Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I clicked on this thread out of interest -- I still just used tampons (and hate them) because the first time I tried using a cup, it was so horrible I deemed it not worth it (way too tricky to put in and then getting it out was somehow worse, did not feel comfortable in my body, stressed about overflow and spills so wound up wearing a liner which I also hate, etc. etc.).

But this sounds worse somehow? Basically, I would like to avoid any situation that has me digging around in my vagina trying to remove something while I'm on my period. I don't want to spend 30 minutes removing my period device! Even if it's only once a day.

This is the one aspect of menopause I look forward to -- no more periods. Our grandmothers had it right. It really is The Curse!

Girl. Peri menopause is heavy duty bleeding. Or is for me and I thought I was a heavy bleeder before. A tampon would not work. The disc or cup plus Thinx is the way. They get easier to position as you go. You just hook a finger to break seal with disc. No digging. It’s easier to seat than the cup.

But heavy bleeding is specifically why I hated the cup and prefer tampons. I don't want to risk overflow and I hate having to make sure I have a pair of period panties on hand (which cost way more than regular underwear and also don't always work perfectly). And you might not have to dig but some people do? This thread even has people talking about having trouble with this. And my experience with the cup made me realize how annoying it is to try and pull something out of your vagina in the middle of a heavy flow period.

I just find tampons easiest. I have short but very heavy periods, and with tampons I just have a couple days where I need to change them with some frequency. They are super easy to change, I can do it without getting my hands gross. I can use a different size tampon depending on what stage of my period I'm at. I've been using them for 20 years and never really had an issue with them. The only reason I tried a cup is because I do feel bad about the environmental impact of tampons, but after that was disastrous, I decided I'd rather make other choices to reduce environmental impact and keep my tampons.

OP here. I totally agree. I don't think anyone should feel like they have to use a cup or a disc for environmental reasons. I genuinely hate tampons, it has nothing to do with their environmental impact, I just hate them. If it wasn't for that I would have gone back to tampons after I realized the cup was kind of a pain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not squeamish at all, especially about womens health stuff, but having my hand come out of me looking like I just stabbed someone on heavy days is not okay if I’m in a public restroom. Also not okay because it’s too easy to get blood on your clothes or the floor.

That's exactly the beauty of autodumping for me. I never have to take it out except first thing in the morning and before bed. And it's not that messy when I do because it's not that full.

Assuming it autodumps, which is not a built in feature but just something that sometimes happens for some people depending on anatomy. I feel like we went through this with cups, too. For some people, cups aren't that hard to put in or get out, and don't leak. For other people, they are a bear to insert and remove and they leak every single time.

And it's the same with IUDs, which have also been mentioned on this thread. For some people, they solve all their problems -- reliable birth control, stops your period, don't even notice it. For others, insertion is very painful, it never feels comfortable, AND they continue to have periods.

It's great to find something that works for you but be careful how you proselytize because everyone's body is different and there's no guarantee the next woman will have the same experience as you.

I have literally posted this exact same sentiment, more than once, above on this thread. I completely agree with you that discs don't work for everyone. I'm sorry that sharing my own experience and happiness about that came across to you as "proselytizing".

PP here and I wasn't directing my comment to you, or anyone, in particular. I just notice people tend to use a lot of generalities on this subject and you can't generalize. I have no problem with anyone sharing their own experience and I'm happy you found something that works.

(Some people really do proselytize on this subject and will criticize women who don't like cups or discs or IUDs, which I find really obnoxious)

Happens on both sides. I actually delayed trying cups or discs at all because of negative threads on DCUM. They don't work for everyone. And in addition, not everyone may be financially able or personally motivated enough to experiment with different products to find something that works. But fortunately, they do work for a lot of people, and thankfully most people don't need them removed by a doctor, which would be terrible and I definitely wouldn't feel compelled to try any of them again if that happened to me.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I clicked on this thread out of interest -- I still just used tampons (and hate them) because the first time I tried using a cup, it was so horrible I deemed it not worth it (way too tricky to put in and then getting it out was somehow worse, did not feel comfortable in my body, stressed about overflow and spills so wound up wearing a liner which I also hate, etc. etc.).

But this sounds worse somehow? Basically, I would like to avoid any situation that has me digging around in my vagina trying to remove something while I'm on my period. I don't want to spend 30 minutes removing my period device! Even if it's only once a day.

This is the one aspect of menopause I look forward to -- no more periods. Our grandmothers had it right. It really is The Curse!

