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Thursday, June 25, 2015

The Juju Explained

So...I decided to buy a Juju.

For anyone not familiar with that...a Juju is a brand of menstrual cup.

I first heard of these a few years ago and I liked the sound of them then, however, I don't think they were as easily accessible with most online orders coming from the UK, to the best of my research.

These days, they are much more common and I have had it in the back of my mind for years now, in fact, every single month when mother nature reminds me I am woman, hear me roar....in period pain!!

When they were recently discussed on the radio during work one morning, it sparked a conversation with my fellow female colleagues in the office...Myself and one other were quite keen on the idea, we did some research, Juju, Diva, Mooncup etc, and the Juju seemed the nicest option, and as an added bonus, free shipping on orders over $100.

So we placed a joint order and a few weeks later our Juju's arrived. It was much smaller than I imagined, fits nicely in the palm of my hand and is made of a solid, sturdy silicone.

I had to wait a few more weeks before I could put it to the test, but last night, for the first time ever probably, I was actually excited when I discovered my period had arrived...Excited and in pain and craving spoonfuls of nutella, but excited nonetheless.

It was pretty straight forward to use, wash hands, fold Juju in half to make a C and insert, much the same as you would a tampon. Release the C fold so it pops open and forms a seal...give it a little wiggle so it slides into place and Bob's your uncle. Easy.

Then I read the removal instructions...and panicked a little bit "don't try to remove by pulling the tag as that will increase the suction"....*insert mental picture of giving myself an accidental hysterectomy in a few hours* Ok...that sounds scary....but I'm sure it's not...It will be fine....


Wearing it I felt like I could "feel" my period....not in a gross way like when you wear a pad and it feels like you've got a little swamp situation happening, but actually in my uterus, it felt more fluid and light as opposed to that heavy bloated feeling when you use a tampon. It was as though I was much more in-tune with my body and what it was doing and it was more free.

No leaking this morning when I woke up, which is great, as many tampons will start to leak after 2-3 hours for some women.

I jumped in the shower this morning, did what I had to do then prepared myself for the removal. Taking a deep breath in, I decided to opt for the crouch position...guided my fingers to the area and hoped for the best.


It took me nearly 10 minutes to get it out.


I tried to remain as calm as I could while instinctively trying not to perform the aforementioned hysterectomy.

The instructions said to squeeze the base with your thumb and forefinger to release the suction...Well - I don't know about other women, but I can't fit my thumb and forefinger in there...especially with a little silicone intruder already making itself at home in there.

So trying to grab the little tail with one hand from the outside and trying to use one finger on the other hand to push into the base/sides in the hopes to release the suction proved fairly challenging. As mentioned, it took up to 10 minutes to coordinate and choreograph my fingers to work as a team in order to obtain the desired outcome, which was complete removal of the Juju, all the while reminding myself "breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out" After all, the instructions say it's easier to remove if you're not tense - though it's hard not to be tense when visions of an exploded uterus are popping up in your mind.


All horror and panic aside, I got there in the end with little war wounds and it popped out with gusto and thankfully wasn't full so I didn't get covered in "stuff", like everyone seems to imagine will happen. I definitely do not recommend trying this with long, sharp fingernails...not unless you want to cause additional bleeding to your lady parts.

Once removed, I washed it, washed myself, popped it back in and along I went, keeping my fingers crossed that I'd have an easier removal tonight...

Well towards the end of the day today, my first day wearing my Juju, I started to feel like maybe I should change so when I got home from work, I washed my hands and prepared to attempt a non-shower removal.


As imagined, it was still a little tricky like it was this morning but I discovered, if you grab one square of toilet paper, use that with one hand to hold the tail, it gives better grip, enabling you to keep a firmer hold on it while using a finger of your other hand to indent the cup and release the suction. The added grip offered a little more security in ensuring I didn't accidentally drop it in the toilet bowl! If that happened, I'd have to throw it out!!


Surprisingly, it wasn't full and overflowing with yucky fluids. There was some but not as much as you would imagine.
Another positive observation to add, when removed, the outside is dry and clean so no worries about having to touch any of the yucky stuff!


Washed it out with some warm soapy water, folded it into a C ready for reinsertion and the slippery little bugger flipped back, splashing what I hope was just clean water droplets on my face !! Gross.


All in all I am very happy with my Juju and so glad I made the switch. Absolutely no leakage all day, all night, no uncomfortable feelings, no being caught unawares with no tampons on hand and having to awkwardly ask a co-worker to "borrow" one (not that we ever gave them back, and for good reason!), none of the usual period-angst we suffer for 5-7 days every month!! And at a rough estimate, it will save approximately $130-$150 a year on sanitary products  Definitely recommend everyone get one!!

Here's to the Juju

> Click here to read an update and one hilarious Juju Incident <

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