I managed to completely yank my last mirena out when I was using a Mooncup UK. I have been using FAM as my 'contraception' for a while, but have decided for various reasons that I need another method. I can't tolerate hormones in any form and I am allergic to latex, so the IUD or the diaphragm/cap is my only option. I am losing weight constantly atm as I have changed my lifestyle a lot and am fairly overweight, so I've been told a diaphragm isn't suitable, and the failure rate I was told seems too high to me anyway.

So I've decided to go for another IUD, but I'm fairly certain that I'd probably have to give up my cup if I did that. It wouldn't be the end of the world, but I'd rather not have to. Have any of you expelled/pulled out/displaced an IUD because of menstrual cup usage? Do any of you have any tips that would mean I could use my cup whilst I have an IUD in place?

I am a new-ish user of the DivaCup and the IUD, and I am happy with both. But does anyone have concerns about the risk of PID with menstrual cup use? Although nothing is indicated in my reading on the DivaCup, PID becomes more of a risk for any IUD user due to the new channel for bacteria to travel up. I, of course, wash my DivaCup and my hands thoroughly and empty it every 8-10 hours to be on the safe side, so I'm sure I am as safe as one can be. However, read below:

"The DivaCup is not suggested for use with an Intrauterine Device (IUD)...If you are concerned about PID or have symptoms of a PID, please discontinue use of any menstrual cup. As with all gynecological concerns, please consult with your physician." (from info@divacup.com)

If I am concerned?? Should I be concerned is what I want to know. Is there increased risk of PID or not? Is the risk the same as with a tampon, less, or greater? My doctor seems to think that anything apart from a maxi-pad holds bacteria in the vaginal canal for too long, but maxi-pads are so 8th grade. I can't go back! What have you all learned/been told?

I know you guys have heard this about 6,000,000 times...and I have heard mixed thoughts about it...

Iud + Menstrual cup = ?????

I have been using the Keeper for about 4-5 yrs now and I had a Paraguard put in in this past April but it came out..I'm not sure if that was from the use of my menstrual cup. I just got a new Paraguard put in a few days ago and I was wondering about possibly switching to a different cup. I hear the Lunette and Lady cup are softer or something than the Keeper/Divacup? Is it easier to break the seal with these cups and get them out without dislodging your IUD? I haven't ever seen a Lunette or Ladycup (besides in pictures) so I can't tell if they are 'softer' or more flexible than the Keepers. I really don't want to give up using a menstrual cup...my period is normally 7-9 days long, and I'm expecting with the IUD it will be even longer and heavier x_x

Thanks a lot!
(xposting to iud_divas)

Hi Ladies, just had a quick question about having a paragard and using a diva cup. Ive had my paragard for a little over a month and this is period #1. I have been successful using it and absolutely love not having to use tampons or pads, and am very careful about breaking the seal and I check my strings every time before I put the cleaned cup back. So my question is this: If when I pull the cup out and I can feel that the strings have fallen so that they are hanging down straight is this a flag? This happened the last time I removed the cup, and I tucked them back behind my cervix and reinserted the cup. Are the strings falling down normal? or should I be alarmed? thank you for any comments ^_^

So I'm a 1st time Lunette user and although I like the  cup better than pads or tampons, I'm not so sure the Lunette is the best cup for me.  I got it because it sits lower and I figured with an IUD, it woud  be the best cup for me.  Now, I'm not so sure because it almost sits too low.  I know you can feel it coming down with bm's but I can sometimes feel it coming down when I pee and I don't think that's supposed to happen.  Also, I'm not sure if it's psychological or what but I feel like I can feel it dripping into the cup.  Although I like sleeping in the cup, I chose not to last night because I needed to give my "cookie" a break from having to push the cup back in so much yesterday.  I said it before and I'll say it again, I've never had to touch myself so much in one day.  I really want this to work so I'm going to give it a try again next month especially since I've had no problems with inserting & removing.  If I still feel uncomfortable after trying next month, I'm gonna switch to a different cup.