Girl. Peri menopause is heavy duty bleeding. Or is for me and I thought I was a heavy bleeder before. A tampon would not work. The disc or cup plus Thinx is the way. They get easier to position as you go. You just hook a finger to break seal with disc. No digging. It’s easier to seat than the cup.

But heavy bleeding is specifically why I hated the cup and prefer tampons. I don't want to risk overflow and I hate having to make sure I have a pair of period panties on hand (which cost way more than regular underwear and also don't always work perfectly). And you might not have to dig but some people do? This thread even has people talking about having trouble with this. And my experience with the cup made me realize how annoying it is to try and pull something out of your vagina in the middle of a heavy flow period.

I just find tampons easiest. I have short but very heavy periods, and with tampons I just have a couple days where I need to change them with some frequency. They are super easy to change, I can do it without getting my hands gross. I can use a different size tampon depending on what stage of my period I'm at. I've been using them for 20 years and never really had an issue with them. The only reason I tried a cup is because I do feel bad about the environmental impact of tampons, but after that was disastrous, I decided I'd rather make other choices to reduce environmental impact and keep my tampons.

I converted to discs about a year ago and have never been happier! I prefer the disposable ones made by Flex.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not squeamish at all, especially about womens health stuff, but having my hand come out of me looking like I just stabbed someone on heavy days is not okay if I’m in a public restroom. Also not okay because it’s too easy to get blood on your clothes or the floor.

That's exactly the beauty of autodumping for me. I never have to take it out except first thing in the morning and before bed. And it's not that messy when I do because it's not that full.

Assuming it autodumps, which is not a built in feature but just something that sometimes happens for some people depending on anatomy. I feel like we went through this with cups, too. For some people, cups aren't that hard to put in or get out, and don't leak. For other people, they are a bear to insert and remove and they leak every single time.

And it's the same with IUDs, which have also been mentioned on this thread. For some people, they solve all their problems -- reliable birth control, stops your period, don't even notice it. For others, insertion is very painful, it never feels comfortable, AND they continue to have periods.

It's great to find something that works for you but be careful how you proselytize because everyone's body is different and there's no guarantee the next woman will have the same experience as you.

I have literally posted this exact same sentiment, more than once, above on this thread. I completely agree with you that discs don't work for everyone. I'm sorry that sharing my own experience and happiness about that came across to you as "proselytizing".

PP here and I wasn't directing my comment to you, or anyone, in particular. I just notice people tend to use a lot of generalities on this subject and you can't generalize. I have no problem with anyone sharing their own experience and I'm happy you found something that works.

(Some people really do proselytize on this subject and will criticize women who don't like cups or discs or IUDs, which I find really obnoxious)

Anonymous wrote:I honestly have never heard of a menstrual disc, but will look into using one after my period comes back postpartum (currently expecting #3). I used a Divacup before having kids, and was a big fan... it was easy to use, odor and mess free, and much more comfortable than a maxipad. Then it stopped working after kid #1. I tried switching to the bigger cup size, which is advised after you have kids, but it still was uncomfortable and leaked frequently.

Yes! I feel like diva cup needs to have a larger range of sizes. Just the two don’t seem to be quite enough.

I honestly have never heard of a menstrual disc, but will look into using one after my period comes back postpartum (currently expecting #3). I used a Divacup before having kids, and was a big fan... it was easy to use, odor and mess free, and much more comfortable than a maxipad. Then it stopped working after kid #1. I tried switching to the bigger cup size, which is advised after you have kids, but it still was uncomfortable and leaked frequently.

Anonymous wrote:I clicked on this thread out of interest -- I still just used tampons (and hate them) because the first time I tried using a cup, it was so horrible I deemed it not worth it (way too tricky to put in and then getting it out was somehow worse, did not feel comfortable in my body, stressed about overflow and spills so wound up wearing a liner which I also hate, etc. etc.).

But this sounds worse somehow? Basically, I would like to avoid any situation that has me digging around in my vagina trying to remove something while I'm on my period. I don't want to spend 30 minutes removing my period device! Even if it's only once a day.

This is the one aspect of menopause I look forward to -- no more periods. Our grandmothers had it right. It really is The Curse!

