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Public Service Announcement

Wednesday, 10 January 2007, 1:08 | Category : Meatspace Life
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(To any men or squeamish women in the audience…I am about to talk pretty extensively about menstruation. Proceed at your own risk.)

My apologies for the lack of knitting or blogging for the last few days – things have been hectic, and the few spare moments I get are devoted to panicking about the wedding (Dude, it’s been just over two weeks, and I’m already stressing about it like it’s in month. The men with the huggy coats are going to come to take me on a vacation before this is all over.) To keep you all apprised on the wedding situation – still no date, no plans, nothing set in stone. I promise when I know more, I’ll let you know.

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about today. Today, I’m going to talk to you about menstruation.

More specifically, the best thing to ever happen to menstruating women.

If you’ve seen this before, I apologize for telling you what you already know, but for those of you who have not yet experienced the glory, may I present to you…

The MoonCup.

This is the coolest thing ever.

Throw out your uncomfortable, leaky tampons. Throw out those horrendous pads that feel like diapers and get stuck to your pubes. You’ll never go back.

It’s better for you – it “does not interfere with your healthy vaginal environment”, and is not associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome. It’s better for the environment – no more filling up landfills with used tampons and pads. It’s comfortable, it can be left in for up to 8 hours, and it DOESN’T LEAK.

Yes, it does take a bit of an adjustment – placing it is tricky the first few times, and you have to be pretty cavalier about the sight of blood – but it’s fantastic.

For a bit of background – one of my friends (Hi, Mandy!) started using one years ago, and sang its praises to any girl who would listen. It sounded neat to me, but I could never get too enthusiastic about it. Finally, a couple of months ago, I decided to putter around the internet and see what I could find out about it. After doing my research and reading many rave reviews, I decided to give it a try.

I’m so glad I did.

I hope it goes without saying, but I have no vested interest in whether you try it or not – I just know that I have a mostly female audience, and I think this is the coolest thing since sliced bread. I’ve encountered very few women who’ve tried it and haven’t liked it.

If you’d rather purchase one from a US company (I went with the UK-based MooncCup because it’s what my friend uses) there’s the DivaCup, which is nearly indistinguishable from the MoonCup. There is also the Keeper, but I wouldn’t suggest it as it is made of latex and many people (including me) are allergic to latex.

Tomorrow…something NOT about menstruation.

19 Comments for “Public Service Announcement”

  1. 1Tina

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 1:31

    I don’t know how MoonCup is, but I used Instead (http://www.softcup.com/) for almost a year, and had nothing but leakage problems. I kept using it thinking maybe it was a user error and I would figure it out…no such luck. And that’s when my flow was SUPER light due to the birth control I was on. So I’m nervous to try a different “cup” type product.

    Maybe I’m oddly shaped, but I’ll stick with tampons. I’ve NEVER had a leakage problem with those (except when I had to access to replacements).

    Good to hear real people that had success with the cups, though – I always worry about reviews from strangers or on the company’s web site.

  2. 2claire

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 1:37

    Jumping out of lurk-dom to both congratulate you on the engagement and to join your chorus of Mooncup praises!

    I was sceptical at first, but last year, having landed a job on a boat, I didn’t fancy hauling 4 months worth of tampons to the antarctic… bad for the environment… took up valuable luggage space that could be filled with, wool, long underwear and socks! The mooncup was a stunning success.

    I now work for an ngo and not only do all my female colleagues have mooncups/divacups/keepers, they’ve set up a program to bring mooncups to India, Kenya and Brazil so that poor, single mothers can use them and not worry about buying menstrual supplies each month.

    Finally, (in a tiny political sidenote) in a lot of western countries-Canada for sure-tampons and pads are catagorized as ‘non-essential items’ and subject to sales tax. As much as I love the welfare state, I don’t want to contribute to it each month simply because of female biology. Using a mooncup is a beautifully subversive way of sticking it to the man, especially if you disagree strongly with current national leadership!

    Hope all is well with the beautiful fair isle!

  3. 3Carole

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 6:34

    This sounds intriguing. I used to use a diaphragm so I’m thinking the placement thing wouldn’t be an issue for me. I’m going to think on this.

  4. 4weeza

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 8:06

    I have a mooncup and I definitely prefer it to tampons (strangely tampons seem to make my cramps worse). I would say that you do need to be pretty familiar with your own body and have plenty of uninterrupted bathroom time the first few times you use it, and I recommend humming loudly so you don’t hear the squicking noises ;) and when it says in the instructions to use a little lubricant the first time, do use just a little or you end up pinging it across the bathroom and having to fish it out from behind the radiator. Ask me how I know.

  5. 5Chris

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 9:46

    Hmm, I can’t use a diaphragm because of um, angle issues, so I’m wondering if the MoonCup would be problematic for the same reason…

  6. 6Miriam

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 10:34

    Thanks for the link! I’ll look into it. Right now I’m just concerned that my period hasn’t even COME yet. Grr…. damn thing… this is the second time in a row that it’s been late. I wonder if it’s trying to shift to meet someone else’s. Dammit.

