Pocket PMF
Menstrual Cups
6 years ago by
This week we’re talking about taking care of business during that time of the month. Garance gets into the intimate details with Tori, Natalie and Carie about how they manage their periods and what works best for them. Natalie and Carie do their best to convince Garance and Tori of the perks of using the Diva Cup. We realize we don’t know enough about our bodies, Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) and there is always more to learn. For Natalie and Carie’s favorite source on the menstrual cup, check this out!
[podcast_episode episode=”260427″ ]
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Pocket PMF Quarantine Edition
Hi girls, thank you for this podcast! I tried using it as well but without success. What’s the youtube girls’ name you talked about? Cheers!
Hi Annika – This is the link to YouTube source we love! x Carie
Perfect timing! I am new to the cup and I am presently wearing it and not sure if it is in correctly. I never considered rubbing my fingers around it to ensure its open.
I love the cup (second month in), it’s not that hard to use even though I am sitting here typing and wondering if it opened up. Less impact on the environment and I definitely feel like this is better for my body. Thank you ladies for talking about this so openly. And the $$$ savings, make me so happy.
Yeah! Do a little loop around the outside edge with your finger. If you’re not leaking, it’s probably in correctly, too. So glad you like it! I feel like a spokesperson but I’m very much not. xx
Toxic Shock CAN happen with a cup. Even Mooncup talk about it on its website.
It is very rare but can be fatal. The symptoms are the ones of the flu (or a severe infection) : high fever, vomiting, dizziness, fainting.
If you like pads, use the THINX panties : as a back up for heavy days with cup or by themselves for lighter days or for night. It works well and NO odor !
You know you have to change when you don’t feel dry anymore (and then you should change them which is not really cool if you are not home). You wash it on cold water after taking them off by hands +light soap. can go to the washing machine too (if you do one the same day)
Thanks for this podcast (and all the others)! I’d heard about cups but hadn’t thought using them just out of pure laziness (duh). So tomorrow I’m gonna head to the drug store and get started haha. Also, I loved how openly you talked about the subject. Your laughter was infectious!
Good luck! Let us know how you like it. We obviously love talking about it – haha! x
I always used pads! I hear a lot of people talking about the cup but… I don’t have the guts to use it. I don’t know, I’m a bit affraid to use uncorrectly. But finally I heard a person talking about how her period is changing! I been feeling that for over an year. I use birth control and my flow is different all of the time. One month is super heavy, and in the other super light. Sometimes I feel some pain, others I don’t feel a thing! My doctor told me exactly the same: it’s normal! But we’ll see!
Love this open talks! It’s so difficult to find people taking about mestruation, sex… anything about that themes related to women! *
http://fine-alchemy.blogspot.com
Nothing to be scared of! I promise. It’s actually kind of fun / funny figuring it out the first couple of times. But once you get it down, it’s incredible. Our bodies are cool!
I LOVE my Diva Cup I started using two years ago. I only used pads from 6th grade through my mid twenties (out of fear of tampons), and will now borrow a tampon on the rare occasion I wasn’t prepared to start. Pros: way less plastic in our landfills and oceans, you’re saving a lot of money, and it doesn’t dry you out near the end of your period! Geranium essential oil on your lower abdomen is also a life saver for pain relief and hormonal balance.
Yes!!! Totally going to try Geranium. Thank you! xo
I tried the cup and I hated it. How do you know when it’s full? How do you take it out and WASH IT and YOUR HANDS in a public restroom? I mean… it was gruesome. I used it for two days and home and was not comfy. I’m super into pads…. I know. I look on the plus side: it gives me a chance to wear baggier pants or skirts because I can’t risk a vpl. Plus, I like feeling my flow. Gross? Maybe. But less gross than my experience with the cup.
I will add some Kumbaya spirit: to each her own. If the cup works for you, go for it. If you’re in my camp, though, welcome.
P.S. Since I don’t know when I’ll have a better seque, I was texting a pal about my period and when I mistyped “menstryation” my phone offered NO suggestions. I was 1 letter away and they couldn’t autocorrect. “No replacements found.” Come on. ;)
I’m sorry it didn’t work for you! Honestly, you get to know how full it is based on the day / your flow. It does take a little bit of adjusting, but worst case, you feel a little spillage and know it’s time to empty it. I don’t wash it in a public restroom! Just wipe down with toilet paper and then wash my hands. Takes a little getting used to but for me, the benefits (comfort and environmentally) are really worth it. Re: Comfort – did you cut the bottom stem off yours? That was a comfort game changer for me. That and making sure it’s in properly, I completely forget that I’m even on my period because it’s so comfortable. But I’m with you – to each their own!
Also – iPhone needs to get with it. x
Thank you for the podcast! I use Lunette because when I did a little bit of research before I bought, I found out that it’s a little thinner so it’s a little easier to put in and it’s a little bit smaller. Anyway, I absolutely love it. And it makes me happy because it’s better than buying tampons. Another thing I like is, having a cup makes you realize that having your period doesn’t smell. It was the pad or the tampon that makes it smell. It completely blew my mind.
Yes I totally had that same realization! Also really curious about the Lunette – glad to think you like it. I love the Diva cup but honestly, they’re like girlfriends, you can never have too many good ones (I think I’ve fully lost my marbles).
Do it, get Lunette! This is the only one I’ve tried so I can’t speak for others but I’m in love. I like too that it comes in different colors so you don’t need to sun bleach like you mentioned ?
Ps. You def have not lost your marbles. I can’t believe they don’t teach menstual cups in school! If I had known years ago, I definitely would have switched!
