Menstruation Part III: The Alternatives

After my initial surgery for Endometriosis and upon refusing my doctor’s prescribed treatment of “Lupron Therapy,”  I realized that proceeding within the Western Medical Model came with great risks. I needed another way to fight this disease. It was at this point in my research that I stumbled upon some information about monthly menstrual products.

I learned that both disposable pads and tampons were full of highly toxic chemicals that could be contributing to my monthly pain and infertility. I also learned that some women had claimed their pain had been all but eradicated by the use of alternative menstrual products. Terrified to put anything inside my body, post hysteroscopy/laparoscopy, I immediately purchased some cloth pads. My pain was greatly diminished almost immediately and I credit cloth pads with a large part of my recovery (along with diet and lifestyle changes) and continue to use them to this day. (I will further address the issue of cloth pads in a later post.)

But active women’s lives require more options than cloth pads and so I began to ask my friends and later clients about what they used when they needed to go swimming, do yoga, belly dancing, ballet or to attend other activities/events which required the use of an internal menstrual product. I was shocked to learn that there was another option available, besides tampons, that was safe, effective and, unlike tampons, was not associated with the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome.

This is the menstrual cup.

Menstrual cups are not new. They have been around for about 80 years and, of particular note to this former professional actress, were developed by an American actress looking for exactly the same sort of product that I was.

Basically, they are little bendable, flexible cups that are typically made out of natural gum rubber (latex) or silicone (appropriate for those with latex allergies) that a woman folds up and inserts into her vagina during her menstrual period. Once inserted, and with a little positioning, the cup opens/blossoms out and creates a seal within the vagina, where it remains to catch the menstrual flow. The woman is encouraged to empty the cup, about as often as she would change a pad (but some women find they can wait for up to 12 hours), directly into the toilet. She then would wash her hands and rinse out the cup (or wipe off with toilet paper, if in a public restroom) and reinsert. The cup can be boiled to sterilize and it is reused with each flow. Menstrual cups can last up to 10 years, so the financial savings is immense. Because they are made from materials that have been time tested and medically approved for use in the body, menstrual cups are safe and, from what I understand, extremely comfortable to use.

Many women claim that (when inserted properly) the cup cannot even be felt within the body. But what is best about the product is that, because it catches menstrual flow as opposed to absorbing it, there are no toxic chemicals or bleaches sitting inside a woman’s reproductive organs and no interference with cervical fluid (which is of particular importance when reading your fertility signs with FAM). As an additional bonus, many women claim that use of the menstrual cup actually shortens their days of menstrual bleeding. It has been hypothesised that this may be because of a “vacuum” effect that is involved in the seal of the cup in the vagina. This would help to “draw down” the blood so that the menses becomes more efficient. For religious Jewish women who are ovulating a day or so before the mikvah, this would certainly be worth looking into as a way of remedying this particular “fertility problem.”  I do want to add that no company that I am aware of who manufactures the menstrual cup makes this claim, but anecdotal evidence seems to abound both on popular web forums, reviews and even amongst my own friends and clients.While there are no guarentees that it will make your period shorter, it is certainly worth a try.

All of these reasons really make the menstrual cup the ideal internal menstrual product for those who are trying to conceive (TTC) with the methods recommended by Wise Woman Fertility.

And now it gives me great pleasure to announce the first Wise Woman Fertility blog giveaway, open WORLDWIDE.

One of the leaders in menstrual cup production, The Diva Cup, has graciously offered to donate one of their famous silicone menstrual cups to Wise Women Fertility blog readers!

To enter, please follow these 3 steps.

1.) First head on over to the Diva Cup page and “like” them.

2.) Then, scroll down to the bottom of this page and click the “follow” button for Wise Woman Fertility in order to follow us on our blogspot.

You get a bonus entry if you like us on facebook. You get an additional bonus entry if you “share” this link with others. This can be on your facebook page, twitter, my space or your own blog!

3.) Finally post a comment under this post with your name and an email address where I can reach you, in the event that you’ve won. Be sure to state within that post if you applied for the bonus entries, telling me specifically that you liked the page on facebook and where you shared the link to this post, and I will add the additional entries to your name. Only one post per person.

One winner will be picked at random (using random.org) on Monday, March 7th, 2011.

(Fun factoid: this date corresponds with the first day of the new Hebrew month of Adar, the month of “joy.”)

Thanks to The Diva Cup for their generous donation and also for donating a Model 1 Diva Cup, for demonstration purposes, to the “Wise Daughters” and public speaking lectures offered by Wise Woman Fertility.

And thanks to you for entering!

Good luck!

Comments

  4. Ooh exciting – was just talking to M about this two days ago and now want to get one b/c of the mikveh problem that I definitely have… Liked Diva cup, following you, linked page on my FB. Enjoying your blog very much!

  7. I Like The DivaCup on FB
    I follow you through GFC
    I like you on FB
    I shared on my blog's FB page (Mama to a Sweet Thing) and tagged you in the status

    Thank you so much for this giveaway, I would LOVE to try the DivaCup, as we are TTC #2 right now!(our 1st took 2 years to conceive)
    Sarah Laing
    tenenda@hotmail.com

  8. I like DC on facebook.
    I follow your blog.
    I like you on facebook.
    I shared the link on my facebook.
    I shared on my twitter.

    foreversuperstar at hotmail dot com

  12. I was already a fan of DivaCup. Am now a Follower of Wise Woman's Blog.

    Bonus entry, I am now a Fan of WiseWoman on FaceBook too.

