Comments on: Reduce, Reuse, Re-cycle?

Reduce, Reuse, Re-cycle?

Ufez Jones — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 07:28:12 -0800

For the ladies who are tired of tampons and pads, an alternative now exists that's both a little bizarre and a little intriguing. At the very least, it could ease this woman's supply gathering a little bit.

By: Ufez Jones

Ufez Jones — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 07:29:15 -0800

And yes, apparantly I am now MeFi's Guy with a Good Attitude Towards Menstruation. In all seriousness though, any MeFemales know of anyone that's tried one of these or a simliar product?

By: twiggy

twiggy — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 07:36:34 -0800

Hmm, it holds one ounce.. i can see it now... bars in college campuses all over the nation will stock them as the new novelty shot glass... /perhaps slightly bizarre, but not as tasteless as i could have been...

By: ashbury

ashbury — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 07:54:43 -0800

From the page: In 1998, 7 billion tampons and 13 billion sanitary pads and their packaging made their way into landfills and sewage systems in the USA alone! Anyway, being a guy, I certainly can't comment on this with any authority. Seems interesting. No leakage? Comfortable? Hmmmm.

By: planetkyoto

planetkyoto — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 08:02:26 -0800

IANAW, but it seems like it would be awfully difficult to yank a rubber shot glass out of you wazoo without spilling the contents.

By: Ms Snit

Ms Snit — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 08:09:04 -0800

An environmentally conscious friend of mine uses this product and swears by it. According to her, it is indeed comfortable, easy to insert and remove, and fills her with some sort of womanly pride when she removes it to find just how much fluid she can produce. They are, however, a little pricey (I think they go for about $50 CAN). But considering that they are supposed to be long-term products, the price is slight in comparison to what one spends on tampons and pads in any given year. That being said, I still feel icky about using one myself...

By: dabitch

dabitch — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 08:15:28 -0800

planetkyoto, you are so not a woman... [deletes tampon stories too graphical for boys ears] Must be a pretty soft cup that, I know I want to give it a try. Can't wait 'til they arrive on these shores (I don't fancy paying import tax on that 50...Or worse getting it stuck in customs.)

By: jazon

jazon — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 08:19:29 -0800

see also: Instead softcup. It's not reusable, but works in the same way. My wife has used Instead for many, many years and finds it a great alternative to tampons and/or pads.

By: scalz

scalz — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 08:24:33 -0800

By: Ufez Jones

Ufez Jones — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 08:29:24 -0800

scalz, they address that on the usage page: On the occasion you need to empty it in a public washroom, use a dry or damp tissue to clean the cup, and wash well with hot soapy water at the next convenient time. So apparantly it's okay to just wipe it off and reinsert for a short period of time.

By: Sangre Azul

Sangre Azul — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 08:43:14 -0800

There's a similar product called The Keeper that's been out for quite some time.

By: romakimmy

romakimmy — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 08:43:44 -0800

Working in a youth travel oriented place, people are always asking us to send items they forgot back to them, like cameras, cellphones, jackets, shoes, etc. Imagine then, the squick factor of a request to send home a reusable rubber menstrual cup that was left in a room. Gah. This has happened twice now, so if that's any indication of growing popularity...

By: sugarfish

sugarfish — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 08:53:34 -0800

i have one of these, and i *love* it. i have never had a problem yanking it out of my wazoo and spilling the contents everywhere -- it does create suction, and uh, slides out with a minimum of mess. you can take it out and wipe it down if need be, but really, if you put it in first thing in the morning you don't need to worry about it for the rest of the day. i wore it the day of my wedding, and i didn't have to worry at all. and when inserted correctly, you don't feel it, just like a tampon.

By: terrapin

terrapin — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 08:55:56 -0800

My wife uses and loves her Keeper.

By: Ynoxas

Ynoxas — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 09:01:00 -0800

"From the makers of the SnotBucket (tm), comes the Diva Cup (tm). Act now and get a free ear wax retrieval and storage unit, absolutely free." Ewww. Just ewww. Some things were just meant to be disposable, environment be damned.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 09:02:02 -0800

This is cool. You're working on a menstruation trifecta, Ufez. Keep up the good work! While I don't think it's a great idea to have a wad of cotton stuffed up my hoochie all day, I don't think it's a great idea to have plastic or rubber stuffed up there for days on end, either. There are only a very few select things I allow to be stuffed up there, and this diva cup ain't gonna be one of them.