Dear ladies,
menstrual cup is the best thing that has ever happened to me (product-wise). That feeling of being always prepared and without panic (I can always have it on me, it is so small and discreet), let alone its economical and ecological perks gives me a huge sense of empowerment and freedom. I accept my period, I am not loving it though, therefore having an aid of something that really does the job for me and enable me to get on with my life is just perfect. I am so grateful. I have been using the cup in all kinds of settings, from comfort of my home to hour-long travels on the bus, and it proved to be unbeatable. One more thing- and please do not gross out ( I don’t understand why anything related to our periods should be gross anyway, and it surprised me unpleasantly that you mentioned that word several times on the podcast), when you need to empty out the cup and there’s no sink to wash it in the loo, just pee on it. Its easy, effective and does not cost a thing.
Haha! I’ve never thought about that cleaning method… toilet paper usually does the trick for me in a pinch but it’s cool to learn how others do it. Best thing to ever happen to me in the period department too. xx
Oh my God !
Menstrual cups ! My favorite subject !! Seriously, that thing has CHANGED my life ! I’d been wearing tampons since day 1 of my periods but I heard about that toxic shock syndrome pretty late in my life (like maybe two years ago… And I’m 24 !) and then one night I had a nightmare that I was about to die because of wearing an OB so the morning after I ordered my first cup ! Apparently, you can have it with a menstrual cup as well BUT risks are reduced… And since then, I can’t stop praising those cups ! I had to laugh when I was listening to you guys talking in details about how to put it in etc. SAME, at first, just thinking about it really did gross me out but at the end, it was the best opportunity to get to know my body better and get familiar with all that business down there as you said ahah Now I can’t picture my life without it. Especially, while I was on a 5 days hike in the middle of the Colombian jungle this past summer. I seriously don’t know where I would have put all those tampons… Thanks for the podcast ! I can’t wait to hear G’s feedback on her first try ahahah Take care !
Risks are reduced! There’s the answer we were looking for. I’m so happy people share my deep love for the cup (unsurprising! I feel like most everyone would love it if they gave it a shot). A hike in the Colombian jungle sounds incredible – and like the perfect scenario where a cup is crucial. xx
Aha same for me: I couldn’t have done it with tampon in the Egyptian desert (I first tried my cup while reparing for this travel…you can keep it onger and don’t need to throw anything away)
I have been using a menstrual cup for five yers now (i am 26), and I would say that one of the best part is that you are never short of pads or tampons (which hapened to me ALL THE TIME and was quite problematic…) Then from an ecological point of view, it makes a huge difference (try to calculate how many pads/tampons you would throw out during your life…!) so I am happy to be able to make this small effort for the planet!
And then what is amazing is that I put it in the morning, and forget about it until the evening befor going to bed! it took me a few month to get used to it but now I put it in 2sec. I also like the fact that when I remove it I can actually see how much blood I am loosing (sounds weird but It helped me understand my body and aprehend my womanhood differently) and the evolution throughout my periods.
Another subject that you could talk about during a pocket PMF could be birth control, and the natural alternative to the pills!
Anyway thank you for your laughs and spontaneity ;)
Yes to all of this!! I feel the exact same way. We’re going to talk about birth control soon! x
Thank you SO much for talking about the cup! I’ve totally been in Natalie’s place with my friends, evangelizing about the benefits.
I love extolling all the great things about it to women who haven’t heard of it; it’s totally the perfect solution and SO freeing. No waste, no uncomfortability, you can go longer between changes and you never have that moment where you realize you forgot to buy more tampons… because you don’t need them! Plus you can swim worry-free.
Try it out if ya haven’t, you won’t regret it—I swear I don’t work for Diva Cup! :) (but kinda wish I did)
Yes! Honestly I feel like a spokesperson but I can’t help it. x
Interesting, good intel!
For french readers, an article confirming what I have already heard (http://m.nouvelobs.com/sante/20170705.OBS1667/la-coupe-menstruelle-plus-dangereuse-que-les-tampons.html): cups being more dangerous than tampons because of the oxygen contributing to bacteria development. That said, I havent found the best solution for me. Can’t avoid tampons plus pad because of the flow! And try not to keep the tampon more than 3/4 hours. Pad seems to be the best solution, but not the most comfortable. Nice PPMF by the way!
The LENA cup is a great one too! I picked it after doing some research because it seemed like a softer silicone than Diva cup. $24 on Amazon! It def took a few cycles to get used to like everyone says but I’ve been using it for 2 yrs now and love it so much more than having to deal w tampons. Also no one on the podcast mentioned how they clean/disinfect it between cycles – the directions that came with the Lena cup said to boil it for a couple minutes and let it dry before putting it back in the storage bag. Anyone else do this method too?
I’m a 45 year old mum of two and I’ve been using the Diva cup and Moon cup for about 2 years now….I do love them despite the odd night leak due to wrong positioning (I now empty and reposition not right before going to bed so I have the time to feel it if it’s not entirely open while I am in a standing position).
Main pros as far as I’m concerned:
awareness: I actually see my flow, the texture, the quantity, the heavier and lighter days… greater contact with my body
conveninence: can leave the cup in for a long time without it leaking/ filling
environment – not filling up landfill and oceans with plastic
health: not putting chlorinated coton in my body, less chance of Toxic Shock Syndrome, letting the flow happen naturally, not stopping it.
No smell! blood only smells when in contact with oxygen!
Yay to menstrual cups! and thanks for talking openly about women’s business among women, it’s refreshing and hopefully will become increasingly normal…