavy.

    I've not met a cup yet than anyone should use, if the sight of blood bothers you, or if the thought of getting it on your hands would be a problem. It happens.

    community-manager


  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member

    Love said:

    loveit said:

    @love is that one u can use while having sex??? It looks big!



    ABSOLUTELY NOT. This is the MoonCup. You are thinking of the Instead Disposable Cups LOL I have HEARD that you CAN have sex with one of those Instead Cups in. I wouldn't. But I've heard you CAN.


    You are supposed to be able to have sex with the Instead cups but to me, it seems like it would be getting bumped around & you would end up with a bruised cervix/vaginal wall. I wouldn't try it but some do.
  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    chaosmom said:


    Love said:

    loveit said:

    @love is that one u can use while having sex??? It looks big!



    ABSOLUTELY NOT. This is the MoonCup. You are thinking of the Instead Disposable Cups LOL I have HEARD that you CAN have sex with one of those Instead Cups in. I wouldn't. But I've heard you CAN.


    You are supposed to be able to have sex with the Instead cups but to me, it seems like it would be getting bumped around & you would end up with a bruised cervix/vaginal wall. I wouldn't try it but some do.


    I think those ones are made of really REALLY thin stuff, like the thickness and flexibility of a condom...
    I THINK...

    community-manager


  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    @love, they have a thick ring that fits over your cervix but the middle part that holds the blood is super thin & flexible...think plastic bag flexible. The Instead cups & the Moon/Diva cups are also inserted differently (I think).
  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    chaosmom said:

    @love, they have a thick ring that fits over your cervix but the middle part that holds the blood is super thin & flexible...think plastic bag flexible. The Instead cups & the Moon/Diva cups are also inserted differently (I think).



    They DO go in differently! I forgot about that. I looked up a "How To" video for the Instead cup, I think I posted the link on that other thread, I posted the link somewhere up there LOL
    It goes in kind of sideways...

    community-manager


  • chaosmomchaosmom
    Posts: 3,846Member
    Love said:

    chaosmom said:

    @love, they have a thick ring that fits over your cervix but the middle part that holds the blood is super thin & flexible...think plastic bag flexible. The Instead cups & the Moon/Diva cups are also inserted differently (I think).



    They DO go in differently! I forgot about that. I looked up a "How To" video for the Instead cup, I think I posted the link on that other thread, I posted the link somewhere up there LOL
    It goes in kind of sideways...


    The Moon cups go straight up right? The Instead cups go in sideways & slide right over your cervix.
  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    If you want to get all technical about it, the vagina doesn't go straight up, it's at a slant LOL but yeah, I know what you mean! So yes, the Diva and Moon go straight up, and the Instead goes sideways. It's weird as hell how that works, to me!

    community-manager


  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    Here's the "How To" for Instead Soft Cups

    community-manager


  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    Here's one for Diva or Moon, there was no brand listed this video, but they work the same way

    community-manager


  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    HEAVY FLOW LADIES: Here is a video comparison

    community-manager


  • Charlotte_SometimesCharlotte_Sometimes
    Posts: 1,756Member
    @Love it looks big but it still looks like something I'd fill up in 30 minutes... :(   I don't know, I bleed like crazy for the first 2 or 3 days.  Like a murder scene in my bedroom, always, a trail of blood to the bathroom when I wake up at 3 am after having just changed at midnight, blood all over the damn toilet so I spend much of those first 2 days cleaning up my blood trails.  It's ridiculous but has always been that way.  I have no problem (obviously, no choice!) with getting messy hands to deal with it but I wonder if that would hold much?
    "But a lesson must be lived
    In order to be learned"

    Ani DiFranco, Manhole
  • LoveLove
    Posts: 12,757Administrator, Moderator
    Love said:

    HEAVY FLOW LADIES: Here is a video comparison




    @Charlotte_Sometimes ^^

    community-manager


  • GingersnapGingersnap
    Posts: 7,290Member
    I have a *very* heavy flow for the first few days (even my doctor commented on how heavy my flow is). Yes, I have to dump the cup frequently the first two days (at the worst, once an hour, but that doesn't last all day), but it is less frequent than with tampons and I have more comfort and less cramping with the cup than with tampons. A normal heavy flow first and second day, I need to dump the cup once every three hours. I have had leaks the morning after the first night, as I'm getting up, but I have to stress I have an abnormally heavy flow. This flow would have overwhelmed any tampon/pad combination. Trust me, I've been there. I have thin overnight pads I can wear in combination with the cup on the first night if I'm having crazy heavy flow. 

    I do like that I can safely start wearing my cup when I am expecting my period. I don't have to wait for the first gush (I hate wearing pads) and mess up my clothes. 

    Just so you know - tampons are not sterile. 
    image
  • MaDhAtMoMmYMaDhAtMoMmY
    Posts: 165Member
    I love the cup!!  I used to use tampons all the time, I hated wearing pads because that meant I had to wear regular underwear, no thanks.  Once I tried the cup I loved it.  I still use tampons on occasion, depending on my mood.  I only bleed for about 2 days when I menstrate but it tends to be super heavy on one of those days so the cup is nice since I don't have to change it quite as often as I would tampons....
    I ain't afraid to love a man, I ain't afraid to shoot him either! ~ Annie Oakley

    Would I rather be feared or loved? Ummm easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me. ~Micheal Scott
  • beambeam
    Posts: 1,060Member
    Thanks everyone for this thread - I believe I will give the cup a try (thanks for the photos) and I'm a heavy flow and can use up a maxi tampon (ouch) + maxi pad combo (crackle) in no time at all... and don't have any qualms of dumping, rinsing and blood stuff (oh how many bloody fingers fishing around for a bloody string, overflowing pad or inserting a tampon on a heavy day).
    "Magic things are fond of deceptions.” ― Tom Robbins
  • TottyCake
    Posts: 937Member
    I get crazy TSS,can't put in a tampon for a minute after DS7. I have mirena now but will be getting it out at some point to try for another little one before i have a mandatory hystorectemy at 30. I hate pads so I think I'll invest in this when it's time!
  • jezebeldelilahjezebeldelilah
    Posts: 337Member
    Yeah I'm convinced now. I am going to try it. I spend so much on tampons a month also I won't be "plugging" up the earth with even more waste. I'm now excited I will use my tampon money on one and let ya know how I feel about it. Diva or moon? Also sizing has ne nervous.
  • GingersnapGingersnap
    Posts: 7,290Member
    I don't think there's a big difference between the two. I have a Diva cup. I say get whichever you can find cheaper. Diva has two sizes: pre- and post- childbirth. 
    image
Add a Comment