Janie Grace Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 NOBODY CLICK KUBIAC'S LINK!! Ugh, too late. GROSS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperstone Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I imagine at least one person poked in here due to the mysterious thread title and is a little surprised! I know that until very recently I would not think "my cup†related to periods even remotely . On the other thread- *Feminine Cups* I first thought it was about mugs with a female hourglass shape, lol!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperstone Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 NOBODY CLICK KUBIAC'S LINK!! Way, too curious now not too!!!! Here goes.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperstone Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Way, too curious now not too!!!! Here goes....Oh, I see how curiosity kills cats!!!! Get that image and words out of my mind!!!! Gross!!!! Yuk!!! What the heck????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Oh, I see how curiosity kills cats!!!! Get that image and words out of my mind!!!! Gross!!!! Yuk!!! What the heck????? This world would be a better place if people would just listen to me. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperstone Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 This world would be a better place if people would just listen to me. Yes... everyone listen to Slache... not worth it.... believe me! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Oh, I thought it was kind of cool! I'll never try, much as I love my garden :lol: But it was an interesting idea. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 If you *really want to get TMI, check this out: http://www.vice.com/read/i-fertilized-my-salad-with-period-blood-0000400-v21n8 Vice.com - I Fertilized My Salad With Period Blood I bought a $12-a-box 10-pack of Instead Softcups at the drugstore to try out the system. Even though those are still supposedly "disposable" I'm still using the first one. I put it in the dishwasher (TMI?!) at the end of my cycle to superclean it. Insert and remove in the shower when you are just starting out. I won't go back to tampons. (Hurk.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Softcups are different beast altogether. Not. soft. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrygal Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 So, can anyone explain to me how you get it out with out spilling it and avoiding the situation: "oops, it ran all over my hand and on my pants." That's the only thing keeping me from trying it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 And I'd like to know if it can hold it's own or if it needs backup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 So, can anyone explain to me how you get it out with out spilling it and avoiding the situation: "oops, it ran all over my hand and on my pants." That's the only thing keeping me from trying it. It has never been a problem for me. Is it a totally spotless procedure? No, but not a 'it ran all over my hand' type thing either. you do have to touch it with your fingers to pull it out, kwim? I always empty it on the toilet. I just sit on the toilet, remove it and spill it, towards the back, into the toilet as I pull it out. Done. I mean, I guess if I sneezed at the exact moment I pulled it out things could get messy, but that seems fairly unlikely. And I am a fairly clumsy person who often has stupid things happen. If a 'I just spilled it everywhere' moment was going to happen to anyone, it would be me. Trust me. I am the person who once managed to drop my full urine sample in the doctor's bathroom. I did a big bobble and manages to splash it everywhere. And even I have not had any major accidents or spills with my cup. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 It has never been a problem for me. Is it a totally spotless procedure? No, but not a 'it ran all over my hand' type thing either. you do have to touch it with your fingers to pull it out, kwim? I always empty it on the toilet. I just sit on the toilet, remove it and spill it, towards the back, into the toilet as I pull it out. Done. I mean, I guess if I sneezed at the exact moment I pulled it out things could get messy, but that seems fairly unlikely. And I am a fairly clumsy person who often has stupid things happen. If a 'I just spilled it everywhere' moment was going to happen to anyone, it would be me. Trust me. I am the person who once managed to drop my full urine sample in the doctor's bathroom. I did a big bobble and manages to splash it everywhere. And even I have not had any major accidents or spills with my cup. This. I actually don't even rinse it anymore; I just dump and reinsert. I mean, it's getting messy again anyway! The only time I need to rinse is if I'm not bleeding heavily anymore. Then it can sometimes be tricky to get a good seal, and I need to rinse in hot water to clear out the little holes that let air flow through for that purpose. (They're minuscule and don't leak.) I've found that I'm more likely to make a mess or have errant drips when I do try to rinse. Again, it's not a mess-free procedure. You do have to have a fair amount of comfort with your body and its...ahem...excretions in order to use a menstrual cup. But I've never had a major incident with mine either. Although I do think someone here (I can't recall who off the top of my head) was in the process of emptying in a public restroom and dropped her full cup on the floor, where it splattered and rolled into the next stall :svengo: So, you know, as with anything in life, accidents do happen. I have been known to use a tampon if I'm really not sure what I'll be facing, public-restroom-wise! Honestly, though, I've been using my Diva cup since I got my period back after I had DD12 (14 glorious months, baby!), and I still love mine. ETA: Since we're speaking frankly, I'll offer one more tip from my long years of use. For a long time I thought I wasn't getting a good seal and was leaking some, and I could NOT figure out why. It drove me crazy. Then I realized that what I thought was leaking was just residual fluid from the emptying procedure. I found that if, after I reinserted, I kind of wrapped some TP around my pointer finger and gave a swipe around the base of the cup and inside the lower portion of my vagina, I had no more problems. So if you feel like minor leakage is making you nuts, try that and see if it helps. Sometimes there's more to clean up than others (obviously), but it's an important step in the process for me. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 So, can anyone explain to me how you get it out with out spilling it and avoiding the situation: "oops, it ran all over my hand and on my pants." That's the only thing keeping me from trying it. I've wondered about this too, which is why I'm tempted to try this one: http://femmycycle.com I also think that loop would be easier to grip than a stem. Has anyone tried this one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Am I the only person who could see that the "blood" in the picture was actually some kind of watery dye? Besides, how can people who have had children be so easily grossed out? Anyway, commercial plant fertilizer is much yuckier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I've wondered about this too, which is why I'm tempted to try this one: http://femmycycle.com I also think that loop would be easier to grip than a stem. Has anyone tried this one? I haven't tried it but that loop looks very uncomfortable to me. Do they address that? (I didn't watch the video or read the materials). Some people think the stem is uncomfortable and end up cutting it off and that's a lot smaller than that loop. It's really not messy, really. No messier than a full tampon that you have to wrap up and put in the trash. Really. (None of you non-cup users actually flush your tampons, right?!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 So, can anyone explain to me how you get it out with out spilling it and avoiding the situation: "oops, it ran all over my hand and on my pants." That's the only thing keeping me from trying it. There's a bit of TMI here, so I'm white-texting it. Highlight to read. It takes skill. It takes practice. It takes skill AND practice. I'll tell you, I've never in my life, no matter what sort of protection I was using, managed to avoid getting blood on my hand the first couple of days. It's easier now, because most of it is contained in the cup instead of waiting to gush out as soon as I pull down my pants. So it leaks a little onto my hand. So what? It's just blood, not any different than if I'd cut myself or gotten a nosebleed. If I'm in my own bathroom I wash my hands with my cup before re-inserting. If I'm in a public bathroom with stalls, I bring a damp paper towel in and wipe my hand a little before leaving. There's not nearly enough blood flow to drip onto my pants from my hand, though. That'd be... a lot. And I'd like to know if it can hold it's own or if it needs backup. More TMI here, again, highlight to read. I doubt any of you really is that squeamish, after all, we're all adults, but just in case.... Depends on how heavy your flow is, and how much capacity your cup has. I have a very heavy flow the first couple of days, coupled with a fairly low cervix. For me, those first few days, I have to empty the cup every hour or so, and I always have a cloth pad on. The rest of the week, no issues, don't need a pad (although I usually keep it on just in case). But here's the thing. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that I absolutely had to wake up in the middle of the night if I didn't want bloody sheets in the morning. Sometimes I still oversleep. Back before I used the cup, if I overslept, I'd have to spend time cleaning up the, um, pathway from my bedroom to the bathroom. Now? Okay, it leaks a little, and I'll probably have to wash my undies, but it's not gushing out. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 (None of you non-cup users actually flush your tampons, right?!) I certainly hope not! That's extremely bad for your pipes, and ultimately bad for the sewage system. Tampons are a huge component of fatbergs. (Really, if you have a sensitive stomach, don't click and do NOT google it.) Oil and grease should never go down your drain, and nothing should ever go down your toilet pipe than stuff that came out of your body and toilet paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Am I the only person who could see that the "blood" in the picture was actually some kind of watery dye? Besides, how can people who have had children be so easily grossed out? Anyway, commercial plant fertilizer is much yuckier. Of course it was dye, it was a photo opp, but the idea of actually doing it is what's so icky. And yes, I've had kids (I'm assuming you mean the act required to have children) an yes it's absolutely disgusting, but it's different and we don't think about that part of it. To consciously think "Oh! My period! Noms." is not normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 NOBODY CLICK KUBIAC'S LINK!! Not only am I not clicking......the description alone makes me gag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I haven't tried it but that loop looks very uncomfortable to me. Do they address that? (I didn't watch the video or read the materials). Some people think the stem is uncomfortable and end up cutting it off and that's a lot smaller than that loop. No, they did not address that, so I appreciate the warning! I never thought about the stem being uncomfortable, I only wondered if it might be hard to grip. Thanks for mentioning this! It's really not messy, really. No messier than a full tampon that