Freak369's Full Review: Instead 12 Hour Feminine Protection Cup 24 Ea
PREFACE
This is a review of a feminine product. It is not for the squeamish, sensitive or those who are offended by female body functions. This review contains frank and sensitive information about the Instead SoftCap Feminine Protection Cup. Please do not read this if you are easily offended, shocked or repulsed.
Getting your period isn't fun. The only time I have ever seen a woman jump up and down in excitement when she got her period is when she thought that she might be pregnant. Bloating, bleeding, mood swings, cramps, aches and sore spots are just some of the negatives of it. I am a heavy bleeder so when I get my period I usually stay close to home. If I do have to leave I only go to places where I know exactly where the bathroom is and how long it takes to get there. It is a pain but I have lived with this for years so it's not that big of a deal. I have tried these cups in the past but was always too embarrassed to stick with them and keep using them to see if they would be a better alternative to tampons. Going through two 36 count boxes a month isn't just a pain, it gets expensive.
How is a cup different from a tampon? Both are inserted but the cup simply blocks the fluid from coming out, it does not absorb it.
Can heavy bleeders use it? Yes and no. Anyone can use it but it needs to be inserted properly to block fluid and on heavy flow days getting it in place can be a chore.
What else do you need to know about this? It is latex free and since its product release, no cases of Toxic Shock Syndrome have been associated with the use of it. You can wear it for up to 12 hours but it must be removed at the point.
Why did I want to try this? Having to run to the bathroom every 30 - 45 minutes has never been fun. If I could find something that I could use that would give me three or four hours of protection on the moderate to heavy days it would be worth any amount of money. Other caps I have tried worked but they were never something that were super comfortable. Getting them in was awkward and required a little bit of extra room in the bathroom. Once in I felt like I was always watching the clock to see if I needed to go change it. When you wear a tampon you get that "feeling" [guys, don't ask us to try and explain that, we can't] so you know when you need to make a trip to the bathroom. With this, it's a little harder. I've gotten to the point where I will only wear them on the first and last day, if I even wear them at all. I have two left in the box and I'm not sure if I will buy them again or if they are worth it. Financially you can save some money and there's no doubt that they are better for the environment than tampons or pads but there is a certain "ick level" to contend with.
Comfort Vs. Protection
I bleed a lot, I always have. Clotting is also an issue. If you have clots you know that they can really take a toll on the absorbency of a tampon. I usually wear the Super Plus size in any brand and on the second, third and sometimes forth day I can go through one of them in 30 - 45 minutes. Before you tell me to go see a doctor and that is too much bleeding, I have been through that gambit before and was told everything from "eat less fatty food" to "don't move around a lot". Great advice from the medial community [sarcasm]. If you insert them properly you shouldn't have any discomfort but they are a lot like the OB Tampons that come without an applicator. It is a messy thing to do and if you are in a public restroom you basically have to wait until the coast is clear to make a dash for the sink.
To insert it you need to squeeze the cup so it is in a tight oval shape; then you insert it into your vagina until it is properly seated. There is a diagram on the leaflet that comes with it that shows you the right and wrong way to do this. The thin membrane of the cup is that holds back the fluid; to remove it you need to slide your finger over the membrane and pull it out. Other users have said that these are reusable but there is no way in hell that I am about to wash it out and use it again. I am paranoid enough about germs and infection [can you blame me] so to rinse this out in a sink and try to put it back in is something that this freak just isn't prepared to do. Instead does not endorse using these more than once; " Never reuse Instead, since doing so may expose you to the risk of vaginal infection"
If you are a light bleeder then these might be a great alternative to tampons or pads. They do not absorb the liquid but simply hold it back until you are ready to 'unload'. For someone like me, a heavy bleeder, that can be a complete mess. Not only do you have the blood to contend with but the clots too. The first time I took one of these out I almost had a panic attack; seeing that much blood in the loo was a shock but I got over it; it was mixed in with the bowl water so of course it was going to look like you were bleeding to death. According to the package you should be able to wear a protective cup for twice as long as you were a tampon. For days two, three and four, that's just not an option so I tried them on the first and last days. The most I was able to wear one was five hours. Unlike tampons you don't get that "I must get to the bathroom now" feeling so you will have to keep track of how long you have it in.
Do they leak? Yes. Is it a lot? Yes. If you don’t get this positioned correctly inside the vagina you will get leaks but using the word "leak" is pretty moronic because you end up bleeding as if you don’t have a tampon or a pad secured to your undies. This can be a complete disaster if you are outside the house. I have never been so bold as to wear one of these and leave the house for more than 15 minutes and that was after I wore it for a few hours and was sure that it was in place.
What About Sex?
Ummm. OK. If you read the insert that comes with the product it will say that it's "so comfortable" that you can have sex while wearing it. I would like to know who, exactly, tested that out. Yeah, we tried it and the results looked like something that you would see on an episode of CSI: Miami when Horatio and his crew hit a crime scene. What if you are having a quickie? I'm afraid you are going to have the same result, a mess. Even so, after the first time and the resulting bad scene I wanted to try it again the next month to see if maybe the cup wasn't positioned correctly or if there was some trick to it that we were missing. The next month I left the box sitting on the counter and waited to hear the laughter. "You aren't serious are you? was all he said as he walked out of the bathroom, shaking his head from side to side and chuckling. "I hope the women of the world appreciate your dedication to customer research. He said that he couldn't feel the cup in place and that noting felt "different" but he did say that it thoroughly freaked him out and he wished [the first time around] I hadn't told him I had one in. This brings up an interesting thought; do you tell a man that you are wearing one in case it leaks or do you wing it and see if it stays in place?
We both agreed that Instead was not something that made sex possible while menstruating.
Price & Availability
I got these through ShopInPrivate; the last time I placed an order with them I had to call in to ask about something and I started grilling the girl about these. She hadn't tried them but she knew someone in the office that did so she asked me if I had a couple minutes to stay on hold. The other customer service rep said that she liked them but only at the beginning and ending of her cycle; she flowed too heavily to be able to wear them from start to finish. That sounded a lot like my scenario so I toyed with the idea of trying them out. Low and behold, when my order arrived there was a box of Instead in with the order and a cute note; "Give them a try and see if you like them and remember who hooked you up!" Customer service like that doesn't exist any more.
It's hard to find an accurate price on these because so many sites are listing them differently; I asked about them at the pharmacy at Wal-Mart and the man behind the counter just smiled at me. "Let me get one of the girls to help you". Huh? You can fill my prescriptions but let me ask about a feminine product and all of a sudden we are back in the Stone Age. Wal-Mart didn't have them, Target didn't have them and the closest Walgreen's is an hour away. If I do order them again, chances are I will go through Shop In Private because they always seem to have them in stock and if I have any issues or questions, I know that there is someone in customer service that can help me out. The six count box sells for $3.99 at Shop In Private. Drugstore.com sells the 24 count box for $9.65.
The Bottom Line
The concept behind this is awesome; a product that can help save the earth and save you money. The downside is that there is always a chance that it will leak and if it does, there is no easy way to rebound from it especially if you are out at the mall or grocery store. If you are concerned with Toxic Shock Syndrome this can be a product that is worth checking out but be sire to do your research about it first. I would love to be able to wear these when I get my period but I bleed way too much and getting it in and out is messy and can be extremely embarrassing.
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