Different type of crocheted tampon

[cherade9]

http://www.divacup.com/

what on earth are those?? are they like a little bottle that one empties after several hours? do you leave it there the whole time and just empty it?

There's lots of information on the website but basically they're a small soft silicone cup that seals over your cervix to hold your menses. It needs changing and rinsing every time it gets full, then reinserting.

They come in two sizes, depending if you've had a vaginal delivery having a baby and/or if you're over 35ish. Your cervix position and size can change a lot because of them.
 
The only problem any of my friends who use them has mentioned is learning the tirck of installing them. They have a 'stem' at the base which needs to be trimmed to your own personal taste. You use that and sort of folding the 'bulb' in half and sliding it inside and letting popping it over the cervix.

To release it you need to hook your finger over the top and release the slight vacum it has and gently take it out. Apparently it all sounds a lot more complicated that it actually is, and it becomes easy with practice.

Hope that helps!

[Knitty club]

Yes it does! Thank you! I have never heard of it before and it made me really curious!

[fishie]

I've been using a diva cup for YEARS and I highly recommend them.  They save so much waste, and for a bio-nerd like me, they make periods kinda fun.  :X  It's a little bit of a pain to change them in public restrooms because I like to rinse them out, so in public restrooms I'll just wipe them with TP put them back in.

This project (the crochet tampon) is a GREAT idea!  I've seen the cloth pads, and liked the idea, but I can't STAND pads!! 

[CrochetAdikt]

http://www.divacup.com/

what on earth are those?? are they like a little bottle that one empties after several hours? do you leave it there the whole time and just empty it?

There's lots of information on the website but basically they're a small soft silicone cup that seals over your cervix to hold your menses. It needs changing and rinsing every time it gets full, then reinserting.

They come in two sizes, depending if you've had a vaginal delivery having a baby and/or if you're over 35ish. Your cervix position and size can change a lot because of them.
 
The only problem any of my friends who use them has mentioned is learning the tirck of installing them. They have a 'stem' at the base which needs to be trimmed to your own personal taste. You use that and sort of folding the 'bulb' in half and sliding it inside and letting popping it over the cervix.

To release it you need to hook your finger over the top and release the slight vacum it has and gently take it out. Apparently it all sounds a lot more complicated that it actually is, and it becomes easy with practice.

Hope that helps!

how are you supposed to know when it needs emptying out?

[fishie]

How do you know when to change a tampon?

I usually change mine every time I go to the bathroom, like I do with tampons, unless I know it doesn't need to be emptied.  You get used to how it works once you've used it for a little bit. I'm generally fine for 8 hours.

[JOODITO]

    omg.  this is original. 

not in a million years would I think of...  wow.

[cherade9]

Thanks! I wanted to make a pattern that was simple but useable. I was worried about Toxic Shock Syndrome and I hope this design deals with the issue of being able to throughly clean and dry the fabric in between uses to minimise the risks.

[cdngreenie]

your risk of TSS with these ingenious tampons (great idea!) is probably the same as with store-bought tampons, or the sea sponge tampons (like these: http://www.jadeandpearl.com/tampon-sponge.htm).  As long as you wash and dry them thoroughly, you should be fine.

my friends who use various alternative menstrual products have never had problems with any of their methods, and, come to think of it, I've never heard of any problems period.


The biggest risk about TSS is leaving a tampon in for a really long time... because it sits there and becomes a breeding ground for bacteria... but you have to leave it there long enough.  (remember, tampons aren't sterile).  so, as long as you change them often enough, you'll be okay.

diva cups and keepers and moon cups have the extra benefit of being mostly sterile (you can boil the silicone ones) and non spongy... so they CAN be left in longer, though it's still up to personal preference...

[craftcat]

I have GOT to try making these.  Amazing design, thanks so much for sharing!

[brighidskiss]

I have to say I am very impressed with your ingenuity....I found these and have made several, and want to say THANK YOU!!!! They are absolutely BRILLIANT!!! I didn't like using store-bought tampons (even though I used unbleached cotton ones) because they are expensive and never worked too well for me (I am a heavy flow girl so always had major leakage problems, even though the tampons were never full the flow seemed to wick down the string and I always ended up with a mess).

Anyway since I have made these (I used some unbleached 4ply cotton I had sitting around in my stash) I have had NO leakage problems, and they are SO easy to wash (I do them all separate to my regular wash, in hot water and put them all in a lingerie bag) and dry....also interesting to note, I used to get wicked cramps when I used store bought tampons but that has not happened since I used these 

My 13yo daughter has also recently started menstruating so I made her a set of her own with a little pouch to keep them in, and she LOVES them 

Just wanted to give my experience with these tampons (btw they are SO simple to crochet and so quick - AWESOME for someone like me who has very little time to do stuff like this because I spend my days running around after 7 kids and working at home), and say thank you again for such a clever and simple design