Mooncup an alternative to tampons and sanitary towels
By nancyrowina
@nancyrowina (3850)
September 8, 2007 10:07am CST
I first heard about mooncups a few years ago and finally bought one this summer at the WOMAD festival and have started using it, for those of you who don't know the mooncup is an alternative sanitary protection product you re-use it's a silicone cup that collects menstrual fluid rather than absorbing it, you remove it empty it wash it and reinsert it. They last for years so you save money and it's also far more environmentally friendly than tampons and towels which take up space on landfill sites, cause pollution being incinerated or float around in the sea, yuck!
When I first heard of them I thought it must be un-hygienic and even dangerous but it was explained to me that Tampons cause Toxic shock syndrome because they stop your menstrual flow causing a build up of bacteria, but The mooncup doesn't because it doesn't absorb the fluid like a Tampon does it collects it. The mooncup has been in use since the 30's and no one has ever got Toxic Shock Syndrome from using it. You clean it by boiling it for 5 minutes before the first use, washing it in warm water with mild soap and rinsing it each time you empty it, and I think I'll boil it for 5 minutes at the end of each period too just to be safe. You can use it while you are out and about too just take a small bottle of water for rinsing it when emptying it.
I was also shocked by the size of it when I first saw it but you fold it to insert it and it's surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it.
I'm so happy never to have to buy tampons again I just had to post on here about it, sorry to all the men who's stomachs may have been turned by all the talk about womens things but it needed to be done. I recommend it to all women if we all used them there would be no more tampons in the sea and an end to all those annoying adverts for tampons and towels we all have to endure every day.
For more info and answers to questions you may have check out their website here. http://www.mooncup.co.uk/wc.php?u=1557
8 people like this
12 responses
@suspenseful (40192)
• Canada
8 Sep 07
I am way past the stage, but I remembered when we had to use pads, and had to buy something to put around our waist and clamp them in. Later there were tampons, and I changed mine often, but did not know that bacteria would gather in that short of time. I had scarring of my tubes, and perhaps that might have contributed to it. I gather I was considered high risk. Had these been available in my day, it would have perhaps saved me money, and had been more healthful. I would have had to use a hypoallergenic soap since I am allergic to chemical perfumes. It is amazing how things have improved since when I was younger.
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
8 Sep 07
Well Nancy, I have never heard of that one before - very interesting. Have to say that personally, I don't fancy the idea - even though I usually support anything natural that helps the environment. I am a tampax girl myself - always have been! I could never use towels or pads because the idea of them just makes me feel a little sick (LOL!), and the idea of this mooncup tends to have the same effect on me! Just collecting all the fluids and then having to dispose of them - ugh! With a tampax you can just remove it and flush it away without having to look at it - LOL! Yes - I am squeamish! It is a very interesting idea though, and thanks for bringing it to our attenton. You learn something new everyday on myLot!
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
8 Sep 07
You do have to be OK with the sight of the fluid and inserting fingers into that area etc to be able to use it so it's not for everyone. It's taken years for me to actually pluck up the courage buy one and try it, it's much easier to use than I thought though.
@rosie_123 (6113)
•
8 Sep 07
Well good luck with it! I do commend your environmental awareness too!
1 person likes this
@Galena (9110)
•
12 Sep 07
see once you're used to it, a menstrual cup is just removing it, tipping it, and flushing it away.
to me the process is much cleaner.
poss TMI.
the blood stays blood coloured, rather than looking nasty and stale.
looking back, Tampons seem really gross and make me squeamish.
1 person likes this
@Stiletto (4579)
•
8 Sep 07
Yes I've started using mooncups too and they are effective. I always used Tampons before but it finally registered with me when I went for a walk along the beach and spied the occasional tampon washed up on the shoreline I was contributing to that sort of pollution. Of course it's more effort and a bit messy. Probably not for the squeamish but there again it's your own body - it's not like you're having to do it for someone else ... eeeuuww what a thought lol!
