Instead SoftCup
 

Any brave souls out there try this? I used the Keeper for years but it wore out and decided to go to tampons again. I just saw these advertised. Please tell me I'm not the only sort-of hippie out there! :shake:

I used them on my last cycle. I'm not too sure about them. It took a few tries to get it inserted correctly and sure was nice not having to think about it for awhile. The one drawback- it was extremely messy to removed! Ick, ick, ick!

Because it fits like a cervical cap or diaphragm, it's tricky to insert and messy to remove. it's a good option if you don't want to wash/reuse a cup/sponge.

I know. That's what I hated about the keeper, especially if I had to remove it in a public restroom. Having a water bottle helped but it was still a hassle. I tried to time things so I was always home.

Anyway, just looking for a 'greener' option. Thanks ladies!

I've used them and like them, but most of the time, I use cloth pads. I just wash them when my cycle's done. :)

I have used them, as long as my periods at the end or the very beginning it's not that icky to remove. I have never had any leaking with them either. Now that my periods are very heavy I don't use them as my first choice.

I've tried them but found them uncomfortable and messy. I've heard a lot of great things about diva cup though.

Two words: DIVA & CUP

I've used mine for years. LOVE it and can't imagine using anything else!!

Diva cup girl here, too! Love it.

:high5:

Hey Amy! ;)

I was going to say, I LOVE my diva cup!
Ive used it for.. 2 years now and like Amy, cant imagine using anything else.
I will admit.. i didnt happen right away.. initially i fought with it, made a huge mess, wouldnt leave the house with it in in case it leaked and even gave up on it due to accidents, threw it back in the cabinet and went back to tampons.. but eventually tried again, got it right and its just nature to me now :)
I have an almost 15 year old who im going to attempt to sway over soon..:)
All i use is a few pantyliners each month.

I LOVE the Instead cup and have been using it for (yikes) decades now. I can't use tampons, they won't stay in place and give me terrible cramps; so before Instead I used pads only. Instead is way better.

There is a learning curve, though, but I think that's true of all products.

Personally:

I use one cup per cycle - rinsing it out and putting it back in. In a pinch (public bathroom, for example), you can just wipe it out with TP.
My flow is heavy the first 2 days and I need to empty the cup every 2-3 hours or so. On lighter days I can go much longer without emptying.
To kind of pre-empty the cup before you pull it out, bear down a bit while you pee - this will push out some of the contents and make it less messy to pull out.
I back it up with a pad at night and a mini-pad during the day - if it overflows it's fairly disasterous to clothes and bedding.

I've never tried the Diva cup, so I can't compare, but I know the Diva sits in the area you'd have a tampon, while the Instead fits like a diaphragm, right up against the cervix. You can't feel it. You can even leave it in during sexytimes - no mess no fuss. :o:laugh:

I have a tipped uterus and the one time I tried to use it, it was a complete and utter failure. I couldn't get my biology to play nice with the cup.

I use tampons and cloth pads now. Easy peasy!

I tried the Diva Cup a few years ago and stopped because I found THAT too messy for me (especially in a public restroom). I'm easily icked out by my own bodily fluids. I don't even like tampons and use pads exclusively. I wish the cups worked out better for me!

Thanks for the replies, everyone. :)

I use the diva cup and really like it, except for my heavier days. I also don't like changing it in a public bathroom so on the heavy days, when it needs to be changed often, and I'm going to be out a lot, I don't use it. I have used instead before and it wasn't as good as the diva cup. I have mostly used instead when I wanted to have sex but had my period, it works really well in that case.

See, ive managed to time the emptying of the Diva Cup with showers. I usually bleed heavy for 2 days, medium for 2 and light for 1 and im done so the first two days, I shower first thing in the AM and then again at lunch after my workouts..shower again at night before bed and never any leaks :)

Good lord, I'm lucky to get one shower a day, let alone three! :stars:

Aahh...only the first 3-4 days of TOM..not all month ;).

On my heavy days the diva cup needs emptying about once an hour.

I used the Instead Cup one time over 10 years ago. I will never use it again, because I have a really heavy flow alot of times and I had a disasterous experience...ALLL over the place, but luckily not on my ex's friend's white leather couch. I lucked out there!

I adore the Diva Cup I use! I've saved a small fortune on tampons since then, and I find that I'm able to go longer in between bathroom breaks with it since I have the normal sized one and not the petite :jumpjoy:

I personally didn't find the disposable sorts to be comfortable at all, but Diva Cup is fantastic! :)

For those that didn't like the messyness of the instead, try the femmy cycle. My sister just bought one and loves it, the shape is different so it doesn't leak like other cups

I love them and hate that they are so hard to find sometimes. They are messy to remove but so much nicer than constantly changing a tampon when it's the first/second day.

As long as we're being TMI, I have heard you can have sex with them in...never was brave enough to try though!