So, my third day on the cup went well, that is, until I managed to drop it in the toilet.
I'm not surprised that this happened considering  how the rest of the week has gone.  I put the cup in boiling water for about 20 min, but I think it's clean.  I'm still a little freaked out though...

Does this happen to you guys at all?

Hi, I am teen that uses a cup. I'm going on school camping trip/canoe trip. I will be camping for 4 days three nights, and have access to 3 toilets. (There are about 30 girls, so theres generally a long line.) For one of the days, I will have to canoe 13 miles with no access to any facilities (besides the woods.) At home/school I just rinse my cup out in the sink. (Theres an individual BR in school..so it's really not an issue.) So I have a few questions:

1. What's the quickest/most effective way to clean your cup? (I don't think I'm coordinated enough to do the wate rbottle trick. I'd probably end up missing the cup and dropping it in the toilet.)

2. Any ideas on how to clean my cup riverside? Keep in mind that I'd have to probably have to keep it in my pocket because we might tip. (At least that's what happened last yr.)

3. Is there an easy way to wash the blood off your hands from using the cup? Handsanitzer doesn't do anything in my experience.

4. Any other general camping with cup or cleaning advice?

Thanks!

I'll try to keep this short and snappy: I left my (latex rubber) Keeper in for more than 12 hours and now it smells awful. I've tried soaking it and scrubbing it using soap, cetaphil, bi-carb, water, vinegar and nothing seems to have helped at all. It seems that the material of the cup rules out a lot of things that people with silicone cups use to get rid of smells and I have a feeling that the bad smell is mixing with the latex smell and creating an even worse smell.

While I like the idea of my latex cup being biodegradable, I'm starting to wonder if having a silicone cup would be a lot less hassle in terms of smell removal?

I was looking at a cup comparison guide earlier and noticed that the Miacup looks to be a very similar shape to the Keeper and I must say that I'm rather taken by the colour, has anyone used both the Keeper and the Miacup and have any comments?

I'm also a bit confused about sizing, as the small Miacup is quite a bit smaller than the small Keeper. I'm wondering if I should just get a small one anyway, since I've only used the Keeper for one cycle and being 20 and nulliparous, the small Mia is the size recommended for me..

Thanks in advance for any help or anecdotes

I remember seeing a specific brand comparison by someone who had all the different cups that focused on "softness". I really loved my Mooncup UK, but alas it fell on the Amtrak bathroom floor and did not feel that even a good boiling would help much. I am interested in purchasing another one, but wouldn't mind giving a different brand a try. The one issue I had with the Mooncup UK was that it was too stiff and could feel it inside me; albeit minimally, it was still so weird. Refresh my memory, which cup is the softest?

Another question I had, is I noticed that couple of the cups (namely the Lunette) had a flat, solid stem. For the girls that have tried the hollow and the solid, which do you prefer and why? Does the solid make it any easier to remove? I really like the ridges on the Diva and Mooncup UK; they made it SOOOO much easier to remove!

Anyway, I'm just having a hard time compiling the wealth of information into what I'm looking for. In the short of it, I want something that is smaller, softer, and has ridges on the base and stem!

( another question, kind of off topic, but maybe some one has advice about cleaning the cup whilst traveling )

I've seen several mentions here of people abandoning cups because the holes were too difficult to clean.
I just came up with a brilliant idea (that works on my Keeper Mooncup at least and should work on similar shaped cups as well)

Given that the holes go all the way through the cup and that it's slightly squeezable --

Fill your cup with water, place your palm on top and flip over so your hand is on the bottom and the cup is upside-down on top (but keep your hand up against it so the water cannot come out) NOW SQUEEZE!! Water shoots out the holes..

Obviously, you wouldn't want to attempt this in a public restroom as you'd be getting blood all over the place, but I'm sure its great for cleaning at home and between uses!

----------

On a completely unrelated note, I'm taking the plunge sometime this weekend (whenever it rears its ugly head...)

I snipped the remaining 7mm of my Mooncup stem off the other day, as I knew I never used it to remove the cup so I thought I might as well... however I didn't consider for a second how much I used the stem for putting the cup in!  I tug on it etc to check the seal and when I tried using it stemless (just a little nub left) it was kinda hard to do!  D'oh!  Has anyone else done this (realising they were wrong to snip, not snipping in itself)?  Did you get used to it?

