mooncup (Merged Discussion Thread)

kerrirobberts

Haffiana wrote: »

Secondly, there is absolutely no need to sterilize - nothing else that goes in there is ever sterilized, is it?.

That made me chuckle.

I've been using my mooncup for a good 6-8 months now. No more sanitary towels or tampons. I've found it not only shortens my periods by catching the blood straight away, but this also makes it a lot less messy.

If I'm in the works loos I'll wipe out with tissue paper in the cubicle, then nip to the sink and wash it. This can be done quite discreetly if you practice making it look like it's only your hands your washing. Then quickly nip back in to reinsert.

The only odd thing I've found with it is the strange "sucking" sensation that sometimes happens about an hour or so after as it settles into place.

juno

angelil wrote: »

5) If you are having quite a heavy day, the blood you empty into the loo probably won't flush away all at once. You therefore have 2 options: flush 2-3 times until it all goes down (perhaps not very MSE!) or flush once, and put up with the tinge in the water for the rest of the day. Something to bear in mind in the workplace perhaps.

Drop a few sheets of loo roll into the toilet, then empty onto that

purplelotus

Hello all, I know I posted recently but I obviously didn't read as far up as I should. I'm very concerned about some of you advising about not sterilising it!! :eek: Not sure how to put this without being crude, but imagine the types of germs that grow on penises, they're different to those that grow on blood. If you're healthy, the smeg won't be a problem, but bacteria cultured on blood could quite possibly happily carry on growing in your womb and cause problems.

Yes if you sterilise it when you've finished with it, then it won't be sterile 21 days later, but the bacteria on it will only have come from the air and won't be dangerous to a healthy vagina.:cool:

It's also important to remove "gross contamination" i.e. actual bits of blood, as nasty germs could find a home on that after sterilising.

I still absolutely swear by my method of cleaning my mooncup...

after rinsing leave it overnight in a cup of water with quarter of a milton tablet. In the morning scrub it til it shines with a nail brush, and turn it inside out and scrub inside as well. It's nearly 8 years old and looks as good as new. The cup, nail brush and milton tablets live in the bathroom cabinet and take up much less space than any saucepan would.

Haffiana

purplelotus, a cup needs thorough cleaning. There should be no blood on it. If there is blood left on it, then it hasn't been cleaned properly. If an uncleaned cup is boiled for 5 minutes, then you simply have a hot dirty cup, and germs will carry on growing on it as soon as it is cooled. The same is true if a dirty cup is soaked in Miltons - bacteria will start to grow the moment the cup is taken out of the solution. Miltons is NOT a cleaning agent, and nor is boiling water. What does clean is soap and water.

If the cup is cleaned, then there is no reason whatsoever to boil it, or put it in Miltons.

purplelotus

Haffiana wrote: »

purplelotus, a cup needs thorough cleaning. There should be no blood on it. If there is blood left on it, then it hasn't been cleaned properly..

I agree

Haffiana wrote: »

If an uncleaned cup is boiled for 5 minutes, then you simply have a hot dirty cup, and germs will carry on growing on it as soon as it is cooled. The same is true if a dirty cup is soaked in Miltons - bacteria will start to grow the moment the cup is taken out of the solution.

I disagree...

Boiling, or using chemical disinfectants will kill the bacteria, they effectively no longer exist as their protein coats will have been denatured and so they can't "carry on growing" but if gross contamination is left on the disinfected cup then a new growth can occur. If you were to sterilise it and keep it in the sterile environment (i.e. not even air comes into contact with it) until next use, even if it was covered in blood it would still be sterile, bacteria can't come out of nowhere. However in reality unless you have hospital sterilising equipment you can't do this at home, which is why it is still also important to remove all the blood, like you say below...

Haffiana wrote: »

Miltons is NOT a cleaning agent, and nor is boiling water. What does clean is soap and water.

hence I recommend a nail brush, I use it under running water, but I don't find soap helps much.

