Getting Intimmate with my Old Friend - The MoonCup

And.... it finally happened.

After 27 months (not counting post-partum bleeding), my period is back. What occurred yesterday morning after I went to the bathroom and found out my preferred contraceptive method had expired was to be expected: me yelling around all over the place, unable to find my MoonCup.

It is understandable that my husband had moved it around, since it had not been used for a very long, long time. More even that he found it immediately and calmed me down. Of course I was frightened. The idea of driving 450 miles with a foreign object between my legs was not appalling. Fortunately, that was not to be the case.

Using a menstrual cup is in every way better than any other alternative, but that does not imply it is free from complications, frustration and red spots. Have you heard of the womens' club that claims they can't wait to have their period so that they get to use their cups? Well, I'm not a member. Still, it went from living in panic for 7 days to a 4 day inconvenience.

I remember when my sister got married. She asked me to bring tampons on my diaper bag and give them later to her matron of honor, since she was in charge of  the bride's bag. I told her a menstrual cup would be one of my wedding presents, she turned and said NO. Fine, she spent her whole wedding day in panic hoping her dress wouldn't be stained. If you'd rather suffer with tampons and pads than get a little blood on your fingers, don't bother to get one.

But let's put it in simple terms:

The Good:

Shorter periods with less colics. Cups have succion and it helps. A lot. Zero rashes and zero dryness. Zero risk of toxic shock, cheaper in the long term.

The Bad:

It does not seal perfectly, leaks may occur. Putting it in and out can be irritating. Has a learning curve.

The Ugly:

You'll get your fingers in and they'll get dirty.

Advice:

Do not cut the lower stem. Try it first and if it bothers you, start cutting very small pieces. Some women will prefer it without stem at all, but others will need it for removal, you won't know how you want it until you try first. I definitely need the stem there, it is about half the original size.

The vacuum created can be a problem for removal. I know that Lunette users squeeze the cup to break the succion. That does not work with the MoonCup (believe me, I've tried). I introduce my middle finger and pull the edge down, the thing is, no matter how you do it, the succion cup will not be removed by just pulling it, as your experience with other objects can demonstrate.

Boil it after you're done with your period. Takes 10 minutes and it gives you peace of mind that next time it will be ready for usage.

Remember, you need to check it once in a while, don't forget there's something down there...