I'm using my new Lunette today, but I'll probably switch to my Mooncup UK (B) this evening as it'll be the start of the last 36 hours of my period and the Lunette will be overkill (and I still want to use my Mooncup because I *do* love it) so hopefully I'll get used to it stemless!

I'm getting on well with my Lunette.  It arrived yesterday lunchtime when I'd been on for 24 hours.  I was worried by the seemingly-vast size (I got the bigger cup for the capacity) when I saw it, but I just put it out of my mind, boiled it and tried... it worked first time (7 fold) without much discomfort going in.  I found it slightly harder to fold than my Mooncup, but the firmness meant that it popped open a bit quicker - more of a forceful pop than the Mooncup but not uncomfortable.  I got a seal first time.  It's very comfortable and I like the flat stem as it's not jabbing me at all I think it's a better design for comfort and ease of cleaning.

I kept it in 8 hours before my first emptying which is getting on for twice as long as with my Mooncup during the second day - I only emptied it because it had started to leak (just a drop but I felt it and went to empty).  When I looked I saw that it was only just past the first measuring line so I don't think it would've leaked except the position I was in (slouched on the sofa with my laptop on my tummy and my legs up on the back of the sofa) caused it to lose its seal somehow and I noticed when I stood up.  The same thing happens sometimes with the Mooncup.

I emptied it again just before bed (2am) to be sure, and then this morning I hadn't had any leaks at all.  I was up to just past the first line again.  After I had emptied and washed my cup I got my Mooncup out of the cabinet and filled my Lunette with water to the point it was at and emptied it into the Mooncup - it came up to the holes!  

Breaking the seal has been much harder than the Mooncup because it's longer, less squishy, and takes up more room; so it's more difficult to reach to hook a finger or thumb over the rim, but I've not had any pain on removal as I've used folded it to remove it like with the Mooncup.

The very smooth inside of the cup is nice from a hygiene point of view, BUT I've found a couple of times that the angle I'm holding the cup at causes the water to bounce straight out like a fountain (luckily not going all over me or the floor!) without filling it up!  So I'm going to have to be careful of the angle.

I'm now really really really REALLY excited about Shark Week coming around again so I can work out exactly how often I need to empty on each day - I'm hoping I might be able to empty just 4 times on the first day which will be a huge improvement from every 2 hours with my Mooncup!   I might even take a pencil and paper into the bathroom and make a chart for future reference!

Hey kids!  I've been using my Mooncup (UK) since, oh, probably February or so and generally I like it.  I got it in part because I wasn't really feeling satisfied with tampons, and didn't think my laundry situation lended itself well to cloth pads (which I would like to include in my monthly routine in some way, though!).  The other reason was to minimize waste as I'm interested in altering my environmental footprint (obviously using a re-usable menstrual product isn't the only thing in my life that I've altered to meet this goal).

But I don't think I am minimizing waste- in fact, I think that when I remove, rinse, mash around with toilet paper, and re-insert my cup, I waste loads of water and end up flushing a lot of toilet paper anyway- I almost want to say that I may as well be using disposables!  The worst offender is that usually when I take out my cup, there's like this mucus-ey string hanging out of me that needs removal. 

Do any of you have any cool cup cleanup techniques to share with me?  I'm looking to make handling my cup during use as clean and efficient as possible!

ETA:  Thanks for all your feedback (and keep it comin' if you're late to the party!), it's reassuring to be reminded that my menstrual practices aren't as wasteful as they can seem to me when I'm in the thick of it when it's all gone a bit messy, and there's some good stuff to try in here too!

I have decided for various reasons to buy a cup. I'm expecting AF Wednesday or Thursday, but I won't be able to get a cup until Saturday when I go to Birmingham. I figured I would jump start everything by using the instead cup until then. I'm very excited, but I have a few questions. I have already tried a dry run for the instead, and although it was short, it was comfortable and actually easy to get out, but it felt like the cup part pulled up, so I would think it would spill a lot on taking it out. I also plan on using the Instead for sex, and I'm concerned about the cup shifting since my guy isn't exactly small. Has anyone had issues with either of these? I have never been heavy enough to need the towel, but I don't exactly like having to see blood all over us when we finish which would be the only reason I would use it.

