wal-mart here sells something like this, it reminded me of a cervical cap (kinda). i can't remember the name of it. i did try it, but i couldn't get the hang of it. i'm all for trying something new if it works!

thanks for the info

I did not say I was afraid of my own body. There's not strict enough guidelines for testing and approving some products and just because something is advertised as "new" or "better" doesn't always mean it's best for our health. Companies are out to make a huge profit, they're not always concerned with what's best for their customers just their pockets. I just think it's better to make sure something like this is truly safe before using it and maybe not being aware of certain risks.

Women have been using Keepers since the 1960s, - it's not 'new' it's just that women are squeamish and silly about putting something inside themselves. Women have been using diaphragms, cervical caps, sponges etc. for hundreds of years. What's safe about putting a bleached tampon inside your body?

The mooncup is cleaned by soap and water, you can sterilise with Milton fluid (or similar) once a month if you want to.

Wanted to correct my previous post - the Keeper was invented in the 1930s.

I got this information from www.menses.co.uk

Planet Friendly
The Keeper is manufactured from natural gum rubber. Rubber trees are tapped for their rubber, not chopped down as in the production of paper products. The Keeper does not pollute the enviroment every month with product and packaging disposal.

Safe to Use
The Keeper does not absorb or disrupt your natural vaginal acidity or moisture levels, or expose you to chemicals like bleach, glues, and absorbency gels.
The Keeper has not been associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome. The Keeper is accepted for sale by both the FDA (United States) and Health & Welfare (Canada)

Source: Women's Environmental Network campaign
We women spend an average 6.5 years of our lives bleeding. Most women in the world have no access to the luxury of disposable sanitary towels and tampons (sanpro) but the woman in the 'developed' world uses about 10,000 such items during her life.

Taboos about menstruation have led to expensive, wasteful, polluting sanitary products which bring with them unnecessary health and environmental problems.

Tampons and towels are NOT sterile, despite their glowing white appearance

Advantages

Can be worn up to twelve hours before emptying. Manufacturers recommend that tampons and pads be worn for no more than eight hours.
Contain no harmful substances (e.g. dioxin and bleach), unlike many commercial tampons and sanitary napkins.
Compared to sanitary napkins
Can be worn during sports such as swimming. Tampons can also be worn swimming.
Will not cause cystitis by transferring E. coli from the anus to the urethra or vagina, as long as proper hygiene is practiced.
Will not cause the warm, damp conditions around the vulva that favor bacterial growth.
Compared to tampons
Do not dry/scratch the vaginal walls or leave fibers behind.
Do not interfere with the vagina's natural sloughing off of dead cells.
Have never been linked to Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).
Can be inserted at any time of the month. This allows the user to practice inserting the cup or to insert the cup when they are expecting their period, instead of having to wait for it to begin.
After urination, leaves no wet string behind.

Toxic Shock Syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal illness which particularly affects younger women, is linked to tampons

It takes a tampon six months to biodegrade, a plastic sanitary towel liner lasts indefinitely

Millions of used tampons and sanitary towels find their way out to sea with the raw sewage - becoming fertile breeding grounds for bacteria such as Hepatitis A and polio

The plastic components litter our beaches, causing harm to coastal and aquatic life


An estimated 74% of tampon users flush rather than use a bin - around 25% of sanitary towel users flush

75% of blocked drains are caused by flushing sanitary protection

Dioxins released during chlorine bleaching and plastics manufacture have been shown to cause cancer, miscarriages and damage to the immune system

Hi Emma, thanks for the info. My SIL and I both ordered one. I do agree with you that many women (especially in the US) are kinda squeamish when confronting their own bodies, particularly the "sexual" parts. When I was pregnant with my son and again with my daughter, I used a perineal massage technique that resulted in not having to have an episiotomy and not tearing at all; but I was astounded at the number of women I met who would rather be cut and stitched than touch themselves "down there"!

I read once in an advertising journal that the reason soap manufacturors include those scrubby things with their liquid soap (again in the US) is that women weren't comfortable washing themselves with their bare hands!

Thanks for the support frostingfairy! I agree and think it's very very very sad. Men have no problems at all! Women are often treated like meat and their vagina treated like something that's a ticking time bomb of ill health - we have it scraped, prodded, dilated, swabbed etc. I don't feel disgusting and get very sad when some women obviously do. Good luck with the mooncup and please let me/us know how you get on!

Thanks Emma!
Without this thread, I may have never read about the way tampons are made. The dioxin and bleach are really scary to me.
And Frostingfairy, you are so right about the episiotomies. I think it doesn't help that there are a lot of very conservative doctors out there that do not promote/inform us about perineal massage.
As for the moonkeeper/divacup, I'll be ordering one this week.
Thanks!!!

wow, this is really interesting. I've never heard of it but have thought about something like this b eing possible. Thanks for the info. I don't know if I'll get one or not. I don't wear tampons, just pads because I don't like to put things in there. It's not that I am squeamish about my body but because...well, laziness maybe? lol I don't like to have to get all in positions and whatnot and now that I'm fatter, it's harder to do that type of thing

I'll definitely think about it though. I used to have a diaphram and it sounds like you must insert it in much the same way...?

