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.

Mission Softcup was almost aborted

Thank goodness a quick Google search was able to answer my question quickly because I was about to throw in the towel.

Everything was going great until this morning, but like I said, I had never had a normal flow while using it. Well, at some point last night, my period decided that it wanted to grow up.

I don't know how to describe what happened without being too graphic, but it is what it is and it might save someone else in the same situation.

Well, apparently when you sit on the toilet and bear down to pee or poo, the cup becomes dislodged due to the change in shape of the muscles but as soon as your done, it goes back into place and everything is all good.

I was very confused as to why it seemed to be leaking into the toilet but not anyplace else. That's why.

I'm happy neither it nor I am defective.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Girly Time: Instead Softcup Review

Hey, by Girly Time, I mean I'm talking about menstruation and my vagina and putting objects inside of it.  Don't want to read about it?  Click that X now!!


So last month or whenever I last had something that resembled a period, I tried the Instead Softcup.  It is an alternative to tampons and pads.  They don't come with the risks of Toxic Shock Syndrome and can be left in for 12 hours.   It differs from the Diva Cup in that it's disposable and you can have sex while wearing it.  

I have been interesting in trying either of the cups for a few years, but I never saw the Softcup in stores until recently.  I don't think I was paying attention in the stores where it's available.  I was expecting to find it in local healthfood stores.  Yeah, no.

The reason I chose the Instead brand over the Diva cup is because it's available at my pharmacy, CVS, and is cheaper.  Now what sucks about me trying it when I did is that my periods have become somewhat non-existent.   I believe it's from drinking apple cider vinegar in water daily.  I had heard this could stop periods or make them very light but I honestly thought it was an old wives' tale.  I was drinking the mixture to help with my sinuses and allergy problems.

Anyway, I'll take what I can get.  So my review will be based on a light to normal flow.

First of all, unless you have seen what these things look like, you might be kinda shocked when you open the box.

This is what I saw:

Excuse me?  What the hell am I supposed to do with this?!  lol

I breathed a sigh of relief when I read that you're supposed to squeeze it make a long oval.  The back end goes into the space under the cervix and the front slides in place behind the pubic bone.  Now, for the most part, it's just like a tampon, you won't feel it if it's in correctly.  However, when I turned a certain way while sleeping, I could feel it for a moment.  Wasn't painful, just there.

To take it out, all you have to do is hook the front end and pull down and out.  Now what they don't tell you is that you might want to keep pinching it together because it can be a little uncomfortable pulling it through the vaginal opening if it's opening up to normal size.

Like I said before, my flow has been very light so I can't speak on how well it performs with different flows but for what it's worth, I've had no leakage whatsoever.

I like that I can insert before I leave for work in the morning and keep it in until I get home and not have to worry about it.  Very convenient.

If you're looking for an alternative to tampons, you should try the Softcup.  If you can figure out tampons, I'm sure you can handle this.