I have an IUD and I have experienced odd spotting (and lots of bleeding) for the 16 months that I've had it.  So this past week I THINK I'm getting my period.  I go and buy a Diva Cup.  I love it.  I wore it for three days, I have no problem getting it in, I can't feel it at all and it's great.
However, I've hardly bled this time.  I suppose I'm finally done with the spotting and bleeding, and that I'm going to be like all the other Mirena users and stop menstruating. 
So here's my  question:
Since I am still experiencing extremely light periods for a few days, is there any reason I can't wear my cup, even if I end up not bleeding into it?  Personally it feels a LOT better than using tampons (and pulling them out dry, ugh) or using pantiliners.  I really like not having to worry about it at work.  I can't think of a reason why it's bad to use it if my period is fairly non-existant... can anyone?

Thanks for having such a great, informative place!  You all are the ones who encouraged me to buy my cup and I'm SO pleased I did. I was really concerned since I do have an IUD, but it doesn't seem to be an issue at all.

I've really been wanting to get a cup, but I've heard that it may not be the best idea if you have an IUD.  I have a Paragard.  But, I've also had lots of people tell me that it's not a problem to use a cup with an IUD, so I'm considering chancing it anyway.  I just have reservations on which cup to get.  I have a pretty heavy flow, so I want a cup that will be able to handle that without having to empty it constantly, but I also want a cup that is kind of short, so that it's easy to remove, making it less likely that I'll pull out my IUD by accident.  I've also heard that suction could possibly dislodge an IUD, so I was wondering if maybe some cups had less suction than others (I know you can widen the holes to help with that.) 

Do any of you use cups with an IUD?  Specifically a Paragard (I'm concerned with the heavy flow).  What cup do you use?  Any warnings or suggestions?

Thanks!!

my doctor says i can't use my cup for another 3 months because she wants me to give more time for my iud to settle.
what am i going to dooooo!

does anyone have any tips for inserting and removing your cup while using an iud? i just had one inserted on tuesday and now i'm a little nervous about trying my mooncup again. i still haven't gotten the hang of using it.

So I know that questions like this are posted ALL the time, since I've been on this community from before I got my diva cup about a year ago. However, I want to make sure I'm getting this right before I buy anything else. :)


I like my diva, but I'm trying to get an IUD next month. My only concern is that the diva is so long that I have trouble breaking the seal to get it out. I can never quite seem to reach the rim, even squatting down in the shower. I have a hard time getting it to open sometimes, too. I'm worried that I would be a likely candidate to accidentally pull out an IUD by getting the strings caught or not breaking the suction correctly when I'm using my diva cup.

So here's my question. I'm trying to remember which cup it is that might be better for me if I get the Mirena: I want to stick with silicone, hopefully one that opens more easily and is maybe a little bit shorter than the diva (or at least one where the suction can be broken more easily). Is that the Mooncup UK? Anyone know of a site where I can get it cheapest?

Thanks guys! I'm so grateful this community is here and convinced me to try cups in the first place. It's going to be so weird using pads for the first month or two if I get the Mirena.

Hi! I've spent the entire morning reading entries reviewing Lunettes and such, and I think most of my questions are answered and my mind is mostly made up, but I decided to post anyway and share whatever I could on cups, as it's my first time posting here too.

I've used a divacup for almost 4 years now and never stopped to think that it might not be the right cup for me, I just used it. I'm 22 and have never been pregnant. I have the smaller size. It rarely leaks on me, it's comfortable, I haven't lost it (though I always wonder how I manage to keep track of something I only use once a month!), and I can't feel any of this suction everyone talks about. Getting used to it was tricky at first, but after a couple of months it was just fine. I've always had a fairly light flow, and my roommate and I bought ours together and used to compare how high we'd filled the cups at night before we went to bed, in a brutal competition to see who could fill theirs up the most. She always won.

