Lunette Cup: Overall Experience

(I shouldn't have to say this by now, but this will be about menstruation and vaginas...my vagina to be exact.  Stop reading now if you think you'll be offended or disgusted.)

This is my overall impression of the Lunette menstrual cup after using it for my entire period.   

Just so there's no confusion.  The cup was the only product I used during my period except for using pads and liners as backups.   I have a regular flow.

As I've stated before, the cup never leaked.   Insertion and removal were easy and painless.  Although, I will admit that the removal was a little uncomfortable because the cup was nearly completely open instead of being folded like it is during insertion.

Cleaning was easy.  The smooth surface of the cup makes it really easy to clean.  I used baby wash to clean mine but a lot of women just rinse.   They also make wipes.  It's all up to the user.  Just make sure to rinse well to remove any soap residue.

I was able to go the recommended 12 hours before having to empty.  If you have heavier periods, you might need to empty very often.  This was a plus.  And the Lunette cups have had no TSS cases associated with their use.  (yay)

There were some things that happened that were unexpected, but they aren't huge issues to me.  I mentioned one before.  Fingernails.  If you can fold that cup and get it inside of you with nails and not manage to pinch, cut, scrape that delicate, sensitive area, then BRAVO to you.  I need nubs to be able to navigate down there. 

The other issue is one that I read about but didn't really pay attention to until I experienced it.  Upon breaking the seal and removing the cup, there will be noises.  lol   

Nothing too loud, but there is an obvious breaking of a seal.

This last thing probably is a personal issue but I don't know so I'll put it out there just in case someone else notices it.  The lighter my period became, the more I "felt" the cup.  Air would escape it.  I have no idea why that happened, but it did.  Still no leaking when this happened, so I'll consider it to be  a minor nuisance.

All in all, I'm very impressed with the ease of using a menstrual cup.  I'm excited to know that I've greatly reduced the amount of money I'll have to spend on menstrual products.  And I've reduced the amount of waste I produce because I'm throwing less away.  

I would recommend a cup to anybody that has the means to purchase one.  That's how pleased I am with my cup.   

Have a happy period?  Yes, I will.  

Lunette Cup: Day 3

(this post is about menstruation and my vag.  beware.)

I know I said I wouldn't have anymore updates unless something significant happened, but I wanted to correct something I said previously.

I had mentioned before that I only made it to the 2nd line in the cup which is the 15mL line.  That was incorrect. The line I was looking at was the 1st line.  7.5mL.  

That is all.

All hail the vagina and her power.

Lunette Cup: Day 2

Yay.  I'm 48 hours in, and I'm still happy with my cup  No accidents and no problems.

My heaviest days are over, so I should be less anxious for the rest of the week.

And speaking of heaviest days...

Apparently, my period is not as heavy as I thought it was.  As I said yesterday, I have yet to empty the cup and have it be full.  Tonight when I emptied, it was at the 15mL line.  That means it was half full.  (Model 2 has a capacity of 30mL.)  

I also became less fearful of having to empty at work if needed.  I'm at the point now that I know I won't be ashamed and even if I were, there's a private bathroom at work that I could use.  I just really hate public facilities.

So, I'm still a very satisfied customer.  

Right now, I'm searching for menstrual cloths.  So far,  know of Just Fussy, Talulah Bean, New Moon, Glad Rags, and Lunapads.   I'm leaning more towards trying out Just Fussy and Talulah Bean, but I know that there must be more people who make them.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll have anymore cup updates until the end of my period or if something significant happens.

Lunette Cup: Day 1 ADDENDUM

Please trim your nails.  I had to learn the hard way TWICE.

I don't have to tell you that that area is very sensitive and any length of nail really hurt me.  Having no nails also helps me grip the cup upon removal.

But yeah, trim those nails just in case.

Lunette Cup: Day 1

THIS IS NOT A TEST!

THIS IS NOT A TEST!

(ummm....this will be about menstruation and vaginas and such....fyi)

The practice runs are over.  It's finally time for me to use my lovely menstrual cup.   It's sad how excited I was when I felt cramps last night.  

I inserted the cup at around 10ish...11ish last night.  I pretty much use a C-fold to insert, and one full twist and then Kegel it into place.  

I had been nervous about using my cup since after my first dry run, I noticed that my cervix was way lower than I thought it was.  But the cup I'm using isn't that long, so I should be fine.  At worst, my cervix could take up room in the cup and lessen the capacity.

I didn't have any problems overnight.  I was aware of the cup's presence at times, but it wasn't unpleasant or painful.  The stem can be noticeable at times.  That's probably why a lot of women cut it off.

The best part of the night was that I had absolutely no leaking.  NONE.   

When I finally emptied, it was 7am.  So, I had 9 or 10hrs of flow in the cup, which really amounted to not much.   Way less than I expected for the first few hours of my period.   I washed with mild, baby soap and reinserted and went to work.   I used a pad as a back up because I was very nervous about leakage.  I read that  a lot of women that have heavy flows say they have to empty several times during the day, so I didn't want any accidents nor did I really want to have to empty in the nasty bathroom at work.  I'm not that comfortable yet, plus I would DIE if I dropped my cup in the toilet.

Anyway, I got lucky.  I made it 11hrs with no leaks.  When I got home to empty (and i was so damn excited), I saw that the cup was only 3/4 full...maybe even less.  

I'd like to say that I managed to not spill nor get any on my hands either time I emptied.  I'm not going to brag much more because I really don't want any mishaps for the rest of the week.  lol

I'm going to go ahead and give my experience with the cup today 5 stars.  

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I have such great luck tomorrow.  

Guess what was in my mailbox on Friday????

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!  My Lunette cup is here!!!!!

There's no telling how long it's been here though because I really never check my mail.

There's not much to tell except for that I just came back from attempting a dry run with it and ummm yeah, I'm definitely going to need more practice before my next period.

Cutting my nails definitely made removal possible.  I'll play with it tomorrow or sometime.

Softcup. Day 4. (i think)

Well, I'll make this short and to the point.

I like the Instead Softcup, but there are a few things I don't like about it.  So I decided to order a reusable cup.  I ordered the Lunette Cynthia cup in size 2 last night.   I decided on it after finding the Menstrual Cup LiveJournal community with links to size charts and pics of several cups on the market for comparison purposes.   (There's a lot of them too.)

Here's what I liked about the Instead cups:

• availability
• familiarity (they've been on the market a while and many women have tried them)
• did not leak
• comfortable

What I didn't like?

• disposable
• expensive compared to a reusable cup
• messy (could not figure out a way to remove without spilling)
• the seal is broken whenever you bear down so you probably will leak when having a bowel movement, peeing, or passing gas...which leads to...
• residual blood that may or may not leak onto undergarments 

I would use them again with no hesitation because they are cleaner, safer and more carefree than tampons for me.  I just think I can find something better suited for me.

(Just in case you want to check it out, I ordered the Lunette from LuneShop for $27 with free shipping.)

Sooooooo, whenever my period shows back up, I'll be reviewing the Lunette.   Actually, I'll probably do a dry-run or two when it comes in to make sure it fits okay and that I can insert and remove it.