Comments | menstrual_cups: Need Advice!

amalicious4 in menstrual_cups

Need Advice!

Jan 13, 2014 17:20

I am 13, and I got my first period 4 days ago. I learned about menstrual cups in school about a month ago, and I was very interested, as all of my friends said periods were horrible. As I did more research, I was hooked onto it! Everyone said it was comfy and did the job better than anything else, as long as you got the right brand ( Read more... )

first time use, insertion - folding methods, lady cup, virginity, lunette, tampons, hymen, meluna - soft, sckoon, heavy blood flow, family & friends, iriscup, buying decisions, insertion, meluna, sckooncup

Comments 18

kuradi8 January 13 2014, 23:15:28 UTC

Since you're new to your period, don't rush into a cup purchase yet. Take your time to get to know how your body reacts. It will probably take a few cycles to stabilize. In the mean time, do a little self-exploration and read the guidelines at the Community FAQ. Figure out which cups you think will fit/suit you best. Just because you're young doesn't necessarily mean you have to get the tiniest one. In other words, don't be afraid of length if you think you'll need it ( ... )

amalicious4 January 13 2014, 23:18:36 UTC

My mom knows, and she is ok with it, as long as it is not TOO expensive (lunette price was like the limit)

kuradi8 January 13 2014, 23:41:05 UTC

Ah, good that your Mom is on board. There are over 30 (!!!) brands plus knock-offs now. Assuming you're in the US, a Lunette is about $40 with shipping so that puts it at the middle of the pack for price.

But don't let price determine what you'll get. Pick what you think will fit and suit you best. Length is probably most important. Shape (pointy, blunt, narrow, full, flared, not, etc) also plays a big role. Rim width is less important than you'd think. And stiff/squishy -- there are pros and cons to each.

There are many other cups with nearly identical dimensions to the Lunette that you like -- some cheaper, some not -- with slightly different shapes and other features. Compare them all.

The only cup we tend to discourage newbies from is the small Lady Cup. For very similar dimensions, there are other cups with higher capacities. And it has a reputation for being very slick and therefore hard to remove.

amalicious4 January 13 2014, 23:56:34 UTC

I'm not sure if my mom would let me get two cups, because one is pretty expensive anyway. Seems like my first/last cup has to be my goldilocks!
I was thinking of either the sckooncup or the lunette. I don't want something so stiff you can feel it, but I think leaking is a problem with softer cups, so lunette seems good, but many people recommend sckooncup. I think that I will have problems with insertion if the rim is too wide or the cup is too stiff. Anyone with both?
Also, the dimensions for the small sizes are similar (lunette is a bit bigger). How about the stiffness?
What about the fleurcup?
lol so many questions ;P

por_que_no January 14 2014, 00:01:29 UTC

Welcome! Like everyone said above, your cycle may change a lot in the first few months while your body finishes going through puberty. I was 12 1/2 at my first cycle and the first one was very light, then they became more moderate. I didn't try cups until last summer though (27!)--all those Hawaiian vacations would've been a lot more fun if I'd had a cup for the beach! So it's awesome that you've discovered cups now ( ... )

mallt January 14 2014, 01:04:23 UTC

Hi!
I'm one of those who has to cut the whole stem off... I use a small Lunette as it was about the only small cup you could buy at the time :)
I think you'll find it easier to insert the cup vs a tampon once you get the knack of keeping it folded... it's smooth side glide in more easily... but I am comparing it to a non-applicator style tampon.
My insertion method is using the origami fold (I found it the smallest & easiest to keep folded). I hold it folded with my middle finger (over the fold) & my thumb. I part my labia with one hand & insert with the fold facing down. I slide my finger in along side the cup to keep it closed. Once inserted I push my vagina wall away from the cup to give it room to open & provide an air channel so the cup can "inflate". A little pushing & wiggling of the cup gets it settled in place.
Hope that helps, good luck finding a cup that works for you.

amalicious4 January 14 2014, 01:21:14 UTC

Thanks for the folding tips!

amalicious4 January 14 2014, 01:22:10 UTC

Will use coconut oil (have some at home anyway). And also I will look into Si-Bell. Is it too soft though?

Thread 5

serpent_849 January 14 2014, 02:03:06 UTC

i'm a virgin, 10 years older than you though ;) cup user since i was 20.
i think those complicated leaks (without an obvious reason) have a lot to do with your shape/fitness, and as far as i can tell it's quite rare for young users to report them. the length makes zero difference for insertion, so i'd advice against those "virgin cups". the friend who introduced me to cups used a mcuk as a virgin, and that one has a HUGE rim. i got the small lunette first but my anatomy is very unusual (insanely low cervix) so already on my second cycle i was using the large ladycup, and it was fine.

the folds you listed are all great. you may find that not all of them suit your cup or anatomy, though. i have to let my cup open as soon as the rim is in, so i can't use anything but the C-fold and what I call the 9 fold. btw read about the softness, but don't be discouraged, i just compiled a list of nearly everything you can do. pretty much everyone who sticks with it long enough (and has no medical condition making it difficult) eventually learns to ( ... )

serpent_849 January 14 2014, 02:15:53 UTC

*some things might have been unclear. i think it's quite unlikely that a soft cup will leak. however, even the so-called stiff ones are still rather soft (are insteads sold where you live? ALL cups are softer than the rim of the insteads).

i agree about not reccing the ladycup. there are many similar cups that have a better capacity and aren't slippery. i think one of them should be a great option. those having similar dimensions to the small lunette or medium meluna (the name doesn't matter! honestly! i think it's much more common to use the tiny melunas for the light days only, not as the main cup. it should've been called XS, really. even the reseller contacted me to make sure i knew what i was getting).

as for tampons, they are quite different, i hope this is clear. in my case, one of the initial difficulties was learning to insert something that isn't my own finger. i've heard some tampon users need a mirror in the beginning :D so, that's basically the main thing you can learn from using tampons.

amalicious4 January 14 2014, 02:22:51 UTC

Thank you! What about the fleurcup and the sckooncup?

serpent_849 January 14 2014, 02:52:02 UTC

i don't know anything about the sckooncup :(
as for the fleurcup, look at the comparison pictures. it has a fairly unusual shape for example, so go with your gut feeling. does it *look* like it'll be comfortable?
the meluna also has a similar shape btw.

also note that i wasn't saying the lunette was a bad cup or anything. i was upset when i realized it didn't work for me, really. i'm more of an exception tbh. it's short, medium-stiff and has a surprising capacity ♥ but it's very individual really, there are no good cups or bad cups.

Thread 5

noteasy2begreen January 14 2014, 15:42:54 UTC

The small Lunette was my first cup, and I could probably have stopped there. It's a nice middle-of-the-road cup, medium length (but long stem), medium capacity, medium squishy. I didn't quite like the hoop shape of it, which pressed on my bladder, but when I use it now, I don't really get that discomfort anymore, so maybe it was a matter of getting used to having a cup inside. I will say that I prefer my small LadyCup, even though it's lower capacity and a bit slippery. The slimmer V-shape of the cup and the firm rim that pops open every time work really well for me. I prefer both the Lunette and the LadyCup to the small Fleur. Something about the super pronounced grips on the base of the cup and the U shape make getting the thing out rather painful. I suppose I could file down the grips, but...eh, I prefer V-shaped cups ( ... )