I even like the pretty golden color my blood has left on the cup, though now I've read about ways to soak it in hydrogen peroxide to return it's new clear color. I took a couple of glamour shots of it once while procrastinating before homework too, I'll try to remember to share them with you later!

A couple of months ago, I got a copper IUD. My flow is now really heavy for the middle three days of my cycle, and I feel like I'm bailing buckets and buckets of blood out of my vagina. It's not really that bad, but I do have to empty my diva every few hours or it overflows. I was bumming around the internet a couple of days ago and decided to check up on this community which I had joined, but didn't read that often, and A HA! I'd never thought so much about my cup before. I think I've pretty much decided to go ahead and get the full sized lunette. Hopefully, the larger size will mean I'll have to empty it less on those heavy days, and the reported suction will make me less nervous about using it with the IUD. I'm not that nervous about it and haven't ever really felt the rumored strong suction of the diva, but if you ladies say there's less suction on the lunette then my IUD might appreciate that. Hopefully there won't be be any issues leaking or staying in. Do you think this is a good plan? Do any of you have experience with the capacity of the small diva compared to the big lunette? Thanks!

Is one cup more IUD friendly than another?  I've read the Instead is not recommended to use with the IUD.  I am looking into the Diva cup only because of the price point. 

Hello girls! I have been here before telling you guys about my unsucessful first time trial with my new mooncup. At that time I was really scared for my IUD etc. Last night I was looking at my drawer and I found the mooncup UK and decided to try it again. This time, I cut the entire stem off. The cup got in easily and was also very easy to remove. All I have to do is pinch the base and I can hear a "swoosh" sound then I just wiggle it a little bit and gently pull it down. I tried it 10+ times yesterday and today and its been very good and I never had troubles even though I have an IUD.

My IUD strings are well tuck in my cervix anyway and I always break the seal and make sure that I pull it out very very gently. So I guess I would be fine. I'm just waiting for my period to try it out. I'll keep you guys posted.

I'm just wondering, how much is the capacity of the mooncup uk size B. The mooncup website states that it can contain up to 30 ml. But its hard to believe that because the upper marking only said 12 ml. So i'm curious.

Ok so I got my mooncup uk today and I try to dry run it. Insertion was quite easy and after I placed it in, I tried to pull out, but I can't. I tried pressing the base, but the mooncup is to squishy that I didn't think that it broke the suction. Second, I tried to reach up there to the rim of the cup and I found that the rim just sits in my cervical opening at the end of my vagina. So there's no way that I can break the seal since everytime I do it, the cup just keep sucking my cervix. For those moments, I was totally terrified that it will expel my IUD. After minutes of twisting and trying to pull out. I just decided that I'll just get another IUD, if it sucks it out because I just want to friggin cup out. So I pressed on the base and just yank the mooncup out.

Thankfully, my IUD didn't expel with it (but I'm guessing it came pretty close). I think I'm not suited to using the cup because like what I thought before, my vaginal opening is rather small. I could reach my cervix only inserting half of my finger. This means that the moocup has no choice but to sit in my vagina and the rim touching the cervix. I know this would be dangerous because It will one day yank my IUD out. I don't want that to happen though. So I must say that I'm giving up and just going back to trying those tampons (at least the don't pose any risk). I'm sad;-(

I just got my first keeper today and i have been reading about the possible accidental expulsion of an i.u.d. I understand the breaking the suction thing. I haven't tried it yet. I am a little worried about if that will be difficult to do if I am a large woman. I mean I can get my fingers in there to check the strings and other fascinating things, but i tried a diaphram and was never really good with it. is that at all similar? Are there any women out there on the bigger of the big side that have experience with the i.u.d. and keeper working their magic together?

