I had to pass on one of the greatest things that I have purchased this year....The Keeper.

The keeper is a reusable menstral cup. I adore mine. I purchased it about 4 months ago, and can't believe I spent so many years filling the landfil with tampons.

order here:

http://www.thekeeperstore.com

In the 4 months that I have used mine, it has already paid for itself (as opposed to having to purchase tampons). I am a VERY heavy bleeder, yet even on my heaviest days, I only have to rinse out the keeper in the AM when I get up, and in the PM before I go to bed. On regular days, I only take it out every 24 hours.

You can't feel it. There is no leaking (for me, anyway). It is a breeze to put in and take out - it took me about 3x to get it completely down.

Please take this environmental step. Over a billion tampons go into the landfills each year - oh the horror! Give it a try, and I hope that you love it as much as I do. :love:

BTW - I have absolutely no affiliation with the Keeper company. Just an amazed customer.

EquiPro

I agree, see my post
here (http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?postid=113285#post113285)

Hello.. I started something of a keeper-rant on the women's health thread. I'm a huge fan as well -- I've had mine about 3 years, maybe a little longer. :)

Mskedi

OK, just ordered my keeper! I've read about them before & always meant to follow it up but never got around to it...thanks guys for giving me the motivation (& the link lol) to do so!

WONDERFUL! I hope that you like yours as well as I like mine. LOVE IT!

i have heard of this concept before, but always wondered wouldn't it feel really odd / uncomfortable and also, is it not gonna be really gross washing it out?

The answer is "no" on both counts, though I had the same concerns before I got mine. :)

Mskedi

"i have heard of this concept before, but always wondered wouldn't it feel really odd / uncomfortable and also, is it not gonna be really gross washing it out?"

It is amazingly comfortable. Once in, I forget that I am having my period. for me, washing it out IS a little gross, only because my flows are heavy and....well...lumpy. But it doesn't bother me. Far less gross than putting 11,000 tampons in the landfill over my lifetime. I just am careful taking it out, dump it in the toilet, and then just rinse it out and put it back in again until I am done.

Remember, too, even as heavy as I am, I only had to rinse it once in the AM and once in the PM. On my "regular" or "light" days, I only rinse it once every 24 hours. NO biggie.

well, i have never tried to keeper, but i am DEFINITELY all for alternatives to disposable products.

i was never a tampon user because no matter how much i tried it could never get it to be comfortable, and i found that if i was able to get used to it, a couple of hours later i experienced excruciating cramps. not surprising considering all the toxic stuff in them.

so when i decided that i couldn't live with all that waste (not to mention the chemicals!) anymore, i switched to organic cotton gladrags, and i LOVE THEM!! i will never consider going back to disposables again.

i might be interested in the convenience of the keeper for road trips and stuff. but i'm just afraid i would spend all that money and then i wouldn't be able to use it. :( does anyone have experience with not being able to use tampons and switching to the keeper??

but in any case, i love my gladrags, and i encourage anyone to check them out. http://www.gladrags.com

I would talk to the people at the keeper. I am sure that they can answer your questions. Good luck!

Umm.. no, tampons were never a problem. Pre-keeper, I used Luna Pads, at times, though. They are much better than disposable pads -- both environmentally and comfort-wise.

The keeper's much less of a hassle. Check out the birds & bees women's sexual health thread; I posted a link to the company I got my keeper from & they offer your money back if after 3 months you don't like the product. It's risk-free. I don't know if other keeper distributers offer this, but it's worth checking out. :)

Mskedi

I have not once yet regretted buying my Keeper. It's so nice and convenient. I'll never use tampons or pads again. I highly recommend it! The company I bought mine from a couple years back offered that 3 months deal, too, which is nice. There are some women that have problems with it, but I never have.

Hey, thanks for the info. I am a tampon user myself and was wondering what I could do to not contribute to the landfill problem, so you answered my question without even having to ask. Also, thank you ladies for being so aware of our earth. I wish everybody had the same passion for it as we do. :D

i had so much trouble with tampons soon.

How difficult is it to put into place?

As long as you are very comfortable with your vagina, it is extremely easy. It is actually easier to insert than a tampon. I used to get the tampons in the wrong place occassionally, and then it was hell to get them right. I have had absolutely no problems with getting it in (and I thought I might because it looked so big and I had never used something like that before). You do have to be OK with reaching in and getting in the right spot follwed by giving it a little twist. No problem.

a folded sock in yer panties works
it rinses and reuses just fine
try it

gives a new meaning to "oh, stuff a sock in it, wouldja...!"

Personally, I don't like anything that resembles a "pad" in any way. I want my protection inside me. I want to "set it and forget it"

This thing looks really neat! I have never heard of anything like this before. :)

I am serrisouly considering ordering. My one concern is how hard is that thing to insert? It looks like it may be a little difficult....

Check out the Birds & Bees thread. It's pretty easy, but it takes a little practice at first (it took me a few tries to get it down -- some people it takes two months). I posted an entirely-too-detailed instruction manual on there. :)

When I got mine in the mail I was terrified because it looked so huge, but it's not, really.

It can be a bit difficult to insert at times, but I've found that if it's cold (like if you run it under cold water) before insertion that it will go in and "suction" much better. You definitely have to know and be comfortable with your body if you're going to get one. Sometimes it needs "adjusting" after you've gotten it in.

Ooh, another tip! I'll try that Flower. I've tried a few times to place my Keeper, but I think I may resort to spinning a tales of old war injuries - Ouch! I was sore for a few days afterward :( Mdeski gave me some tips and I'm gonna give it another try -- deep breaths -- soon. I just received mine last week.
Maybe I'll put it in the fridge for 10 minutes ;D

Originally posted by Flower
It can be a bit difficult to insert at times, but I've found that if it's cold (like if you run it under cold water) before insertion that it will go in and "suction" much better.

Hmm.. I've been using warm or room temperature water for 3 years. Who knew? :) Of course, I haven't had any problems -- I think just being wet helps with the suctioning.

Ya, I found that out after a couple months. I usually change it twice a day- once in the morning and once at night when I take a shower. I take pretty hot showers and it never seemed to want to go in very well when it was that warm. Making it cold works like a charm.

I have NEVER heard of this thing before! I guess I just read too much mainstream periodicals. I think maybe it is worth a try. It basically looks like a diaphragm with a cup and stick attached to it. Hmmm. Ive gotta think about this one, but thanks for teaching me something today. Knowledge is power.

This is such a brilliant idea. I've never heard of anything like this before. That stick bit on the end looks really intimidating to me.
My only prob with this is that it's so expensive (I'm in Australia). It's like $50 plus p&h. AND they only accept credit cards (which I wont allow myself to have) or US bank cheques and of course I can't get one of them.
I only get my period about once every 3months tho, so it's not such a huge issue for me. Though I think when/ if I get a credit card I'm gonna get one.