Lunette Cup and Luna Pads~ How I Changed My Way of Thinking

If you’re male, I would stop reading here, unless you *really* want to learn what a menstrual cup is (hint, you probably don’t, unless you’re a single dad to a girl). You probably just want to live the charmed life that you have as a man. You were warned. Even for women, this entire post has a TMI warning 🙂

Who knows what a menstrual cup is? I didn’t, until my sister told me I should get a Diva Cup. I’m pretty sure my response was something like “wt* is that?”. She explained to me that it was a cup that you insert in your vagina, an alternative to a pad or tampon. I had heard of these, but only the disposable version. I was always scared about spilling those when taking them out. Well, this is even more intimidating. You pull it out, dump it, wash it, and put it back again.

That’s all I needed to hear. I wanted no part of this disgusting process, and told her she was insane. She said okay and dropped it.

I didn’t mean it though. I thought it was crazy that this secret thing existed and I knew nothing about it. I must know everything! Immediately! I started reading reviews, and saw that basically everyone that’s ever tried it thinks it’s the best thing in the world. You know that awful feeling when you pull out a tampon that apparently was heavier flow than you needed, and it’s dry and feels like it’s tearing out your insides? The reviews said that doesn’t happen with a cup. They also said that tampons cause cramps. WHAT?!?!?!?!? Is this a joke?? Tampons have been causing my cramps?! WT* is going on in this world run by men? They’re creating tampons now to give us cramps, under the guise that they’re helping us?? OMG. I didn’t really believe it, but that sold me. I wanted to try it.

The reviews taught me that the Diva Cup doesn’t fit everyone. There are different sizes and different brands. I found this cool chart that helped me figure out which one would be best. I’m not going to get too detailed here, but I decided on the Model 1 Lunette cup. According to the recommendations I should have gotten a bigger one since I’m older, but reviews I read (I seriously probably read 1,000) told me that I needed something smaller. That’s a problem I see here- finding the right cup could definitely take trial and error, and they are around $40 each. I got lucky finding the right one on the first try.

When I first got it, it took an entire cycle to figure out how to use it. I was scared to death (I’m kind of melodramatic), and the first time I put it in it hurt so bad. I had some leaking at first, and had to experiment with different folds (Google them on YouTube! Different folds make all the difference!). I recommend wearing a pad or pantyliner while you’re finding your groove.

Here is why I love it, and will never ever go back:

1. I never have to go to the store to buy tampons or pads again. I have what I need, all the time (I do use cloth pantyliners as well, from Luna Pads). This is convenient, plus after the one time investment I don’t have to spend any more money.
2. It doesn’t leak. There is a learning curve, and I do wear the pantyliners just in case, but I have so many less leaks than with tampons. Even when working out!
3. I have a heavy flow and was emptying it all the time at first, but figured out quickly that I really only needed to do it every 8-12 hours. With tampons I was doing about every four hours- this is obviously way better!
4. Umm… you’re not going to believe this, but it really did help my cramps! I still get them and it sucks, but they’re so much less. I haven’t even gotten out the heating pad since I started using it. It has not helped with the urge to stuff my face with chocolate and curl in a ball and cry.
5. It doesn’t hurt to take it out, and it doesn’t hurt to wear it. Tampons did hurt. Pads are so uncomfortable that they’re not even worth mentioning.
6. I won’t lie, taking it out is messy and can be a nightmare in a public restroom. I figured out that if i fill up one of these bottles with water before going into the stall, I can use it to rinse the cup and my fingers.
7. I’m not throwing all that stuff away every month. I hate creating garbage. It’s also a bonus that there isn’t all sorts of gross stuff in the bathroom trash for the dogs to get into.
8. No chemicals. Organic cotton tampons and pads are expensive, and don’t even work as well as traditional ones. I have to pick effective or safe. Really? Those are terrible options. The cup does both.

Overall, I’m so glad I switched. I think it’s some sort of conspiracy that cups aren’t more widely known, because it seems like such a better option. I’ve been using it for a little over a year now, and it’s been so much better. I got an IUD a few months after switching, and they told me I couldn’t use a cup with it. I didn’t believe them, did research, and have been using the cup anyway with no problems. However, I like it enough that I considered not getting the IUD to keep using it. That’s real love, right there!

I know this is a weird thing to write about, but I want every woman to know about this! I can’t really explain how much better it has made my period, I know that I just sound like a crazy person. I think you just need to try it for yourself. Since I’ve already gotten crazy personal, feel free to ask me anything below! Anyone else doing their period the hippie way? 🙂

Jillian