I will say this is my third cycle using the disc and the first time I feel like it will really work for me. The cup I tried for several months before that. It is a frustrating process. You spend $30+ on a device that may or may not work. When one doesn't work, it's hard to decide how much more money and time to spend and what to spend it on. I was really motivated by my hatred for tampons, so there is that. It also helped me a lot to be able to WFH at least some days to give more time to experiment at home, and I get that isn't something everyone can do. But now that it is really working for me it is great. And I agree with the poster that said perimenopause makes the flow heavier and makes tampons even more of a pain to use.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not squeamish at all, especially about womens health stuff, but having my hand come out of me looking like I just stabbed someone on heavy days is not okay if I’m in a public restroom. Also not okay because it’s too easy to get blood on your clothes or the floor.

That's exactly the beauty of autodumping for me. I never have to take it out except first thing in the morning and before bed. And it's not that messy when I do because it's not that full.

Assuming it autodumps, which is not a built in feature but just something that sometimes happens for some people depending on anatomy. I feel like we went through this with cups, too. For some people, cups aren't that hard to put in or get out, and don't leak. For other people, they are a bear to insert and remove and they leak every single time.

And it's the same with IUDs, which have also been mentioned on this thread. For some people, they solve all their problems -- reliable birth control, stops your period, don't even notice it. For others, insertion is very painful, it never feels comfortable, AND they continue to have periods.

It's great to find something that works for you but be careful how you proselytize because everyone's body is different and there's no guarantee the next woman will have the same experience as you.

I have literally posted this exact same sentiment, more than once, above on this thread. I completely agree with you that discs don't work for everyone. I'm sorry that sharing my own experience and happiness about that came across to you as "proselytizing".

Anonymous wrote:I clicked on this thread out of interest -- I still just used tampons (and hate them) because the first time I tried using a cup, it was so horrible I deemed it not worth it (way too tricky to put in and then getting it out was somehow worse, did not feel comfortable in my body, stressed about overflow and spills so wound up wearing a liner which I also hate, etc. etc.).

But this sounds worse somehow? Basically, I would like to avoid any situation that has me digging around in my vagina trying to remove something while I'm on my period. I don't want to spend 30 minutes removing my period device! Even if it's only once a day.

This is the one aspect of menopause I look forward to -- no more periods. Our grandmothers had it right. It really is The Curse!

Girl. Peri menopause is heavy duty bleeding. Or is for me and I thought I was a heavy bleeder before. A tampon would not work. The disc or cup plus Thinx is the way. They get easier to position as you go. You just hook a finger to break seal with disc. No digging. It’s easier to seat than the cup.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not squeamish at all, especially about womens health stuff, but having my hand come out of me looking like I just stabbed someone on heavy days is not okay if I’m in a public restroom. Also not okay because it’s too easy to get blood on your clothes or the floor.

That's exactly the beauty of autodumping for me. I never have to take it out except first thing in the morning and before bed. And it's not that messy when I do because it's not that full.

Assuming it autodumps, which is not a built in feature but just something that sometimes happens for some people depending on anatomy. I feel like we went through this with cups, too. For some people, cups aren't that hard to put in or get out, and don't leak. For other people, they are a bear to insert and remove and they leak every single time.

And it's the same with IUDs, which have also been mentioned on this thread. For some people, they solve all their problems -- reliable birth control, stops your period, don't even notice it. For others, insertion is very painful, it never feels comfortable, AND they continue to have periods.

It's great to find something that works for you but be careful how you proselytize because everyone's body is different and there's no guarantee the next woman will have the same experience as you.

Anonymous wrote:I was using a cup for a while and it was fine, but not amazing. I decided to try a disc instead. It took a couple of cycles to understand how to use it. At first I believed it would not work for me. But now, this is just amazing. It's so easy to insert. I can feel it, but it's not uncomfortable. On my heavy days, it autodumps when I use the bathroom so it never gets too full. No more smelly tampons or pads. I love it. It is like magic.

Back in the day, I used to use my diaphragm for this reason before cups became common.

Good thread. I learned about cups from DCUM and they were LIFE CHANGERS!

If you have used both, how is a disc different than a cup?

Anonymous wrote:I am not squeamish at all, especially about womens health stuff, but having my hand come out of me looking like I just stabbed someone on heavy days is not okay if I’m in a public restroom. Also not okay because it’s too easy to get blood on your clothes or the floor.

That's exactly the beauty of autodumping for me. I never have to take it out except first thing in the morning and before bed. And it's not that messy when I do because it's not that full.

I am not squeamish at all, especially about womens health stuff, but having my hand come out of me looking like I just stabbed someone on heavy days is not okay if I’m in a public restroom. Also not okay because it’s too easy to get blood on your clothes or the floor.