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 09:16:13 -0800

Genesis 4:9 - And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's Keeper?

By: sugarfish

sugarfish — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 09:18:28 -0800

iconomy: the divacup is actually made of medical grade silicone. just fyi.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 09:28:25 -0800

Remember that scene in Up In Smoke where Tommy Chong spills the Ajax and it winds up getting snorted? Well, that thing looks unnervingly like a cocktail glass, and some folks are partial to Bloody Marys....

By: anastasiav

anastasiav — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 10:18:54 -0800

Here's a link to another MeFi conversation about The Keeper.

By: iconomy

iconomy — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 10:26:49 -0800

Thanks, sugarfish - I was looking for the section on what it was made from but couldn't find it. I still wouldn't use it though. I use pads that I made myself in one of my more inspired crafty moments ;) The comments from the Vanessa Tiegs thread (the second link in ufez's post) are hysterical.

By: greengrl

greengrl — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 10:30:30 -0800

Uhhh, I bought a Keeper almost a year ago, but I've been too chicken to try it. It seems like a wonderful idea, but the actual reality... yeah, anyway. What about those Lions, eh?

By: sugarfish

sugarfish — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 10:37:56 -0800

iconomy: making cloth pads is on my terribly long crafty to do list. i definitely think they are a better option than store bought stuff.

By: widdershins

widdershins — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 10:44:29 -0800

I wasn't too convinced at first, but after reading the testimonials I think I'm going to give it a try. Well worth the $ if it does work. Never thought I'd be getting menstruation advice from a man, Ufez - keep it up!

By: Oriole Adams

Oriole Adams — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 10:47:53 -0800

I can't see how this thing would be easy to deal with in an office building communal bathroom. It's easy enough to use "regular" protection in a stall, but this cup needs to be washed out first to be re-inserted. How would one manage that? The Diva, along with the Keeper and Instead are all safe to wear for 12 hours at a time, so most women are able to get through a work day without having to empty it. I use the Instead and have for years with no problems and nothing but praise for it. For you squeamish men out there, Instead (unlike the Keeper or the Diva) allows for blood-free intercourse during "that time", which may be a selling point. For the squeamish women out there, for heaven's sake, it's your own bodily fluid, why feel "icky"? I recommended the menstrual cup to a friend of mine who still has two un-toilet trained young'uns....she changes diapers, cleans barf, wipes noses, etc, and still shuddered at the thought of handling a Keeper. I just don't get it.

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 10:54:52 -0800

I hear they were first invented by a woman in the 1800's who made her living trading beaver pelts. It was called the Trapper Keeper.

By: jennyb

jennyb — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 10:55:34 -0800

I have a Keeper and have not had great luck with it. It might be me, but every time I use it, even when I'm not flowing particularly heavily, it leaks. Not so much that I have to initiate Menstrual Emergency Protocols, but enough that I am washing out my underwear more than I normally care to. I still use it when I need a little more freedom from my period than Glad Rags (my preferred menstrual collection method) afford me (running, places where I'd rather not carry a big purse) so I might give the Diva Cup a try and see if the different materials make it work better for me. (Ohhhh I also just read the "sizing guidelines" and I guess I've aged into a size 2 since I bought the Keeper. *sigh* This might do the trick, then.) Ms. Snit: From this site: The DivaCup retails for only US$25.50 (CDN$37.50 if you are in Canada).

By: iconomy

iconomy — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 11:03:40 -0800

O mr_crash_davis made me laugh soooooo much.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 11:35:46 -0800

Women that are on the Pill have the option of not menustrating at all. The squeamish ones might consider it.

By: agregoli

agregoli — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 11:39:21 -0800

Uh sure, but that carries health risks I would rather not try.

By: greengrl

greengrl — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 11:51:46 -0800

I wouldn't say I'm squeamish as much as I am sort of afraid that I'll never get the Keeper back out again. Silly, I know, I mean, it's not like it's going anywhere -- that's the problem though, the whole "suction" thing kinda freaks me out. Yeah... how about those Tigers...

By: alms

alms — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 12:14:32 -0800

Proponents of menstrual suppression point out that until recently most women only had about 40 periods in their entire lives. The rest of the time they were either pregnant or nursing. The average number of periods is now up to about 250 in industrialized countries due to improved education and birth control. It's not clear whether frequent menstruation or menstrual suppression is the healthier option. Then there is the issue of girls & women who regularly miss classes and/or work because of painful menstruation. That's been called something like "the cotton ceiling". This probably deserves its own FPP, but since we already have this thread, here's a link.