  7. 7Dorothy

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 10:52

    Does anyone remember Tassaway? I remember seeing ads for it before I was old enough to care, but then it disappeared. I was always curious about them though, they seemed like a good idea.

    This seems similar, although I assume that the Tassaway was disposable. I used to use my diaphragm effectively for the same purpose as this mooncup, but after having my kid that’s been ruled out. (“look at the size of his head!” the assistant midwife cried.) Nowadays, tampons — which never used to leak — always do. But fortunately pads are not horrendous anymore.

  8. 8karenology

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 12:00

    Is this difficult to get used to? This is coming from one who finds tampons uncomfortable (cue “dry wad of f**ing cotton” from the Vagina Monologues)

  9. 9Elisabeth

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 12:43

    Isn’t it great when you find one of those products that makes it easier to live a woman’s life?

    I tried Instead once, a disposable version of this sort of thing. It just would not fit in right. I tried and tried and I thought I would have it, but then it would start coming back out. It was awkward and even slightly painful. I’ve been wondering if this has something to do with having a tilted uterus and therefore my cervix is in a different place than most people’s (“I can’t find your cervix,” a womancare person said to me once). Perhaps I’ll ask about it at the next one of those appointments. Maybe I just need to try more.

  10. 10Missy

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 13:37

    I have been using the Diva Cup (Canadian brand, made from sillicone) for several years now, and I would never go back to pads or tampons. A menstrual cup is so much more convenient, and far better for the environment.

  11. 11Mouse

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 13:48

    Hmmm.. sounds very interesting! My body has a hatred of tampons and my cramps are 5 times worse when I use them.. so this is definitely going to be something I will consider! Thanks for sharing your findings..

  12. 12Plum Texan

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 14:59

    I too tried Instead when it first came out, with near-disastrous results in the comfort department. My, erm, equipment has been described as “small” (i.e. narrow) by medical professionals. But while I can’t look it up right now (I can read knitblogs from work, but fem prods are categorized as “sex”!!!), I think that some of the non-disposables come in different sizes – which might help some who have had problems. If I discover that I’m right, I’m thinking of trying one.

  13. 13weeza

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 19:36

    If it helps, I’m miniscule in the ladyparts department, can’t use non-applicator tampons (think ‘ship in bottle’), and have a non-standard-facing cervix, and I can still use the ‘small’ mooncup. Ok, overshare, back to work!!

  14. 14Chelsea

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 23:34

    Yay for menstrual cups! I’ve been using the Divacup for two and a half years now, and I love it every month. Good for the environment, great for getting to know your body better, and saves so much money! I ought to sit down and see how much I’ve saved since I got mine.

    Re above: Instead isn’t really constructed like the other cups (diva, moon, keeper) at all. Also, it’s not placed up near the cervix, so problems with a diaphragm aren’t necessarily going to cause problems with a cup.

  15. 15janna

    wrote on 10 January 2007 at 23:57

    I’ve wondered about these, but have never known anyone who used one (or if they did, it didn’t come up in conversation!). I’m intrigued – despite being Quite Old, I still require such products…..

  16. 16itgirl

    wrote on 11 January 2007 at 4:08

    I was able to use Instead. They just aren’t practical for my *ahem* flow.

  17. 17Mandy

    wrote on 11 January 2007 at 15:52

    Yippee!!! Isn’t it wonderful?!!

    To those who were asking questions… the main difference between Instead cups and the mooncup/other menstrual cups (besides Instead being disposable) is that while Instead is supposed to go waaay up by your cervix, the Mooncup is supposed to sit much closer to the bottom of the vagina. (One of the common early mistakes, which I made too, is to put it too far up – it then tends to leak a tad.) The Mooncup holds much more, too, and doesn’t tend to be affected by having a tilted uterus or the like. And while, yes, it definitely takes some getting used to… even the somewhat difficult first month I infinitely preferred it to tampons or pads. It’s best to just use a little KY or other lube around the rim at first (I still usually did the first day of, ahem, AF’s visit) and then… it’s as close as anything possible to actually forgetting you’re having your period. I *heart* Mooncup. :) Go to the website! Read about it! It rocks!

  18. 18Birdsong

    wrote on 12 January 2007 at 18:33

    Good job! More ecologically sound that the disposable “Instead” diaphragm thingies I have been using the past several years. I think the fit has something to do with having given birth to three children, at home, and not with meds, changing me permanently, but making them work well.

  19. 19ellie

    wrote on 16 January 2007 at 1:50

    Thanks for the link! I love my divacup, but hadn’t been using it with my regular person full time job b/c I thought you weren’t supposed to leave it in more than 8 hours and I wasn’t about to deal with it in a public restroom. The FAQ said 12 hours and had suggestions for the public restroom problem. Rock.