Hello. I have the Mirena. It was inserted about 2 months ago. My first period didn't come but my second month with the Mirena, I have a relatively normal period (compared to periods pre-insertion) just bright red and bloody instead of dark and somewhat clumpy. my question: since i've always usually had pretty light and short periods before insertion, i expect my period to stop. but i really want to try out a moon cup (menstrual cup). but i dont want to buy (another) one if my period stops completely. so if your period totally stopped, how many months in after insertion? or how many months did it take your periods to adjust to the Mirena and develop a consistent pattern?

Hello,

I am new here and I made my first post here a couple of days ago. I have decided to try and buy a cup even though I have an IUD since I now know several people who have been successfully using a cup AND an IUD. My strings are left pretty long so I wanted to have a rather short cup. the small lunette and mooncup UK are both short but which one do you think should I get? I'm 19 and I've heard that the small lunette are for younger teens. I also have a rather heavy mentrual period because of the paragard. So I should get the mooncup right? If so, I am kinda worried if I will be able to feel it as I don't like the feeling of something stuck in there. Any advice? Thanks in advance

I've never used cups in my entire life. I am currently using cloth pads but I discovered that I don't have enough time to wash time and I find it pretty icky and tedious. I really want to try using menstrual cups. The problems is that I have an IUD. I have looked at the memories about this but most of them have used the cups BEFORE the IUD so they got used to it. I have my IUD for a year already and now I want to use the cups but I'm concerned since I haven't had any practice in placing the cups and removing it w/o the IUD. Also my strings were left pretty long (about 2 inches) though they always curl on my cervix.

I also wanted to know which brand of cups will be IUD-friendly and will pose less threat in yanking my IUD out based on its size, etc.

Hi all,

I've been scanning the memories and the amount of (really excellent) information was overwhelming, and sometimes conflicting, so I thought I'd make a quick post before I have my Paragard inserted tomorrow so I can maybe get some last-minute opinions.

I currently use a cup, but am planning to take a hiatus for at least three months while the IUD settles. I do plan on using my cup again, though, so I wanted to be ready to ask to have my strings shortened-- if, of course, that's the best route. For those of you who use a cup with your IUD, do you prefer the strings shorter or longer? My cervix is low during my period, and sits inside my cup, from what I can tell.

I also welcome any last-minute advice, "I wish I'd known _____"s, or even words of reassurance! I'm a little nervous, though this comm has done wonders to calm me down.

Thanks very much!

(x-posted to iud_divas

I would like to take a poll!  All you women who have an IUD (I'm going to be getting one soon) and who use a cup (I'm trying to figure out what cup to buy, I've never used one) which cup do you use?  I've heard that Lunette is really good, but I wanted to find out what everyone prefers.
Also, have you tried having sex with your cup in?  Someone told me that you can't have sex with any of the cups except Instead.
Thank you bunches!

So, as many of you may/may not know, I pulled out my first Mirena IUD that was inserted almost 2 months ago via my DivaCup. However, I used it again 2 days ago with complete and total success, w/o yanking out my new Mirena IUD, it could also be that its almost a month since I got the new one inserted and not just a couple weeks, and it COULD be that its due to the fact my strings are soften and wrapped around my cervix this time instead of just dangling. I probably removed it and dumped it a few times, even though it didn't have much in it. I used it for spotting/blood tinged CM, the spotting would change in consistency off and on throughout the day, sometimes being heavier than others, which I'm supposing is 100% safe, right?


Bri

ETA: I also forgot to mention one little factor that I noticed, and I find quite odd. I have a rather LONG cervix (4 1/2 cm, so its longer than the average 3 1/2 cm, its been measured via ultrasound), and I have noticed, almost constantly while using my DivaCup, that my cervix somehow or another winds up inside it! Yes I know your not supposed to insert it close to your cervix, but I simply cannot help it. I have to insert the cup a little further than some people, because if I don't insert it somewhat farther, the base of it is right at my vaginal opening, which is rather annoying. Has anyone else noticed this with the DivaCup? Perhaps I need a size 1--under 30/pre-childbirth, instead of size 2-over 30/post childbirth? I have 3 children, and I'm not sure if the Size 1 is shorter or not, I know its less wide. My problem isn't the width, its the length of the cup. I really love my DivaCup, so I hope it pulling my cervix into it/me having to insert it somewhat far isn't an issue.

