What is the Lunette and why do I love it?

It's about time I told you about my menstrual cup. Warning for the squeamish - this gets a bit medical!

The Lunette is one of a variety of menstrual cups which sits inside of you to collect your monthly flow. It looks like an upside-down bell shaped piece of silicone (medical grade, thank you) which sits inside the vagina and "catches" the mentrual flow before it leaves the body. Medical grade silicone is the stuff used in heart valves and joint replacements, so I have no concerns placing it inside my body temporarily. Because it is the contact with air which makes old blood smell, there is no odour. Unlike tampons which absorb all the normal vaginal fluids, there is no dryness or scratchiness which I used to think was a normal part of having a period.

Tampons are also associated with TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome) which has never been documented in association with menstrual cups. I suspect that this is because menstrual cups don't interfere as much with the normal vaginal immune defences, and keep the normal environment of the vagina as uncompromised as possible.

The cup is also better for the global environment, as well as my internal environment. Tampons and pads are going into landfill at a rate of 7 billion and 12 billion a year (respectively) in the US alone! Finally, cost. One cup costs about AUD $45 and lasts for at least ten years. As opposed to approximately $5 per month for a box on tampons. I figure, even with postage, the cup has already earned its keep at under a year of use!

Cups are not a new invention, and apparently their history goes back as far as 1867! I had never heard of them before, but now that I have, I plan to spread the word! The full history is linked to a research page here: http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~obsidian/clothpads/Cups_history.html

So from a subjective (user's) point of view: Why do I love it?

It's convenient: I only have to empty and wash mine twice a day. I usually do this in the morning and before bed, so I don't have to muck about with it at work. If you have a really really heavy period you might have to empty it more often, but still less than with tampons. A cup holds about 25 mls, and a normal menstrual flow for a whole cycle is about 100mls. The manufacturers say you should empty it at least every 12 hours, but I often go 24 hours, and once I left mine in 48 hours with no harm done.

It's inexpensive for me and for the environment: I bought one Lunette (imported from Finland) for a total of just under $50, and I have bought one single box of tampons since. This saves me money, and saves the environment.

It is comfortable: I never imagine that I could feel happy dancing, camping and cycling during my period. I even forget sometimes that I have my period! The cup is so comfortable to wear, I can't feel it when it is in, and there's no string. Getting it in and out doesn't scrape me dry and there is no irritation from the bleach used on tampons.

Fewer cramps: I don't know how or why this is the case, but I have noticed that I have a lot less abdominal cramping since using the cup. Many other women have noticed this as well. I can't explain it, but I'm not complaining!

The main downside: It did take some getting used to. The insertion and removal can be a bit tricky and does involved some fiddling around. It took me probably three cycles before I felt really 100% confident with getting it in and out and checking for leaks. I found the most useful advice was here, in the menstrual cup community of livejournal: http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups/

Other useful links:
http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~obsidian/clothpads/Cups.html (the journal of an Australian woman who has done a lot of research into this issue!)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cup (wikipedia)
divacup.com is the main US company which has a good FAQ page, and some TSS information

Cup companies:
http://www.lunette.fi/english_index.htmlmenstrual_cups (I got a Lunette and love it!)
http://www.mooncup.co.uk/
http://www.divacup.com/ (This company has a one year money back guarantee)
http://www.thekeeper.com/ (makes both silicone cups and rubber (latex) NOT recommended because of potential allergy problems)

with thanks to "Broken Angel" and to "Obsidian" of the menstrual cup community at livejournal