close please
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...After drafting a response I figured it might be entering the realms of Too Much Information, even for this thread. I tried to answer as completely as possible, but maybe I got more detailed than anyone, including yourself, wants to know. In which case, feel free not to read further. :)
Potential TMI.
(I should perhaps add the disclaimer that the cup I used seems to be a brand specific to the UK... a very brief Google search suggests different brands of menstrual cup in other countries, while essentially the same thing, are shaped/built differently, and this may affect their ease of use.)
I never had any real difficulty at all using the Mooncup. The first day or two was slightly awkward until I got used to it, so it's worth using for the first time when you're at home with no plans to go anywhere. But it didn't take long to get the hang of at all. Maybe I'm being judgemental, but when I hear about people who have significant difficulty using a cup, I tend to assume that these are young and inexperienced girls who are shy about their bodies and about doing/handling anything "down there".
Unlike tampons (which I have never used, because the idea of old blood festering away inside cotton wool while in your body is vile) it doesn't have a string to pull on for easy removal, so maybe people who are squeamish about their bodies might have difficulty handling it [literally]. There is (again possibly depending on brand) a 'stem', which you are encouraged to trim away gradually until it fits comfortably - if you leave it long/intact, it will function like the string of a tampon, but also probably be pretty uncomfortable, and may stop the cup from sitting right. I trimmed mine down to pretty much nothing over the first couple of days I used it; after a brief panic that I wouldn't be able to get it out again, I found I'd worried over nothing. (Side note - it is biologically nigh impossible for anything to get 'lost' inside that particular orifice.)
...Although, maybe it does depend on your body, along with your level of experience - to put it bluntly, to someone who is virginal and pure, maybe there is something more difficult about it than there would be for someone older/sexually experienced, I really do not know (I was already in my mid-20s and in a long-term relationship before I started using a cup). If you snip away all or most of the stem, the whole cup will be fully inside you and you do have to be prepared to put fingers inside to retrieve it. Which as aforementioned can prove awkward in a cramped public toilet cubicle.
I can only reiterate that I think it's worth trying - it's not terribly expensive, can save a lot of money on pads in the long run, and I found it cleaner, more hygienic, and more comfortable, with an awful lot less potential for 'leakage' during the heaviest bouts of bleeding. And it should be able to last at least a couple of hours of even the heaviest normal levels of bleeding without needing a change. When I still had regular periods, even heavy ones, I could comfortably last the night with just the cup, and no need for pads. I only had to resort to using pads again as back-up once my bleeding reached thoroughly abnormal levels.
I can fully empathise with how horrible the heavy bleeding is; I bled non-stop for the better part of a year, increasingly heavily, before being fitted with a coil. It was during that time I realised that doctors in general were useless, uninterested in hearing about boring women's troubles (which many of the doctors I saw, male and female alike, seemed to feel were at least exaggerated if not outright imaginary), and it took a visit to a gynaecologist before I found someone who was able to offer a solution.
Oh okay. If it's doing something to your liver, then you should probably stop taking it or switch. You don't want to mess your liver up. But it's still best to talk to your doctor. I can sit here all night and talk about different pills and other forms of BC (I'm a Nursing Student) but at the end of it, your doctor knows you better. They will tell you if you should go off and take a natural treatment and what kind.
I'll know "more" once I take my blood test. I'll probably ask to see a gyno because doctors keep talking about pills.
W-what?I heard that even if you place it "lower" than a tampon,the thing is still going further. I'm still insecure about it.I think that..this place is rather small and..you know xD
What is this "natural" help you are referring to bby? ;7;
I don't know. Something that doesn't screw up my liver.
Oh I see. Well I'm going to the doctor to have my toe checked on Thursday, I'll ask :)
I have to do a blood test soon.So I'll most likely know if it still affects my liver. But thank you girl :3
the majority of medications aren't "good" for you here's the thing though, you need to be careful and talk to your doctor about this just stopping your birth control can effect your hormones, and while that seems simple and not a big deal, it can have bad side effects like depression, bad cramps, etc.
Stopping birth control if perfectly fine if you're on birth control pills. Weaning off them in not normally recommended nor necessary.
i never suggested weening off of them, but there are side effects to stopping birth control as there is with stopping anything you put in your body on a regular basis. it's not a big deal to consult a professional if it's okay for you to do that first.
I stopped it once,didn't have any issue except the heavy period.
Also,I don't understand how can post here. I can't see her post,but she's allowed to post here?
Isn't 'weaning' off them the only logical solution if you are advising against stopping birth control due to side effects? I am confused as to what you are trying to suggest if this is not the case. There are no side effects from stopping birth control as it causes no addiction and is not a psychotropic medication that can mess up neurotransmitter levels. The worst that is going to happen upon stopping birth control is:
- You may end up with minor acne issues if you had them prior to starting the pill.
- You may notice your menstrual cramping and heavy bleeds resume as per before starting the pill.
- You may fall pregnant if you resume sexual activity as per before starting the pill.
There is absolutely no reason why she cannot simply stop taking the pill as it will simply restore her body to its state prior to taking birth control. Most medications come with particular warnings about ceasing particular medications suddenly or under medical advisement and birth control is not one of them. The OP has already mentioned that she is currently discussing this issue with her general physician about her issues, I was merely correcting a statement that just stopping birth control pills can lead you to develop adverse events.
There are not risks or side effects to ceasing any medication that you may be taking over the long term. Taking acetaminophen/paracetamol over a prolonged period of time will not cause you to suffer any side effects from coming off them, nor will the vast majority of drugs. As previously mentioned, only a very small number of drugs require care with ceasing them as they can lead to complications, not the majority and certainly not all.
As far as I was aware I am not in contravention of forum rules by posting to another user here. I am not trying to contact [User=FAR] nor am I saying anything about her.