I will be getting the Divacup next Saturday. I'm extremely excited and I want to be able to start with it straight away. Is there any quick way to clean it before use away from home? I want to know if I should get the large or the small size. I am younger than 30, no kids, but I do have a heavy flow sometimes, and as I've stated before, my guy isn't small so I don't know if that should factor in at all in choosing a size.

Thanks to anyone who helps me out. I'm so excited for this period to come so I can try it all out.

Thanks to everyone's suggestions here, I finally can say I'm converted.  I have a lunette, larger size, and it has taken me at least 6 or 7 cycles to get it to work for me.   I have a little more determination than most I think, but to those of you who are ready to give up after a month or two, don't!  Try to work through each problem and you'll find something that works.  I just want to post the few things that were key to making it work for me, hopefully it will help someone else.

1.  Folds.  I found pictures on this community of the various folds.  The c-fold that comes with the package is so not comfortable.  I use the punch down fold.

2.  Know your cervix.  Someone here made the point that the cervix should be in or at least above the cup.  I was having ridiculous leakage, so I decided to learn how to find my cervix.  Now, I check it's position periodically during my cycle, and "aim"  for that with the cup when I insert it.   I've also learned to feel around the cup to make sure my cervix isn't sticking out.  I couldn't do this at first though.  This helped me with positioning and took care of the major leakage problems.

3.  Itchiness/Burning.  I was getting an itchy/burny feeling around the entrance to my vagina, a few days into my period.  It was not yeast, and I finally ruled out that it wasn't irritation from insertion.  It didn't matter how diligently I washed my hands and cup, or what soap I used.   I had this problem even on the month I went without the cup (I had an IUD inserted that month and since the first IUD I had expelled on it's own, I didn't want to take any chances of aggravating it the first month.)  The non-cup month I still had my hand up there checking for the IUD strings every other day (I was paranoid about it expelling again), and that seemed to be enough to cause the itchiness.   I finally decided it must be an imbalance of bacteria and I stumbled on a solution.  I had a squeeze bottle of water, to which I added a 5-10 drops of a concoction I had on hand.  The concotion is called Advantage liquid concentrate from Wisdom of the Ages.  The ingredients are Distilled Water, Citrus Seed Extract (Grape seed I believe), green tea, and jasmine tea.  It is supposed to have antibacterial/antifungal properties.  I was using the mixture in the bottle to rinse my cup before reinserting it, but one night I was so uncomfortable I decided to give myself a little rinse with the bottle.  I woke up the next morning and the itchiness was GONE.  I was ecstatic.  Now, I rinse the cup and myself with the bottle whenever I empty the cup at home and I have no more discomfort.  I've also found that the rinsing after inserting the cup helps remove any residual blood around the cup without having to use lots of over-drying toilet paper.  This helps reduce spotting.

I'm now a happy convert to the cup, though I still have trouble with my lunette beginning to leak any time the contents reach the lowest measuring line.  I'm thinking the angle at which the cup sits causes the contents to spill over when it reaches a certain fullness.  Any suggestions that might get me a little longer between emptying on heavy flow days?  When I remove the cup, it sure sounds like it's "sealed", but that doesn't seem to stop the spillage.  Also, my activities don't seem to have any effect one way or the other, like if I'm lying down or really active.

I'm tempted to try the Lady Cup (larger size), thinking the softer material might be easier inserting and removing.  And since I can't seem to actually use the full capacity of the lunette, I wouldn't really be giving that up.  Anyone tried both the Lunette and the Lady Cup?  Any comments one way or the other?

Good luck to new cup converts and thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

Hi to all!

First day at this community and as a user of DivaCup, I actually received today by mail. My period was 12 days soon, that means that I haven't had the opportunity to do a "test run": I'm giving it a REAL try xD. Well, I'm not used to it yet, it seems I have had some problems with inserting it and I don't get to have the thing inside correctly, but well, I'm not worrying already, I have read a lot on menstrual cups and I know that it's odd to start on my period days.

