Chemists are pharmasists, right?

never seen them here in the states but next time I'm at EarthFare, I'll look for them...
£19.95 ($34.40 USD) is a bit steep for me..
I usually excavate my "chunkies" in the necessary..

Yup, chemists are the same as pharmacies.

I agree, £20 is a lot to shell out in one go, but you really do save a ridiculous amount of money over the course of a year when compared to disposables, and they last a lot longer than a year. Another advantage is that you never have that soddit-I've-run-out-and-have-no-pads moment.

quote:

Originally posted by Hive:
I agree, £20 is a lot to shell out in one go, but you really do save a ridiculous amount of money over the course of a year when compared to disposables, and they last a lot longer than a year.

*nods* I've had mine for 7 years now. (Although I've had two kids in the meantime, so it's been in use for maybe a bit less than 5 years in total.) I see no reason to buy a new one yet - it's still as good as the day I bought it.

I suddenly feel very ignorant, I have never heard of such a thing!

I can't seem to get my mind around how it would work, it seems entirely too small to really contain anything on heavy days.

-and it seems like it would be a horrible mess to empty.

*had an image of forgetting to lock the bathroom door and one of the kids walking in on me trying to clean that thing out*

Um... (had this discussion with Felicity already)

quote:

Originally posted by Nel Gurgle:
I can't seem to get my mind around how it would work, it seems entirely too small to really contain anything on heavy days.

It actually holds far more than a tampon or pad, so in theory you could leave it longer to change. (But I wouldn't, unless I was asleep.)

you empty it mostly in the loo, I guess, then wash it out properly in the sink. I want one! it would save so much spae packing apart from anything!

yai.. problem is that here in the 'States, it isn't that readily available..

truth be told.. I'd never heard about it before today..

It is available on.... THE INTERNETS! TA-DAAA!

*is getting a wee bit evangelical, so will stop now*

yai.. in pounds...

*runs back in for one last thing, for the benefit of USAnians*

Ta-daaa!

Hmmm... I wonder if it would last for a full 12 hour work day. (don't really want to try dealing with the washing at work.. ya know?)

quote:

Originally posted by other ladykatza:
(don't really want to try dealing with the washing at work.. ya know?)

Simply wiping the cup clean is enough, if you have no running water or washing is otherwise inconvenient. You just wash it the next time.

Blah! The collateral pain is not as bed this month. Maybe the Physical Therapy and the prednesone shots have helped.

it's nearly over for now. this time i just had the bleargh-feeling. so i got off light this time around

quote:

Originally posted by Masque:
yai.. problem is that here in the 'States, it isn't that readily available..

truth be told.. I'd never heard about it before today..

They're more readily available here than you'd expect. We both have the Diva Cup (I just got mine yesterday and am going to attempt it today). Anyway, you can find them at crunchy-style natural food shops. Mine was about $40 and it holds a full ounce (which is a LOT).

For the record, my periods tend to be very heavy (always have been) -- I used to bleed through pads all the time, and tampons were never absorbent enough. Will report back once I've got a handle on how this thing works...

The way I figure it is, $40 now for something I can reuse for several years is well worth it considering:
1) how much I spend on pads normally (hell, this thing will have paid itself off in a year or less),
2) how much landfill-bound waste pads create and how bad tampons are for sewage systems and plumbing,
3) how bad the chemicals in conventional feminine hygiene products are (bleach! in the parts!), and
4) how much easier it will be to travel when I don't have to worry about packing supplies (especially for conferences).

All in all, the cup seems like a win...if I can figure out how to use it without making a complete mess.

quote:

Originally posted by other ladykatza:
Hmmm... I wonder if it would last for a full 12 hour work day. (don't really want to try dealing with the washing at work.. ya know?)

The packaging on mine says you can keep it in for up to 12 hours (though I'm guessing it's not recommended).

I thought I found this thing at Walmart, so I bought it, only to bring it home and rip the package apart to discover that I bought disposable thingys. sigh.

There's a hippie health food store in town that I'm pretty sure has these things, I just rarely get in there.

I know I've got my period when I get weepy during Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.