Mooncup Drama

[slemslempike]

Fnah. I've mislaid my mooncup instructions (another reason that I need to tidy my room this weekend), so in case anyone else is in the same boat, here is what I did.

1) Boil mooncup in pan of water

2) Approach toilet with trepidation

3) Insert mooncup

4) Stand up. Instantly realise that the mooncup is far too low, and the slight stabbing pain is probably not part of the intended experience.

5) Sit back down. Remove mooncup by playing tug of war until vagina gives up.

6) DROP MOONCUP INTO TOILET

7) Kneel down, retrieve mooncup from THE OTHER SIDE OF THE U-BEND

8) Try not to be sick at sight of accumulated toilet gunk stuck to moon-cup

9) Debate throwing mooncup away, renouncing feminism and possibly own body.

10) Clean mooncup. Boil mooncup.

11) Decide to put off all further attempts until find some kind of sterilising tablet.

Comments

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

12) Put huskyteer right off her tea.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

It was an unused toilet. And it may well end up an unused mooncup as well, since I'm not sure I can find anything sterilisy enough to satisfy my ick-factor.

[felinitykat]

You are a brave lady. I hope future usage is a) less ick, and b) more straightforward.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I knew I should have done a trial run before I had any pressure to get it in. Might do so away from any open holes in future.

[felinitykat]

I've got a mooncup now. God only knows why, as I bought one after reading your journal :o) Anyway, so far so good, apart from the mild hysteria I had when I first had to remove it and was convinced it was lost inside me forever ohmygodohmigod omg. Etc. Until I remembered about the 'bearing down' with your muscles thing.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Yes, once you've done it once, it's pretty easy, and much easier and cheaper than tampons. I'm really pleased with mine.

[felinitykat]

I neved used tampons before (or hardly ever) because I always found they made my cramps worse, and were also quite drying. The magical mooncup, however, presents neither of these problems. Yay.

[br0k3nsoul.livejournal.com]

Ew. That sucks. I've considered getting one of those, but I was always concerned it might be difficult to use...

...and now I know I was right. >.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

But! I will not let it beat me, and I fully anticipate that once I master it, it will be the best and most convenient thing since, uh, tampons.

[yiskah.livejournal.com]

Hee! Also, ew.

(I bought a Mooncup too. I am scared of it. The one time I did a practice run, it was all...suctiony coming out. Ewww.)

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Yes! It grips like it's a sex-starved brat who knows that it's the last chance it ever has of seeing a vagina! I've read that you're meant to kind of pinch it. Should I manage to get that far again, I will pinch like a lobster.

[glitzfrau.livejournal.com]

*HOWLS!*

This is all vastly entertaining, and Oh So True.

[chiasmata]

Comedy genius, that's what you are!

*is deeply, deeply amused* ...

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that something positive has come out of my trauma. *sniff*

[renarde.livejournal.com]

Am relieved to find that MoonCup use, contrary to what I have read, is not all ecological smugness and getting in touch with one's inner Goddess or whateverthehell. Am glad someone as humanly fallible as me is giving it a try.

More updates on progress please, and good luck with sterilising tablettage.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I think that Boots might have thingies for sterilising dentures. Sounds clean.

And I fully expect to become ecologically smug the very first time I successfully grapple with the mooncup. I will write poems on the beauty of my menstrual cycle and post them in all-bold without an lj-cut for your pleasure.

[hypatia.livejournal.com]

For what its worth menstrual cups like the mooncup are not new - they have been around at least as long as we have been making stuff from rubber. They also have a pretty good track record in terms of infection risk.

They can be boil sterilised quite safely but if you use chemical sterilisation then take care as to which sort. The type of sterilisation used on baby stuff and nappies tends to be fine but some of the more aggressive chlorine based agents may affect the material. A quick email to customer support should be able to tell you catagorically which is which. It is important to sterilize regularly in addition to normal cleaning (between periods is enough for regular cycles usually) to prevent biofilm and the like building up. Also theladiesloos has a fair few mooncup/similar users - some of whom I know are medically qualified so it may be a question to ask there too.

I think it is a good idea to practice when you are not bleeding - much as I learned to use tampons as a girl. I wouldn't give up on it though and not just for ecological reasons (although if you have every tried surfing in sea which has tampons floating in it...). If you ever have the kind of dysfunctional cycle which entails very heavy bleeding for weeks on end you will find yourself trying to double up tampons in conjunction with heavy duty pads just to leave the house - extended use of tampons in this way does cause soreness and problems. If you can use a menstrual cup you have something which outperforms any tampon without causing the problems and can make life more liveable. Since many women suffer from this to some degree at some point in their lives its a useful thing to have even if it doesn't become your main method.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for this - this is incredibly helpful. I intend to get one of the baby bottle sterilizing tablets in Boots today, as they're gentle enough for the teats, but clean enough to satisfy baby-people.

[alohomoron.livejournal.com]

Urgh! How awful. I wouldn't use one because I know full well that I'd do exactly what you did and also possily lose the tug of war with my vagina when removing it and it'd live/grow there, possibly feeding off my blood and turning into some sort of monster that'd scuttle off and live in the sewers after eventually making its escape.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I had that fear, but my panic-induced strength bested it.

[jeejeen.livejournal.com]

*runs out to buy mooncup*

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Hours of fun.

[paranoidkitten.livejournal.com]

*carefully notes for future reference*

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

Pay careful attention to steps 6-9!

[pisica.livejournal.com]

Okay, I am in the bmi lounge and using the free internet and laughing out loud and PRAYING that some suit-and-tie businessman is not at this moment looking over my shoulder...!

[debodacious.livejournal.com]

I, inspired by your example, bought a mooncup too. I managed my first period with it last week - I didn't drop it down the loo but every time I took it out (which was a lot) I worried about the suction prolapsing my uterus. I think my technique maybe needs a little work. It wasn't quite as leakproof as I had hoped and I found it tended to ride up with wear, but was easily as good as the alternatives. Plus it is supposed to last about 10 years so it should just about see me through to the menopause.I can hardly wait.

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I'm doing quite well with it now - but the removal is a little painful at times - I know just what you mean about the suction! There have been a few times when I had to tell myself sternly that of course it was going to come out, and no medical intervention would be necessary.