My first question is related cleaning. As I have read everywhere, it is recommended to wash my hands and the cup with warm/hot water. Is it really important? I mean, now it's summer and I'm not worried since cold water is actually pretty warm xD. But when winter arrives, I'm a bit afraid this becomes a problem. We don't have a really hard winter, we never reach 0ºC, but water is still cold and it takes around 10 minutes to get the water warmer work. That's too much time and too much water and gas wasted and I'm not very happy with that idea :/

Last question is about boiling. I have also read that many of you buy a pan only to boil the cup. I was thinking in using just a normal pad, of course after cleaning very well the pad, and also the pan itself after boiling. We're talking about normal pans here, like, the same that I'll use to warm milk, for example. Is there any danger? I live with my boyfriend and his parents, even if I boil the cup for long enough, clean it propertly before boiling it and of course clean the pan after, would it still be... like... "appropiate"?

And that's it ^_^. I've found this community REALLY helpful, I must thank you all for all the experiences and advices. And thanks also in advance for the help. I suppose I'll post again when I get used to my Diva :)

Kisses!
*Ami*

P.S.: I'm really sorry if my English has any mistakes >< I hope everything is understandable though.

Hi,

I am just wondering as a lot of people boil their cups.... is there anyone who rinses/soaks their cup with cold water first before sterilising it and has never experienced stains?

I have a technique for cleaning the holes that's a less messy variation on the "fill it with water, hold your hand against the top, then squeeze" method. I've thought of posting it before, but I've had trouble figuring out a decent way to explain it.

Fill your bathroom sink with about half an inch to an inch (around 2 cm) of water. Put the top of your cup against the side of the sink. Move the cup down so that the top is under the water, against the bottom of the sink. Squeeze the cup. When you squeeze the cup, air bubbles will be forced out of the holes, and that will remove anything that's clogging them.

I use a small Diva, so I don't know if it'll work the same for the other cups, but for me this technique works better than the standard one.

so, i just got my pretty pink (it was worth the extra $5) ladycup, and put it in (easy!) and wore it for a full day (couldn't feel anything!!! amazing!) as a test run . . . it seemed sealed, all was well, but it was a test run (i don't have my period right now) . . . .

if it works as well as it seems it's going to, i plan to tell every girlfriend i have about cups! why don't more people use them????

of course, my only slight fear/question is:

i bought some pads (which i haven't used for years) to wear the first days i use the cup while i have my period, in case of leaks. when/if they leak, do they leak like a tampon or do they, well, dump out all of the blood? if so, would a pad be able to absorb it all? i can't imagine that they could leak that much, it would be tragic and hugely embarrassing . . . just want to check so i know what to plan for.

also, what do you do if you need to change it in a bathroom stall? how does that work?

also, cleaning - you have to boil it post-period, correct? (for the silicone) . . . but during, can you wash with soap and water?

thanks! again, i think i'm going to love the cup, seems amazing thus far!

ps - thanks for everyone who applied to my post with advice about which kind of cup to get - i read a lot of posts and settled on ladycup in a size small - i'm 33, no children, thin, with light flow. it seems to fit well. i bought directly from ladycup - may be a bit more $, but they offer free exchanges if you accidentally bought the  wrong size . . . .

I have a question for those of you who use the Milton Sterilisation Tablets.  I live in the US and have no experience with these tablets - do you use the full 5L of water to sterilize your cup?  That's what the directions say but that's a ton of water to use for a small cup!  Do you break the tablet in half or fourths or do you just use it full strength?

I didn't want to use a whole tablet if it would harm my cup (Pink Lady cup).

Thanks!
 

Hello ladies! I got my LadyCup last cycle and I must say, this community's been amazingly helpful. You all are awesome.

So, question. I was just gifted with this stuff. It's Sonoma "Pure Honey" soap and it's labeled "100% Pure Vegetable Glycerin."
Is it cup-safe (for washing with), or should I stick with using Dove? (Or is Dove not good either?)

//Mmkay, consensus seems to be that glycerin -> yeasties. Will be avoiding that, then. Thanks, all!

I thought I would give my opinion about the keeper if anyone is interested!
I have been using the rubber keeper for 15 years. I got it from Canada, at the time it cost me about $80 -100 nzd from this website: http://manymoonsalternatives.com/ it arrived on time, and I never had a problem with the service. I have bought a second one after 10 years, and only cos I was stupid enough to drop my other in the toilet...

I've never used a silicon one and went for the rubber because it seemed more 'natural' and biodegradeable in the end. Obviously I'm not allergic to rubber. The cup has been fantastic, I have leaked once or twice after several hours, but I see my cup has a 13ml capacity compared to 20+ for others [thanks wikipedia]! My boyfriend has even managed to have sex with me with my keeper in and it never leaked then!