    My email
    shethinksmedia(at)gmail(dot)com

    Thanks!

  16. The ShanMonster: Thank you for your comments about the mensrual cup NOT shortening your period. May I ask how many days of bleeding/spotting you typically experience?

    mama to a sweet thing: Have a look around the website, because this is what I do. 🙂 For women practicing FAM, conception usually happens within a few months, provided she is otherwise healthy and there are no other impediments to her fertility.

    Of course, this might postpone your ability to use the Diva Cup, though. 😉

    Nice to meet you, ladies! I hope you enjoy the blogs (have a look at the "blog archives" tab at the top of the page). Please feel free to comment or contact me with any questions.

    J. Rivkah @ Wise Woman Fertility

  17. Yay! thanks for putting up this give-a-way. I've been wanting to try the Diva Cup ever since The Great OB Tampon Shortage (still going on!).

    Let's see, I did the following:
    liked Diva Cup on Facebook
    liked Wise Woman Fertility on Facebook
    Followed the blog
    Shared on Twitter!

    Let's get the word out that there are alternatives.

    Acacia Daniels
    hlk95945@yahoo.com

  18. Thank you so much for this post! I will be writing about the diva cup on my blog and twitter as well and will def share your blog as well!

    Geordanna Cordero-Fields

    My Facebok page about my fight against Stage IV endo: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Updates-on-Geordannas-fight-against-Stage-IV-Endometriosis/144604458883527

    I liked your facebook page as well as DivaCups'

    I also shared your blog on my facebook page as well as DivaCups website/facebook page.

    my email is: georgyfields@gmail.com

  19. You know I love you too 🙂

    If I win I think I will have to make the donation to Ashrina, as I have a diva and with the rate I get a period, it should last until I hit menopause!!!

    (BTW, when i've used it, it didn't shorten my period either, but I don't know if that counts for anything as i've only used it a handful of times…)

  22. Geordanna, you may be interested in reading the past blog posts where I detail some of my own experiences with Endometriosis, which I have since healed, With the Help of The A-mighty! The tab "blog archives" will allow you to surf around easier on the blogs.

    And I noticed that you would like to begin your family…that's what I DO! 🙂 I help women with fertility issues to concieve. I espically enjoy helping clients with Endo and PCOS, as these are conditions that I, too, once shared and they are close to my heart.

    Thanks for joining and nice to "virtually" meet you.

  25. I am a Public GFC follower. I Liked Diva Cup and Wise Woman on Facebook. And I shared it on facebook.com/obsessionsttw

    Thank you for hosting the giveaway!

    obsessionsottw at gmail.com

  26. Ooh, I hope I win! I have been wanting to try the Diva Cup for a while now! Thanks for the giveaway and very useful info!

    I liked Diva Cup on facebook.
    I am now following you.
    I liked you on facebook.
    I shared this link on facebook.

    Rebecca Mann

    beccajmann at gmail dot com

  29. Never tried the Diva Cup, but I've heard great things and would love to have one.
    Liked Diva Cup and Wise Woman Fertility on Facebook
    Following the Blog
    Shared Wise Woman Fertility on Facebook
    andreacrandall at hotmail dot com
    Thanks!

  30. I would love to try one! (I don't do FB, so I guess I'll have to pray this one little entry wins!) –Celia <><

    Dust Bunnies And Books "at" yahoo "dot" com (remove the spaces and convert the words in quotes)

  33. If you don't do facebook, no problem! Just share the link ANYWHERE (your blog, webpage, twitter, or in a mass email, on a list serv you are on, etc…) and you'll get ONE bonus entry! Good Luck!

  36. I've been using a cup (from a competing company) for about 10 years now. Can't say enough in its praise. There's no discomfort, no smell, no mess, no expense … best thing EVER. – LFE

  40. Roxanne Breton
    rdposcar at yahoo.com

    Liked Diva Cup FB page
    Liked Wise Woman FB page
    Following to Wise Women blog
    Shared on my FB

  42. I liked Diva Cup on Facebook and am following the Wise Women Blog (Jennifer Mo).
    ailanna at hotmail dot com

  44. is there a way to enter this contest without liking them on facebook that seems a bit too public for me.

  45. Emma,

    Diva Cup, who is generously sponsoring this giveaway, has requested that those who enter "like" them on facebook. I would guess that if your profile settings are on the strictest privacy that your name would be the extent of what anyone could see.

    Thanks for writing in! And please post again if you'd like to enter.

  46. Liked Diva Cup on FB
    Followed you on GFC

    Liked you on FB
    Shared on my FB page

    A friend has raved about her Diva Cup – I would love to try it out!
    ehlara [at] gmail.com

  50. I liked Diva on Facebook.

    I followed WWF.

    For bonus I liked WWF on Facebook too.

    For second bonus I tweeted a link to the giveaway! My user name on Twitter is Pillworm!

    Thanks for the contest.

    Stacey Ball
    staceyball@gmail.com

  52. Pefect timing! I just ruined my Diva Cup by forgetting it boiling on the stove. All the water dried up and cooked my poor cup.

    2 bonus entires for liking on FB and sharing this link on FB.

    Thanks so much!

    Kayla M.
    kayla.mccalister@gmail.com

  53. I followed and shared the link via twitter!

    I hope that I win…I had a diva cup before and have been meaning to get another!

  57. I liked you on fb and followed your blog. Thanks for bringing this product to the attention of the female public. It's safer for women's health and for the environment. Two-in-one smash hit.

Comments are closed.