you have to wrap up and put in the trash. Really. (None of you non-cup users actually flush your tampons, right?!) Alright, good to know! I'm still a little overwhelmed by all the choices, so if you have any advice for me in choosing the right brand and size, that would be helpful. I'm 41, I've had one child. My flow is heavy the first day (it's so heavy that I have a prescription medication to address that problem), but once my medication has kicked in, it's actually very light after that. So I think (??) it makes more sense to get a size that would accommodate all of those days of light flow, and just change it more often on that one day of heavy flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I used to have the Diva. But no matter how short I cut the stem, it still bothered me. I just bought the Lunette. I tried it without my period, and seems more comfortable then the Diva Cup. Wondering though, have any of you had a problem with say, sneezing/coughing and having this "push out"? And how do all of you clean yours? I have the cup wipes and the wash. Wipes will come in handy if in a public restroom, but when you are done with your cycle, do you just wash this with hot water and the wash? And do you do that again before using it? If you do not have the specific wash, can you just use something like an unscented feminine wash? I don't have any idea what they mean when they say to buy some kind of specific soap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I removed the entire stem on my Diva with hours of starting to use it. I've never needed it, and if I pull on the cup without breaking the suction first, I'm in a world of pain! I use my thumb to press the side of the cup in and break the seal, then keep it half folded and remove downward. A loop wouldn't help me at all, FWIW. I used to have the Diva. But no matter how short I cut the stem, it still bothered me. I just bought the Lunette. I tried it without my period, and seems more comfortable then the Diva Cup. Wondering though, have any of you had a problem with say, sneezing/coughing and having this "push out"? And how do all of you clean yours? I have the cup wipes and the wash. Wipes will come in handy if in a public restroom, but when you are done with your cycle, do you just wash this with hot water and the wash? And do you do that again before using it? If you do not have the specific wash, can you just use something like an unscented feminine wash? I don't have any idea what they mean when they say to buy some kind of specific soap. The only time the "push out" problem happens for me is on my heaviest days, when the cup is very full. Then the the continual flow tends to push it downward very easily. Although, actually, I've never had it go all the way out--only halfway, in a very "must get to the bathroom NOW!" moment :lol: I don't clean when I empty, I just dump and reinsert. As I mentioned above, I can't imagine why it would need to be cleaned after emptying, except to clean the tiny holes to allow for some air flow, and I don't think the wipes will work for that (though I have never tried). I always need hot water for that, but it's rare that it's a problem. After the end of my cycle, I scrub with soap and hot water and boil, then store, then I boil it again before I use it when my period starts again. I occasionally skip the boiling post-period, but I always boil before I insert before my next period. I wash with Dr. Bronner's lavender liquid soap, which is what we use for hand soap in the bathroom and what we use for body soap in the shower. I've never had a problem. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I've wondered about this too, which is why I'm tempted to try this one: http://femmycycle.com I also think that loop would be easier to grip than a stem. Has anyone tried this one? Wow, that loop is large! I think I would be able to feel that and it would bug me. I also could feel my stem no matter how short I cut it, until I read that many women just cut it completely off. I did that, and my problem was solved. But everyone is built differently, so it must work for some! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer67 Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I removed the entire stem on my Diva with hours of starting to use it. I've never needed it, and if I pull on the cup without breaking the suction first, I'm in a world of pain! I use my thumb to press the side of the cup in and break the seal, then keep it half folded and remove downward. A loop wouldn't help me at all, FWIW. The only time the "push out" problem happens for me is on my heaviest days, when the cup is very full. Then the the continual flow tends to push it downward very easily. Although, actually, I've never had it go all the way out--only halfway, in a very "must get to the bathroom NOW!" moment :lol: I don't clean when I empty, I just dump and reinsert. As I mentioned above, I can't imagine why it would need to be cleaned after emptying, except to clean the tiny holes to allow for some air flow, and I don't think the wipes will work for that (though I have never tried). I always need hot water for that, but it's rare that it's a problem. After the end of my cycle, I scrub with soap and hot water and boil, then store, then I boil it again before I use it when my period starts again. I occasionally skip the boiling post-period, but I always boil before I insert before my next period. I wash with Dr. Bronner's lavender liquid soap, which is what we use for hand soap in the bathroom and what we use for body soap in the shower. I've never had a problem. How long do you boil it for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Diva user here-I cut the stem off and flip it inside out. Works like a dream! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 How long do you boil it for? At least a few minutes at a good rolling boil, but usually longer, because I get it going while I'm doing other things in the kitchen (cleaning up or loading the dishwasher or clearing the table or whatever). You just have to be careful you don't walk away for too long--if the water boils out the cup can scorch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I just use soap and warm water. I boiled it when I got it because the instructions I got told me to do that the first time. After that I just never bothered. I do wash it with soap and water before I use it, at least once a day while I use it and before I put it away. I had to cut the tap off my keeper b/c it was hurting me. It made all the difference. I've never had a problem getting it out or anything. I also find it uncomfortable at the tail end of my period. I don't notice it at all for 90% of my period and then suddenly it gets very uncomfortable and I need to take it out. It is always at the very end and my flow is super light. I've never had it budge or come out unless I wanted it to. I have done african dance performances with lots of jumping and kicking and moving about while wearing my cup and it did not budge. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I cut the stem off of my DIVA too. I don't know how you would actually grip the stem to pull it out. I reach in and pinch slightly until the suction breaks then it pulls out easily. This only causes any spillage if the cup is at overflow fullness. I try not to let it get that full, but on my heaviest days, it sometimes does. I especially try to make sure it isn't in this state if I am not in my own bathroom. I do wash mine before I reinsert it. I find washing it removes any blood traces which are slippery and make it harder to handle. If I'm in a stall, I just reinsert, no big deal when necessary, just not my preferred method. I can reach the sink in my master bath while sitting on the toilet which is handy. If that weren't the case I probably wouldn't bother. With the exception of overflow times, I can remove, empty and reinsert the cup with no more than a tiny stain of blood on my fingers. I'll just wipe them on tp in a public restroom, but there usually isn't enough that anything will wipe off. Nothing that will get on clothes. At times when my period is super heavy, it would have been everywhere with pads too, all down my legs on my cloths, my hands. When you have super heavy flow, mess is part of it. The cup is the least mess by far of any option I am aware of. On normal days, periods aren't very messy using any method and again, the cup is low on the mess scale here too. I don't know of anything that is less messy at any flow rate than my cup. It does have the handling yuck factor, but really it is very tidy once you get used to it. Like I said above, I do use backup with mine. Always. Heavy flow, a maxi. Light flow, a liner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Do you boil it in a pan dedicated to only that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 Do you boil it in a pan dedicated to only that? Yep, I have a little pot I picked up at the thrift store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganCupcake Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 And how do all of you clean yours? I have the cup wipes and the wash. Wipes will come in handy if in a public restroom, but when you are done with your cycle, do you just wash this with hot water and the wash? And do you do that again before using it? If you do not have the specific wash, can you just use something like an unscented feminine wash? I don't have any idea what they mean when they say to buy some kind of specific soap. I just wash mine with Dr. Bronner's that we use for hand soap. I don't boil. I don't boil anything else that goes in my vagina, so I can't think why I'd need to boil a menstrual cup. Maybe if one were prone to yeast infections? I am not sure. Tampons are not sterile--they are just white. At least a few minutes at a good rolling boil, but usually longer, because I get it going while I'm doing other things in the kitchen (cleaning up or loading the dishwasher or clearing the table or whatever). You just have to be careful you don't walk away for too long--if the water boils out the cup can scorch. I have more than one friend who has melted her menstrual cup by accidentally boiling away the water! As for the stem, I think years ago the information that came with my Keeper said you shouldn't be pulling on the stem; it was just to help maneuver the cup a little bit, but not to actually remove. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I clean mine with the hand soap by the bathroom sink and water. Nothing else. I'd really never considered boiling it. Somehow the idea of it being in my kitchen pans, just no, and my ds finding it boiling in the kitchen :svengo: . :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xixstar Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 The idea of clear squicks me out. I went with rose. Hopefully it won't stain, but if it does it will be less noticeable. Lol - After many years use of the keeper, I bought a mooncup (clear) and in just one month is was clearly going to stain a lot. I bought another keeper because the color didn't bother me. The mooncup was also a little too flexible, perhaps, because it had a stronger suction seal that was hard to break and often uncomfortable to remove. Been a happy cup user for 10 years now, wish I'd switched years earlier when I first learned about it. And now, so many options! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I clean mine with the hand soap by the bathroom sink and water. Nothing else. I'd really never considered boiling it. Somehow the idea of it being in my kitchen pans, just no, and my ds finding it boiling in the kitchen :svengo: . :lol: Same. I just wash it and then invert over the Bayer aspirin bottle lid to dry. Wonder what my kids think it is? :D 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go_go_gadget Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I clean my Diva cup with hand soap and water at the end of my period, and then soak it in an old almond butter jar with a 1:6(ish) ratio of hydrogen peroxide to water for a day (or week, depending on when I remember it), to keep it from staining. It looks like it did the the day I bought it, ten years ago. I've never boiled it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 TMI Funny story about the blood spilling issue... The day we closed on this house my period showed up early... We had all the bathroom stuff packed and in a moving truck, along with all of my clothes. I did have my diva cup in the cloth bag in my purse though, so I just used that. I don't know if it was the stress or what, but my period got very heavy and painful an hour or two after starting... not typical for me. I started to feel like the cup was heavy and in the wrong place, so I went to empty it, not realizing the toilet seat in that particular bathroom was broken. I went to pull the cup out and the seat simultaneously slipped very quickly, slingshotting the full cup across the room. It splashed all over the wall, the floor, the shower curtain I'd just hung, and landed on the nasty dusty bathroom floor that I hadn't bleached yet. And splashed all over my clothes on the way. I sobbed. I had nothing to change into. My mother was there helping that day, and when I went out to a bewildered DH, sobbing and bloody, she volunteered to go to the store and fix everything. She got disposable products, a new package of underwear, some hideous Walmart yoga pants, a bottle of bleach and a huge bottle of Alieve. I've never been so grateful to have my mommy there as an adult. And yes, I definitely boiled the cup after that. And stopped using it for a good six months. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 It really isn't necessary to boil it. And why would it need it's own pot, lol? I guess some people might have a pot just for cooking chicken or something...because I can promise you that raw chicken is more dangerous than a menstrual cup. Toilet paper isn't sterilized and neither are tampons or pads. Do you boil them? I don't want to start a debate or anything, but I hate to see people doing unnecessary work when they could be doing more important things..like eating cookies or something, lol. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
school17777 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I ordered a cup earlier this afternoon based on this conversation. Glad to hear that boiling isn't a necessary step. If it was, I'd have to have a separate pot- I think I'd throw up if I ate something cooked in the same pot that your cup is boiled in. I hope everyone coming to the southern pa meet-up feels the same! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I certainly hope not! That's extremely bad for your pipes, and ultimately bad for the sewage system. Tampons are a huge component of fatbergs. (Really, if you have a sensitive stomach, don't click and do NOT google it.) Oil and grease should never go down your drain, and nothing should ever go down your toilet pipe than stuff that came out of your body and toilet paper. I have absolutely always flushed tampons. I have a septic tank and have never had any problem. I could not think what else to do with them. I hemorrhage majorly- like change tampon every 15 minutes and still have overflow. I also don't have rubbish pick up, and DH insists on not going to the rubbish tip until the rubbish trailer is completely full - like ever 4 months. I flush. I have not tried cups as I am unsure how they would go with super heavy with major blood clots kind of flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 It really isn't necessary to boil it. And why would it need it's own pot, lol? I guess some people might have a pot just for cooking chicken or something...because I can promise you that raw chicken is more dangerous than a menstrual cup. Toilet paper isn't sterilized and neither are tampons or pads. Do you boil them? I don't want to start a debate or anything, but I hate to see people doing unnecessary work when they could be doing more important things..like eating cookies or something, lol. I was under the impression that tampons are sterilized. that is why you have to be so careful how you unwrap them had hold them, so to not contaminate them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperstone Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 If you *really want to get TMI, check this out: http://www.vice.com/read/i-fertilized-my-salad-with-period-blood-0000400-v21n8 Vice.com - I Fertilized My Salad With Period Blood I bought a $12-a-box 10-pack of Instead Softcups at the drugstore to try out the system. Even though those are still supposedly "disposable" I'm still using the first one. I put it in the dishwasher (TMI?!) at the end of my cycle to superclean it. Insert and remove in the shower when you are just starting out. I won't go back to tampons. Man, everytime I see that salad thread on WTM I think about this image on the above link!!!! Will I ever be able to eat salads again without thinking about how it's fertilized???!!!! I know, have myself to blame only. ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I was under the impression that tampons are sterilized. that is why you have to be so careful how you unwrap them had hold them, so to not contaminate them. Nope, not sterile. And you don't have to be careful- think about the brands without applicators. It's an open, moist, dark area of the body. Infection is mostly controlled by keeping the acid balance high. You don't want to purposefully introduce infection, of course, but infection is unlikely if you accidentally expose yourself to something. The main reason to be careful is to not get blood on you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 If you are currently having TeA, it makes no sense to worry about an unboiled cup, kwim? Pretty sure most of our DH's are unboiled. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I was under the impression that tampons are sterilized. that is why you have to be so careful how you unwrap them had hold them, so to not contaminate them. Oh no, nothing of the sort. And I don't know where you got the idea that you have to be careful how you unwrap and hold them either. Is that what it says on the tampon box where you live? Most tampons have been bleached, but that doesn't make them sterile, it just makes them white. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I have absolutely always flushed tampons. I have a septic tank and have never had any problem. I could not think what else to do with them. I hemorrhage majorly- like change tampon every 15 minutes and still have overflow. I also don't have rubbish pick up, and DH insists on not going to the rubbish tip until the rubbish trailer is completely full - like ever 4 months. I flush. I have not tried cups as I am unsure how they would go with super heavy with major blood clots kind of flow. Honestly, I think they are bigger benefit to those of us with heavy flows. I am like you. An extreme heavy flow. People at work noticing how often I go to the bathroom frequency. Bleed myself anemic if I don't take iron while bleeding. A male doctor once expressed disbelief when I said how much I bled. Look at a photo of a cup and try to imagine how much blood it holds. Now imagine a tampon. It isn't going to be able to soak up even 10% of the same volume. Mostly it just temporarily plugs the flow. Until it doesn't. Some people have mentioned changing it twice a day. You won't be able to do that. But, you will be able to extend your bathroom trips to every 2-3 hours. and one change while sleeping. But, for me, that is my pee schedule, so it isn't a problem. My leakage is nothing compared to what it used to be. Pre-cup that area was a disaster zone. The only time it was clean was for about a half hour after a shower. Now the area stays clean! It seems to keep its seal even when filled beyond capacity. In fact, I tend to sit on the toilet for a bit extra when it was very full and some more blood seems to come out. Note, I only use the cup for two nights and one day. There seems to be a limit on the number of changes my insides can handle without getting tender and unhappy. But, the good news is that takes care of my heavy days. With tampons, I had about 8 days of heavy bleeding. Now, my heavy bleeding is limited to that 36 hours, and I just wear a panty liner the rest of the time. My theory is that tampons cause a back-up and make the period of heavy bleeders longer. Sometimes after going without the cup for 24 hours, I can then use it again. Usually the period is slow enough that I only change about once a day. But, usually I want to know when I stop bleeding. We moved in December, and I couldn't find the cup for January period. I was miserable! I am extremely frugal, but I gave serious consideration to buying another. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 It's true that DHs typically don't sterilize their bits and tampons are not sterile. But tampons are single-use products that remain in the vagina for a several hours (or overnight) at most, and most DHs probably wash their bits on a daily basis, and the amount of time those bits remain in your vagina is also limited. When I wash my cup, no matter how hard I try, I can't get those little holes cleaned out, and I've even found that there's residue that's hard to wash off that gathers around the printing on the cup. Given that it spends at least five days in a warm, dark, moist, nutrient rich place, and then it lives in my dark cabinet for three weeks, and then it gets used again, I feel more comfortable if I give it a boil before I re-use it. I also personally don't care what pot it gets boiled in, but DH does (a lot!), so I bought a separate pot for it. And I boil it at night after everyone has gone to bed, so no one ever sees. Although I have daughters, so I wouldn't mind so much if they see. I'm hoping they'll be comfortable enough to use a cup eventually, so I'm trying to model general comfort around the whole thing anyway. It's DH who just doesn't want to know :lol: ETA: I like the idea of a hydrogen peroxide soak though! I may try that next time around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I think the suction created by a cup increases the volume of flow at once, decreases the time the blood has inside you to clot, and then shortens your period and makes cramping lessen by limiting clotting. I've found scrubbing a diva cup in a little hot water will get rid of residue around the lettering, but I admit I have had to take a diaper pin or a toothpick to get the dried blood out of the holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Oh no, nothing of the sort. And I don't know where you got the idea that you have to be careful how you unwrap and hold them either. Is that what it says on the tampon box where you live? Most tampons have been bleached, but that doesn't make them sterile, it just makes them white. yes it does give instructions on how to unwrap, hold, limiting touching. I have never used an applicator they are about double the price and by looking on the shelf in the shops, I think the applicator version are rarely used over here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 yes it does give instructions on how to unwrap, hold, limiting touching. That's remarkable. (Indeed, here I am remarking on it.) I just googled tampon instructions, and none of them in the US say to limit touching, though they do advise you to wash your hands first. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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