I used to have terrible problems with tamps - causing heavier, longer bleeding, cramps and that was when I could get them in! I am sure that whilst there may be a link to endometriosis, I would rather risk that than a monthly injection of man-made fibres and chemicals which could lead to infertility / cervical cancer [we all know the links about chemicals and cancer right? So why practically main line them directly into your body?] I would also say that my sister has endo and used tamps, while I used the keeper and don't! Also when you think of how much I spent on a keeper, it pretty much paid for itself in one year of not buying tamps so it was a bargain when you think how long it took before I bought another [that second one cost me £20].

I bought the smaller size when I started using in my 20's and when I got the new one, I went for the same size. I'm over 30, never had kids and never had a problem inserting / getting the cup to open and as I said I'm sure the couple of leaks were capacity related. I think that with regards to there being only 2 sizes for over a certain age / childbirth that if you are a small person like me you might want to go for the smaller size if you are over 30 and have trouble with the larger one opening after insertion, go for one that has a money-back guarantee.

I checked out a Diva Cup that my colleague got after I recommended the cup to her. I did not like it much, it seemed much stiffer than my keeper...which might have something to do with another users cracking?

I've never boiled my keeper, but wash it in vinegar and hot water or mild anti-bac soap. I would not use tea tree oil as oils act like solvents and can degrade the cup [unless you make a spray of a couple of drops of oil mix with vodka and then add water - the vodka disperses the oil properly]. I've never had trouble with infections or smells coming from the cup! However it does change colour over time and I could see why people might choose silicon over rubber as it looks 'cleaner'.

I have experienced a 'pressure' on my bladder but nothing serious which I don't find a deterrent from using the cup.

I am thinking of trying the lunette as a back-up, and also I want to get one for my step-neice when she starts her periods. I have recommended the cups to all my friends and they have all got them and loved them!

Hey Ladies!

I just have a quick question for you all. I took a look through the tags but didn't find exactly what I was looking for. So here we go. I've had my cup for two cycles. I wear my cup overnight, take it out in the morning to rinse/clean, and put it back in for the day. Every night I take it out and rinse/clean it and reinsert it before bed.

My question? How on earth do I clean out those little holes? I eventually get them clean after a lot (I mean, a TON,) of rinsing, but I could really go for a suggestion of an easier way to clean them. Also, should I make sure they're cleaned every time I take the diva out? Any input on this?

One more question I guess. Normally I use the "punch-down" fold when i insert my cup, but I've been having issues with leaking. Not totally full blown leaks but I'd rather.. well, no leaks. Any suggestions or tricks on how to make sure the cup is sealed and to make sure that it won't leak?

I'd really appreciate any comments you have! Thanks in advance, everyone! :)

Okay, I'm ready to buy a Divacup or Mooncup just to try but my mom thinks they're kind of gross? I was wondering how gross they are to clean? I'm kind of nervous about it, but I want to try it out.  I was also wondering how much of a pain they are. I know Divacup has some solution for cleaning it and all but do I need to carry around like a bottle of solution and then panty liners and all?

Thanks!

Good news on cleaning silicone cups! I left mine in for an unwisely long time, by accident as we all have I'm sure, and it smelt quite horrible. I soaked it in soda bicarb and it's fine now :) Other good news, I skydived in it and not a leak. Plunging towards the earth at 125mph is no problem for the trusty mooncup!

So I'm normally pretty low-maintenance when it comes to cleaning my diva cup. My usual regime is rinsing it in hot water after emptying it, then boiling it when I'm done with my period. I'll be working at a summer camp soon, where I won't be able to boil my diva cup after my periods. Do people find that this is absolutely necessary, or is there another solution to this?

So I have been a “Diva” now for the past 3 months and I love it! I cant believe how much of a difference it has made in my life for that awful week of the month! I love it so much that I have converted a few ladies in my office to Diva’s as well. The first month I used my DivaCup, I swear I was gonna give up so many times. That month not only did I have a hard time figuring out the internal landscape in my V-jay-jay, but then I got a nasty yeast infection. (Thanks to all the ladies ideas, tips and advice I found her with the cup support!) I opted to try the yogurt in my DivaCup for 3 day and it worked like a charm!