Haffiana wrote: »

If the cup is cleaned, then there is no reason whatsoever to boil it, or put it in Miltons

I disagree, you can scrub off all the blood but you can't scrub off pathogens. It IS important to sterilise (or at least disinfect) your mooncup.

angelil

juno wrote: »

Drop a few sheets of loo roll into the toilet, then empty onto that

ooh thanks for the tip

Haffiana

You most certainly can scrub off pathogens... The most effective antibacterial in a normal house is soap and water. purplelotus, in real life I am a microbiologist. Bacteria, (some are pathogens, most are not, and pathogens oddly enough tend not to be as tough as non-pathogenic bacteria) are indeed everywhere, on our skins, in the air -everywhere. However they are not present in blood inside our bodies... They are on our fingers when we use a cup for example. We don't need to sterilise our fingers, we simply need to wash them. Bacteria are even naturally present in our vaginas. Why is this not a problem on a clean, simply washed cup? Because a cup is made of sillicon, and there is nothing whatsoever for a bacteria to eat and therefore grow on. A clean cup will stay clean, with no more bacteria than the air around it. A cup that is boiled but still dirty has food (blood) on it, and bacteria from the air, from fingers, or from exhaled droplets can grow on that food. A cup that has been sitting in Miltons but is dirty, will support the growth of bacteria when it is removed from the solution.

It is one of the greatest worries to microbiologists that people have been brainwashed by advertising into using so-called antibacterials instead of washing. This idea that you cannot remove pathogens by normal washing. You can. You can't kill them maybe, but that is not necessary under normal, adult, household conditions, nor in fact possible. Antibacterial soaps are no more effective than normal soaps in normal use. Antibacterial sprays on dirty kitchen surfaces are positively dangerous because although they kill bacteria they also give a false perception of safety. I honestly have no problem with people wishing to attempt to sterilise their cup if it brings them peace of mind, but it does not alter the fact that it is unnecessary, possibly dangerous if done instead of proper cleaning, and pointless anyway unless done a few seconds before using the cup. (Which is how Miltons should be used for bottle teats, for example.)

purplelotus

What you say is very interesting, I'd love to carry on a debate but worry it might be misinterpreted as an argument, which I don't want to do!
I'm not a microbiologist like yourself, but I'm also not a completely lay person when it comes to microbiology - I understand that soap is an emulsifier that affects the phospholipid bilayer of a cell, I understand the difference between aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, between sterile and disinfected, between pathogens and commensals... etc... but I think I may have a lot I could still learn from you!

Anyway, I admit that mooncup's own phrasing is "if you choose to sterilise..." But I still think it's better that as well as "cleaning" it, women should not be discouraged from also disinfecting it.

From the mooncup website;

How should I clean my Mooncup?

It is always important to wash your hands with soap and water before and after handling your Mooncup.There is no need to sterilise your Mooncup during your period, as the vagina has its own self-cleansing system, and medical grade silicone (from which the Mooncup is made) is specially designed not to support the growth of bacteria.

To clean your Mooncup during your period, you can simply use water or non-perfumed soap. It is important to always rinse the Mooncup well with water after using soaps (or sterilising fluid), as any traces left on the Mooncup may cause irritation to your vagina.



To sterilise your Mooncup before first use, and if you choose to sterilise it between periods you can either:

• boil it immersed in water (in a pan put aside for this purpose) for 5-7 minutes
• use sterilising solution/tablets. These are more commonly used to sterilise baby equipment, and we recommend you follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for dilution. Immerse your Mooncup completely and soak for the minimum recommended time, then rinse thoroughly with clean water.
• You may use a microwave steriliser, but the Mooncup will need to remain immersed in water throughout the sterilising process

bohemia

I'm not sure whether I should admit to this but... I've had my Mooncup for about 7 years. Probably boiled it about 3 times in that time, usually after I find some article on the internet on cleanliness. At the end of the period it gets a scrub with a nail brush and soap and that's it. My insides haven't fallen out or anything and I am a very healthy person. The colour isn't quite as clear and bright anymore but it has never smelled!

I was raving about it to some colleagues recently who were thoroughly freaked out. I said I find it far far less gross than pulling out a tampon and disposing of a tampon in the bin, to which they replied, 'Oh no, we don't look at tampons. They go straight in the loo'. I'm sure even modern tampons aren't biodegradable!?!

Coconut_2

Hi again..

Second cycle with the mooncup and still having problems.. yesterday I had it on since 8:30 in the morning and it was ok for most of the day (comfortable, no leaks), but at around 5 it suddenly stopped working.. as if it had moved or something, and it was like wearing nothing! A bit of a disaster.. luckily I was heading home at that time!

I've no idea what the problem was.. it didn't seem "full" when I took it out at home, and anyway if it fills in that short time I can't use it because in the office I can't take it out and clean it (public toilets), and the small holes get clogged up every time, so I need to clean it thoroughly with a needle every time...

Anyone had this problem? I can't really trust the mooncup if it stops working suddenly like that!