MoonCup Menstrual Cup

So, I'd heard of these a few years back, and finally got my paws on one after being fed up with having to buy supply's every month. The promise of lasting for years sounds pretty good to me.

Its quite a firm yet smooth feeling silicone, like a bell shape. Obviously you put the "bell" in upside down though ;) Its a little tricky to insert in the right place at first, keeping in mind it sits lower than a tampon, and you've got to work a little quickly once you've folded it, popped it in & let go, it pops back into shape instantly and the seal is formed. Once its in you really don't feel it, its so easy to forget your wearing it - except the little stem that sticks out to help with removal, it kept poking me in the wrong place and was really quite annoying to walk or sit down. But silly me then I remembered it stated in the directions that you can trim the stem to suit you, and then it felt much better! I took about half of it off after a couple of attempts at a small trim - I didn't want to take too much off after all.

No leakage - none at all, even with my first time wearing this, its seal is really brilliant! and it holds LOADS, I never even got it half full in a whole day! - then again I don't usually have extremely heavy bleeds. It is a little tricky to take out though, you need to get 2 fingers up there then squeeze it and break the seal, and it is a little uncomfortable to pull out, but nothing us ladies cannot handle ;), it isn't as bad as it sounds! And not as bad as a trying to yank out a semi dry tampon!(ugh!!) Give it a quick rinse or wipe with paper if there's no tap available and pop it right back in, super duper convenient! Best time to do this is in the shower where you can practice, it helps if you can put one leg up on something and kind of squat, slightly bearing down till you can break the seal & grab it. At the end of my cycle I just wash it with hot soapy water and smear tea tree oil on it to store it (in the cute little bag it came with), then give it a quick rinse when I next need it. I love my mooncup, I'm so happy I finally got myself one and will never look back! Saves your wallet and the environment (makes me sick thinking about all that "stuff" billions of women have to dispose of every month) So this gets a huge thumbs up from me!

I have had my mooncup about 4 years now. When I first got it I was struggling to insert and remove it, now I wouldn't be without it. I have PCOS so have very heavy painful periods, with this the pain is greatly reduced, I am no longer spending the first day curled up with a hot water bottle and hoping for the pain killers to work, instead a couple of Panadol does the trick and I can get on with my day. It also has cut down the length of my cycle form 7 days to 4.

I do find it a bit gross to empty if I let it get too full. I need to empty it once during the day as well as when I wake up and again before bed, although if you don't have heavy periods just morning and night might be enough. When emptying I just pour it straight into the toilet,and wipe with toilet paper before reinserting. When I'm in the shower I give it a good wash. I use Milton sterilising tablets at the end of my cycle to get rid of any nasties before next time.

I have had my moon cup for years and in terms of sanitary products, this had paid for itself over and beyond. In fact, now that I have had a baby and am due to change sizes I am excited to get to buy a new one once my menstrual cycle starts again.

Of course, when I first read about it I thought it was a bit hippyish, woo-woo and kinda gross but after using it for so long I can safely say I will never go back to pads/tampons unless absolutely necessary (ie. right after childbirth). There is a bit of a learning curve with this and at the beginning I struggled with the folding of the cup and insertion.

It is best to try using it in a relaxed manner and if it doesn't go in right the first few times, try again later as being tense doesn't help! And by tense, I mean tense down there! Try in the shower, or squatting in the shower.

Once you get the hang of insertion, you have to try and pull it out without creating a gory blood soaked horror scene. Try again in the shower and once you feel confident just over the toilet.

At home I would normally tip the contents in the toilet and then rinse under a tap before reinsertion.

I normally have very heavy periods and the only times I have leaked is overnight so will sometimes double up with a liner to catch leaks otherwise leaking is much less than with tampons.

After my period is done, I normally boil the moon cup for at least 5 minutes.

Now that I have been regularly using my moon cup, it has over the years gotten a bit discoloured. This does not effect it's function but I am looking forward to a new one.

Overall, it can be a bit scary getting used to it but once you get the hang of it, it is easy peasy. Not to mention you are saving money and the environment. Every little bit helps.

I was hesitant, but this has saved me so much in the six months I've been using it! If you have lengthy periods, this is definitely worth it.

I have bought the mooncup, and used the once and so far so good. It was really weird for me at first to be using it but you just do it! I had really looked at it and everything before I used it, just to get the feel etc and yeah. Not really much else to say about it! It does what it should, and in the long run saves money!

I have only had the chance to use mine once as i have still only had one period since having my son, but it was so nice not to have to use pads or tampons! Like the others said it takes a few goes to get it in the right position, but there are instructions that help. It is also fantastic that it is helping reduce waste and helping towards saving the environment, plus it means you dont have yucky used pads and tampons to deal with :/ Im almost looking forward to my next period so i can try it again!!! even after only one cycle i love it and want to try get every other woman i know to try it!! it only take a couple of cycles before it has already saved you money too!

I had been wanting to try this for awhile so last month when I realized too late that I had bought wingless pads, decided to go ahead and buy one. I found it quite comfortable to wear and very economical. It does take some practice and you need to be kind of flexible bending over forward. I would recommend using pads as well when you're starting to use it especially if it's your more "heavy" days. But I'm so glad I got one.