By: dr_dank

dr_dank — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 12:21:13 -0800

allows for blood-free intercourse during "that time" How? Wouldn't this get in the way? /me thanks the good lord for his penis

By: synapse

synapse — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 12:38:15 -0800

alms - the thing is that you have to take more hormones to suppress your period. The health risks associated with *that* (as opposed to simply having fewer periods) is what freaks me out. Aside from the general embolism and heart risks, there is the concern about long term effects that large quantities of hormones, or disruption of natural cycles might have on various brain areas associated with memory. Understandably, pregnancy and nursing throw those systems out of whack too. However, my understanding is that there are some natural compensatory mechanisms that kick in during those circumstances.

By: urlnotfound

urlnotfound — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 12:56:31 -0800

My wife uses Insteads and thinks they are the bee's knees. She can't use tampons, and pads are messy. As the sex goes, How? Wouldn't this get in the way? No, the Instead product is very much like a diaphram in size, placement and construction. You may feel it, depending on your, shall I say, angle and depth, but it generally does not interfere. Also being vigorous may cause leaks. You cannot have sex with the other cup products mentioned.

By: stefanie

stefanie — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 13:11:12 -0800

I use the Keeper and I love it. It's cheap, convenient, better for me than tampons (minimal TSS risk and the Keeper doesn't aggravate cramps the way tampons do), and there's nothing to fill my wastebasket every month. Plus, I can leave it in a good long time without leakage or discomfort, so I don't have to think about it at work or on long plane trips. I find it easier to insert than Instead and easier to remove than a contraceptive sponge. In short, I have no complaints. It's a good product and well worth the money.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 13:22:16 -0800

It's not "large amounts of hormones," and it's arguable that having a more steady-state hormone level is healthier.

By: rswst8

rswst8 — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 13:27:59 -0800

I don't fancy paying import tax on that 50...Or worse getting it stuck in customs well, i never heard it called THAT before

By: agregoli

agregoli — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 13:47:56 -0800

There are benefits to having some periods. No periods? That's not biologically normal, and therefore, in my mind, can't be healthy. And being on pills to supress a naturally occuring event doesn't seem right to me either. I guess you could argue that BCP supress a naturally occuring event anyway (conception and birth), but that's a different story. At least right now I'm having one period a month, regular and stable, and I feel far too healthy to mess with that.

By: nelleish

nelleish — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 14:40:44 -0800

The DivaCup, Keeper and similar products have held interest/appeal for me for some time from the standpoint of less waste and escaping the various annoyances of "feminine products." The utter repulsion of several close female friends (and my boyfriend) to such a system has held me somewhat in check, but the more I read the more it seems like something I should at least try, it's really not that much more pricey than a few months worth of tampons, and it seems more practical. From alms link: "The best thing about a menstrual period is - nothing" but how about a regular monthly reassurance that you're not pregnant? That, and the idea of four months worth of uteral lining piling up (seeing as Seasonale is just normal BC w/o the placebos), just waiting for the "seasonal" period in which to let free the deluge, makes four such periods probably a whole lot more troublesome than thirteen regularly scheduled ones.

By: eilatan

eilatan — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 15:18:06 -0800

I've been thinking about getting one of these for a while--I dislike spending $5-10 a month on tampons, and while I do have some cloth pads, I dislike them. My only main concern is the learning curve in terms of getting it inserted and placed properly.

By: sugarfish

sugarfish — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 15:30:32 -0800

eilatan: it is a simple process, not difficult at all. you fold it in half twice and then give it a turn once it is inserted to create the suction. also i found a bit of water on the rim helps with uh lubricative properties.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 15:33:45 -0800

Is it safe to have that stuff sloshing around inside you all day? It seems that whatever is being expelled from your body should be either absorbed or removed, not left to sit there.

By: doubtful_guest

doubtful_guest — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 15:49:08 -0800

I only have about 4 periods per year due to debilitating migraines (and other stuff) every month, and my 4 periods are the same as when I had 12... The uterine lining doesn't "pile up" like that, and there's no "deluge", just a normal period.

By: JanetLand

JanetLand — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 15:51:13 -0800

Keeper rocks. That's all I'm sayin'.