A diaphragm is, in my experience, FAR more tricky to insert and uncomfortable to boot - if you can manage one of those then you'll certainly find a mooncup a doddle. The mooncup sits a lot lower than the diaphragm which makes it even easier to insert. In fact I had to stop using a diaphragm as I found it so uncomfortable. I'd be so pleased if more women used a mooncup, I'd feel that we were reclaining our bodies and rejecting all the chemicals in other sanitary 'protection' (what do we need protecting against I wonder?). Yay women!

I love my mooncup.

You insert it almost exactly like a tampon, it's far more comfortable (and removing it is far more comfortable) and it's a LOT cleaner. I used to struggle with leaking tampons, I hated having to hold the string out of the way when using the restroom, having to wear pads for protection, get up in the middle of the night, etc. It's perfect- I can sterilize it, I know no fiber is being left behind, and I just feel all around cleaner.

I think you should only consult a gynecologist AFTER you've tried and if it's uncomfortable/hurts. Same way you'd consult AFTER having painful sex, or AFTER inserting a tampon and finding them painful. Definitely don't continue usage of anything that hurts! This is approved by the FDA, there's nothing to be freaked out about unless you have a latex allergy (like me), and now they offer the silicone ones for that.

I just ordered the diva cup (but only because I liked the shorter stem)......they seem very similar in every other way...... if this works Emma is my hero, I never knew these existed!

The mooncup has a long stem but it is designed to be cut off to the length you're comfortable with - I have cut the stem off mine entirely.

Interested in Nikki B's comment about it being more comfortable to remove than a tampon - I have found it a bit uncomfortable to remove at times and wonder if I should get the next size down. Nikki - do you 'fold' your before removing it or are you pulling it out at it's full width? I haven't had a child yet but have bought the bigger size as I'm 31 and apparently women over 30 need the bigger size (how flattering...)

well on the diva cup website it said to order the larger one over 30 or if you have given birth either c-section or naturally..... since I had a c-section and am nearing the 30 mark, I ordered the larger one of the two........they said it had to do the vaginal walls relaxing (as they are muscles) and tend to do that after childbirth or just cause we get older.

Hmmmm, what about someone over 40 who does regular Kegel exercises? Which size?

LOL!!! If you have had a kiddo I would go with the larger just the same!

HeeHee! I've had 2! Thanks for the advice. I did actually order the larger one, but just wondered.

i'm a diva cup wearer and AVID supporter
simply because of the convenience!
last month was the 1st time i tried it & now i wont use anything else!

I tried to think of a less blunt way to ask this, but cant think of one...how do you get it out without sloshing blood all over the place?

I'm really intrigued by this. I'm not squeamish about touching my body at all, I use the NuvaRing birthcontrol every month, and that has to be inserted pretty much the same way as this thing. I'm just wondering how you'd get it out without making a huge mess!

it's not messy at all, it just releases and the angle at which you're holding it prevents a mess

lots of advice/directions in the insert too ie: for when you're in a public washroom etc.

also on line at www.divacup.com

I did once make a horrible mess when removing it - like a scene from psycho! Luckily I was very new to it all and removed it in the shower as I wasn't sure, I tipped it too much and it spilt - you actually only have to change it every 12 hours, if your flow can deal with that, so you can be in the privacy of your own bathroom in case of disaster! It hasn't happened to me since as I've got the hang of removing it - makes sense not to tip it on the way out!

what a lot of people dont realise about moon cups is that yes some are plastic-ISH.. mostly flexible silicone or latex i forget which so its SOFT... and most would empty it while sitting on the toilet much like removing a tampon (shrugs) just my guestimations since i dont use one but have been considering it.

I found another brand that is made in Finland:
http://www.lunette.fi/english_index.html

I found this Lunette brand on Wikipedia by accident. I was searching the website to find some information on Toxic Shock Syndrome and it listed the Keeper, Mooncup, Instead cups and the Lunette as alternatives to tampons.

We've had a very sad week here because a little 10 year old girl in my daughter's grade just died from it. I don't know the family, but have heard from other's that she was not menstrating yet and they're not sure how she got it. Please say a prayer for her family and friends. If you purchase a Lunette, Mooncup, Keeper or similar item, please spread the word and you just might save a life by preventing TSS from tampons.

I ordered a mooncup and am excited to try it. I heard about the Keeper years ago, but never ordered one because I thought it was too expensive at the time. I wish I would have done it, now. I've wasted so much money since then on other products. It would have paid for itself in no time. I've been using the Instead cups, but find them somewhat messy to empty and they leak for me occasionally. Hopefully this will be a much better alternative. Thanks for all the info.

Renae

I'm thrilled to see this post because I've been wanting to try the keeper forever, but I keep forgetting about it and when I do remember I couldn't remember the name of it LOL. I've been a tampon user my whole life because I was a swimmer. Literally as soon as my period started my mom handed me a box of tampons. Since having four kids OB tampons are the only ones I can wear that don't leak. But, I did cloth diapers for my kids and even did cloth menstrual pads for a while. That's another option for anyone afraid of the keeper. The cloth pads are actually quite comfortable, you just have to get used to washing them.

Just got mine today! Hard to believe I'm actually looking forward to my next period

I used to use washable cloth pads but I found they were hot and uncomfortable so I love my mooncup! And you don't have to remove them sitting on the toilet as they don't spill when you're removing them unless you tip them (like I did!)

Can't wait to hear people's stories of how they get on with them.

Just got mine (only the diva cup) today!! Should be able to try it out this week!