A few months ago I had a LEEP procedure done, and since then I am happy to say that I have had one normal Pap!
Obviously, since the experience I have tried my best to maintain good vaginal health, and good health in general.
One concern that I have seen a couple of posts on is the safety of tampons after a leep or cone procedure. I was wondering if anyone knows if the menstrual cups (Divacup, Mooncup, Instead, Lunette, Miacup are some popular brands) are more safe to use for vaginal health? Has anyone used them before? What are people's opinions? I know that environmental activists have been pushing for people to use them because of the lack of waste produced, but haven't heard anything about health benefits/disadvantages.
For those who are not familiar with the menstrual cup, it is a flexible cup that you insert during your menstruation that catches the blood. Every few hours you are supposed to empty it and reinsert it. It is reusable for future cycles.
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Menstrual Cups
- By snowday85
- Posted July 23, 2009 at 12:38 pm · 8 replies
- In Health challenges after treatment
- Shared with the public
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- By CR-MomOfThree
- Posted July 23, 2009 at 10:40 pm
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Congrats on the normal pap!
I have not used the menstrual cups, though I have seen them. I think the concern about the tampons is just that having any foreign objects inserted in your vagina can irritate your cervix, and make it more susceptible to infections. It would probably be the same concern for the cups.
- By chamomile
- Posted July 23, 2009 at 10:47 pm
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I've seen the cups, but never used them. I would fear spilling it on myself at work or something. Also, the thought of reusing something sounds unsanitary to me.
- By Faith2
- Posted July 25, 2009 at 12:30 am
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Hi Snowday,
I remember menstrual cups from the 70s! I wasn't crazy about them - leakage during removal and messy during insertion, especially w/heavy periods. I don't know if there's any connection to toxic shock syndrome w/cup use, similar to tampons - I imagine frequent changing would decrease risk of infection.
- By pepsicolarocks
- Posted July 26, 2009 at 1:49 am
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I loved the menstraul cups!! I had to quit using them due to a latex allergy, but the ones I used were disposable. To anyone who has never seen or used one before, they look a lot like a diaphragm and once you learn to insert them properly, they're great! However, seeing how you are only a couple of months post LEEP, I would definitely not recommend using these, without getting your doctor's permission, first. Congrats on your normal pap and thanks for the info. I thought they had quit making them. I'll have to check them out to see if they are now making any that don't contain the latex.
- By snowday85
- Posted July 26, 2009 at 2:28 am
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Yep they still make them! I talked to a friend who is a big proponent of the cups and said that most of them now use silicon instead of latex, which makes them reusable. Also, as far as sanitary goes, the silicon ones can be boiled between each month to kill all bacteria.
The whole thing seems to follow the same concept as a diaphragm- so I guess if a diaphragm can keep sperm out, then maybe the cup won't leak. My friend seems to like it a lot.
I was concerned about tampons because of any chemicals being used. Good point about the contact with the cervix CR-MomofThree. For some reason I didn't even think about that, and was only thinking about the toxins in tampons.
- By aaangie
- Posted July 26, 2009 at 10:38 am
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I got a mooncup a couple of years ago and i loved it! .
It is a bit awkward first couple of times until you get used to it and it can be messy, so i just made sure i always had wipes on me. Sometimes on the first night of a period i'd use a pad also.
I stopped getting the headaches and tiredness that always seemed to come with a period.
- By cupcakes
- Posted September 5, 2009 at 2:14 am
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I know this is an older post but I was lookin around a drugstore website and came across the DivaCup so I've been researching it. In the FAQ at divacup.com they say the cup sits in lower part of the vagina about two inches below the cervix and shouldn't be in contact with the cervix. It says they can be worn 12 hours before they need to be removed and washed(seems to long to me!) an increased risk of TSS is not aassociated with the cups but they do mention TSS and it's syptoms. Moon cups site states they do not absorb or interfere with protective vaginal secretions like tampons do.
Anyway I just thought I would share that. I'm still not sure if I want to give them a try or not.
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