By: scody

scody — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 16:34:11 -0800

I'll pitch in for the pro-menstrual-suppression-via-the-Pill side of the discussion. for the past couple of years I've had only about three or four periods annually (and yes, psychologically it was strange at first not to have the monthly proof of not being pregnant) and love it. A few days of cramps every season rather than every month or so (I was always fairly irregular)? Yeah, baby. It probably helps that (for me, at least) the seasonal "deluge" isn't much worse than the monthly one. If it's any reassurance, my doc says she does the very same thing.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 16:59:47 -0800

My wife hasn't had a period in over eighteen years. She has regular pap smears and checkups, and no doctor has yet freaked about this side-effect of The Pill. Our experience is that not having periods is wonderful.

By: Oriole Adams

Oriole Adams — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 17:47:42 -0800

Is it safe to have that stuff sloshing around inside you all day? It seems that whatever is being expelled from your body should be either absorbed or removed, not left to sit there. Safer than a tampon that's been bleached and contains dioxin. And the stuff has been sloshing around in your uterus for a month before it gets to the Keeper, a few more hours won't hurt, it doesn't seem.

By: nelleish

nelleish — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 17:55:30 -0800

doubtful_guest, scody: I should have said before that my reaction to Seasonale is based soley on my own experiences of attempting to skip a period using normal BC (while the week in question had no bleeding, I made up for it by bleeding heavily the next three weeks which was especially alarming given how light the Pill has made my periods otherwise, thus I imagined the lining was "piling up." Overall it scared me very badly as I have been anemic in the past, and I had spoken to my doctor before the experiment and been given all the assurances I would be fine). I think the lesson here is every women's menstration is as unique as ever other part of her, and obviously I'm not right for skipping it, but it's perfectly possible others are, and yes, I'm jealous of you.

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 19:57:09 -0800

Normally, the hormone level goes up for three weeks, then drops to zero, triggering menustration: ie. 180 mcg norgestimate during the first seven days, 215 mcg the next seven days and 250 mcg the next seven days, and 0 the next seven bloody days. Most women go 180, 215, 250, 0 (bleed), repeat. My wife goes 180, 215, 250, 0 (no blood), repeat. It just struck me that she coule probably go on straight 180s. Hmmm. Seasonale goes 180, 180, 180, 180, .... , 0.

By: LowDog

LowDog — Tue, 30 Dec 2003 20:45:55 -0800

Never trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn't die...

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Wed, 31 Dec 2003 10:14:32 -0800

Anyway, Nelleish, I'm wondering what your attempt to "skip" a period went like. If you were doing 180, 215, 250, 180, 215, 250, ... (ie. no "0" weeks), then I can't imagine how you managed to bleed: if the 250->180 transition didn't trigger a period (you say it didn't), then the 180->215 couldn't have. How on earth did you menustrate for three weeks?!

By: doubtful_guest

doubtful_guest — Wed, 31 Dec 2003 12:32:40 -0800

Sometimes your body does what it wants, hormone therapy be damned. The months I choose to have a period, it's usually because my body just starts, and I go along with it. It never starts *after* I have started the placebo pills, always before I even get to that week. And that's how it's always been -- Even when I had a monthly period, it always started before the placebo week, if I was going to really have one. Hormones are not an exact science... That's why there are so many different formulations of birth control pills. Everyone's body reacts differently to them.

By: doubtful_guest

doubtful_guest — Wed, 31 Dec 2003 12:37:59 -0800

Nelleish -- Have you had your thyroid checked? I only found out I was hypothyroid after trying to have fewer periods per year, only to bleed for 3 months straight instead. They tested me "just in case" it was thyroid-related (the other option was that my body just wanted to have a period every month, no matter what), and I'm now on thyroid meds. But I'd always had irregular periods, even on the pill, so I probably should have been tested years ago...

By: five fresh fish

five fresh fish — Wed, 31 Dec 2003 16:17:32 -0800

doubtful: Ah. Okay.

By: melissa

melissa — Thu, 01 Jan 2004 17:02:54 -0800

i love my keeper. while 50 bucks seemed expensive to my college student self five years ago, not having to buy any pads or tampons since then makes it a pretty solid investment. i've used Instead as well, and I liked it too, but it's unnecessary thanks to my keeper cup. what i find most interesting is that now I see just how much fluid is really expelled. It always seemed like way more using disposable products, and now I know that it's not.