2 people like this
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
8 Sep 07
Yes changing someone else's mooncup doesn't bear thinking about lol. The money I'll be saving is comforting too as well as the huge drop in pollution I'm creating. I can't find the statistic right now but it said somewhere in the literature I got with the mooncup how many pads and tampons a woman uses in her lifetime and it was mind boggling.
1 person likes this
@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
8 Sep 07
It's really cool that you are using them and it's working out for you.
But I don't think I could use them. I would take a lot of convincing before I did. Just can't stand the thought LOL. But then again I don't use tampons either.
I tried using the Nova Ring and couldn't do that. I'm funny that way I guess LOL.
2 people like this

@GnosticGoddess (5626)
• United States
8 Sep 07
That part is really appealing :) I guess it's the whole sticking things in there if you know what I mean.
2 people like this
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
8 Sep 07
It took me a long time to try it but I'm glad I have now and will never go back to tampons. I agree the thought of a re-useable sanitary product made me feel weird but you can clean it thoroughly and apparently no one has ever got ill from using one and they've been in use for nearly 100 years.
2 people like this

@Galena (9110)
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12 Sep 07
glad you've finally made the switchover. it's so worth it.
I've been using mine, probably about 5 years now, and I just can't imagine ever using a tampon again.
mooncup is comfier, safer, more reliable, cheaper, more environmentally friendly, more convenient, cleaner, healthier and just better in every way.
2 people like this
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
13 Sep 07
I found it more comfortable and reliable than I thought it doesn't leak at all and doesn't cause any dryness.
1 person likes this
@tdbrower1969 (1242)
• United States
9 Sep 07
This is the first time that I have heard of mooncups. It is an interesting concept, but I am afraid that it would not be for me. It is just the idea that makes me unsettled. I think it is great that it is so environmentally safe, but I still don't think I could use one. To have to empty, clean and insert it would just not be my thing.
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
9 Sep 07
It's not as bad as you'd think it tells you in the instructions how to remove it without spilling it, then you just give it a quick rinse and put it back in.
1 person likes this
@ESKARENA1 (18260)
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8 Sep 07
well, i guess before i stopped i used a moon cup for about 10 years and you are so right, they are so much better than tampons
blessed be
2 people like this
@nancyrowina (3850)
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8 Sep 07
I've noticed already the area doesn't feel as dry and uncomfortable as it did when I was using tampons and my bathroom bin isn't filling up with smelly bundles of nastiness.
1 person likes this
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
10 Sep 07
I'm contemplating alternative menstrual products myself and I can't quite come up with a choice that I really enjoy. I've thought about using cloth pads, because I've heard iffy things about some of the menstrual cups. I really like the idea of not having to buy things every month and not having to throw large quantities of products away at the end of a cycle. I'm glad you have posted this though because it's got me thinking again.
1 person likes this
@saigonwarrior (1331)
• United States
9 Sep 07
I did read about the mooncups a few years ago. I would like to try it, but I have had TSS and was afraid to. I haven't been able to wear tampons in years because they make me deathly ill. I am not sure mooncups are an option for me, but they would save so much money. I have a friend that has 4 daughters..lol..wow! could you imagine the savings if she used these? I am going to send her the link. Thank you!
@nancyrowina (3850)
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9 Sep 07
Sadly it does say don't use it if you have had TSS though they say no oe has ever got TSS from using A Mooncup it's better to be safe than sorry. Yes it would save a lot of money for a household full of women over the years if they all used them.
1 person likes this
@liquorice (3887)
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28 Aug 09
Hello, I've just started using one and I've also been raving about it! It's just made that time of the month so much easier for me, with all the benefits that you've mentioned, plus, for me, there's also no more monthly panic that I haven't got enough tampons in the house.
I'm so happy that I never have to spend any more money on those horrible things, and I wish that I'd found out about it many many years ago! 
I'm so happy that I never have to spend any more money on those horrible things, and I wish that I'd found out about it many many years ago! 
1 person likes this
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
28 Aug 09
You do save a lot of money and it's much easier to use than it looks once you get used to it.