So my biggest issue was using it at work. How was I going to clean it? OMG I was mortified at the thought of using the public bathroom with only 1 sink and 2 stalls. So I turned once again to the helpful support on here ladies and I couldn’t quite agree or use some of the suggestions. That first couple of days the first time using my DivaCup was a straight disaster with blood everywhere.

Then one day I was sitting at my work desk and low and behold it hit me. On my desk sat this cheesy red & grey plastic wine goblet with a spider on it. My Co-worker and I won it bowling and playing games that you get tickets for. I think this thing cost my 30 tickets lol! So I grabbed a black sharpie and decorated it with Diva and a warning not to drink from this cup. And lots of X’s for death and my name on the underside as well. I would so hate for anyone to think they can use it for a drink. Hence the “Diva Chalice” was born!

I leave it in the bathroom at work and return it to my desk at night. I fill it with warm water and simply bring it into the stall with me. I use half the water to rinse my DivaCup & the second half to rinse my fingers. It also makes a great Bidet if I need to freshen up. If I have any water left I simply pour it down when I flush. Easy breezy!

To all you ladies out there who aren’t using it because of the same issue, I hope this helps as an Idea to help get you to the lovely land of Divahood!!

Alright ladies,
 last year, i was in a household that had three cup wearers.. i had a Keeper, (for all of ten minutes, then i had to give it to my roomate, and use her  smaller diva cup, because i was allergic to the Keeper)

we always used to wash ours with Dial Antibacterial soap, the bright yellow stuff..

now, i realize now that this is not a good idea, because of various reasons.. namely perfumes and whatnot that are in it.. i think at least..


I got my  own diva cup 3 months ago.. right after my last period.. **facepalm** i haven't been able to use it , because my period decided to do a dissapearing act, :not pregnant, went to PP to get checked out, and put on BC: so it sits in the pouch in the bottom of my purse..

now, in two weeks, i (please please) i should be getting my period..

My question is,

Is Dial Soap safe to use, or should i use a natural wash without fragrance and stuff in it?

What about pure and natural brand products..

its got essential oils and all sorts of crap in it, and while i would use it on my face, i don't know if the oils would do something funky to the cup..

also, whats the best way to keep it from staining?

i've has my diva for like 3 years now, one of the best things that ever happened to me. sadly, i think i may need to replace it.

it is generally discolored, which doesn't bother me, but also there appears to be some blood that i CANNOT get out of the little suction holes. i think this may be due to the fact that early on i used a safety pin to clean them out (i think this may have torn the silicone a little bit and made it porous).

can anyone recommend any way to get them totally clean? i'm pretty broke and don't want to replace it, but, kinda grosses me out. btw, it doesn't leak.

boiling seems to have no effect on this.

~last question: my menstrual blood is normally odorless until the last day or so, then it smells like flowers/rotten fruit kind of. this is weird and i never noticed it until i started using the cup. anyone else?

Well, folks, it just happened. I was removing my cup; it was slippery; I probably held it funny while trying to inspect how much it had collected over 12 hours, and it fell in the toilet (a toilet in my home, which yes, I do keep clean!!). This is probably TMI, but there was just water and blood in the toilet at that point, nothing else, but still. So gross. I'm guessing one's next step is to snap on a pad and go boil the thing, right? Or is it now totally taboo? Also I only have one set of pots/pans... oh ick!!!!

What have others done in a similar situation? Thanks in advance!

For the past several months I've been having a problem with recurring yeast infections, but I finally seem to be over it-- hooray!-- and, understandably, I very much want to prevent the problem from coming back yet again. Unfortunately, I used my cup during my last period without realizing at the time that I was infected. Now that things are apparently under control down there, I need to treat my cup so that I don't accidentally cause another yeast insurgence!

It seems that most of the community's advice is to boil the cup to kill off residual yeast spores. However, I live in a college dorm and have no access to anything with which to boil water for the required length of time. No microwave, no stove, no hot plate; nothing. I know people have suggested hydrogen peroxide, but I've got a Diva Cup and I was under the impression that hydrogen peroxide isn't supposed to be used on silicone because it could be damaging. I definitely can't afford to replace my cup, so I'm kind of afraid to try this.

So, I'm currently soaking my cup in white vinegar. Will that be good enough? I've also been eating plain yogurt and taking acidophilus supplements as a precaution.

(Sorry that this is a bit of a repeat topic.)