Question for you gals that have iuds and use cups.
(Cross posted to menstrual_cups community / iud_divas community)

I'm 31 and never had kids. I've used my cup for the past two cycles and I *never* want to use tampons again. Got the hang of it after the first day (actually used my diva cup for the first cycle, then fell in love with my Lunette). However, after my Paragard insertion my gyno had said this in response after she cut my strings nice and short for me.

"I don't recommend using cups with this because I think they breed bacteria. It's not worth getting an infection that could leave you sterile, which I know you don't care about, or wind up in the hospital needing surgery and you might not even survive. It's not worth it. You shouldn't do it."

Now, from all the information I've gleaned in the past few months from these communities, it seems that bacteria festers in the tampon wads and that tampons aren't even sterile to begin with. I hate the way they dry me out and how they feel when they're in. Not to mention the yanking of pulling one out.

Now the cup can be washed thoroughly (i use dr bonner's peppermint soap from recommendations from menstrual_cups community), boiled (haven't done this yet), and cleaned in 1/2 water, 1/2 of 3% hydrogen peroxide (done that). And I thought that the bacteria couldn't grow on the silicone and that the blood is pretty much sterile and not breaking down in the air on a padded mess?

Any information you guys have would be great. Studies links / articles would be great too.

I really wanna use my Lunette next month. Especially since I may out be camping again when I get "it" like last cycle. I'm aware I need to be careful and not yank out the cup and be mindful of my strings (I think she left like a little less than 1").

Thanks a lot guys!


p.s. I think someone in menstrual_cups said that they use 1/3 water and 2/3 peroxide?
p.p.s. And i think someone also in menstrual_cups mentioned having a sig other who was into science, maybe biology or pharmacy stuff, and that he tested her cup for bacteria and all was good?

Ok so I had my IUD inserted in january, but I waited to use my cup until this cycle. I just wanted to share what happened just so other people know in case they're wondering about it too. Short summery of the story: only having a 1oz cup to catch your flow can really show you how much your flow has increased!

x-posted to iud_divas and vaginapagina so sorry if I'm spamming your friends page!!!

Ok, so I got my copper IUD inserted Jan 29th, and I just started my period last night and decided that I was ready to try my Diva again, cuz I miss it greatly. Right after I put it in, my boyfriend starts to fulfill his part of our massage bargain and sits on my bum to massage my lower back. After about a minute, I got this weird pain that felt to run through my uterus but also down my tailbone to my pubic bone. I can't think of how to discribe it... I want to say shooting pains, but it felt pretty constant.

Anyways, i went to the bathroom and carefully took out my cup and checked my strings and they were fine. I tucked them back up behind my cervix, trimmed the stem of my cup so that I could wear it a little lower and put it back in and since, everything's been fine. I've emptied it once this morning and the strings were still all good.

I suspect that maybe my cervix was in the cup a bit, and then my boyfriend's weight on my lower half sort of compressed the cup on my cervix causing the pain. Does this make sense/sound like something that could happen? Or would it be something else? Could bad bad things have been caused from this happening???

PS - other than that one moment of bad pain, SO HAPPY to be using my cup again instead of cloth pads, Oh Diva, how I've missed thee!!!

I know there are a ton of IUD posts but I didn't see any really answering my question completely. I have an IUD, Mirena, have had it for 9 months now with no problems. However, my strings were cut really short and 95% of the time they are inside my cervix, if they are outside of it they are no longer than a few millimeters out. Since there isn't a problem with my strings getting caught and pulled out by the instead softcups, can I try them? Or is there also a great risk of suction moving it? Thanks