Getting the most from your diaphragm

 

A silicone Caya contoured diaphragm

Repetition: I know I’ve covered this before, but I’m being repeatedly asked about how to get the most from the few styles of contraceptive diaphragms that are still available.

The Photo: The Caya contoured diaphragm was designed to fit women who take the four most often prescribed sizes of traditional diaphragms; 65mm, 70, 75, and 80mm. Caya has a polymer rim spring so there is no worry about wearing it through metal detectors at airports and the slightly matte outer surface of the cervix cup increases a partner’s sensation rubbing against the glans of his thrusting penis. The six bumps on the right side of the rim are grip dimples. There is an identical set on the other side that make gripping and compressing a slippery rim for insertion much easier than the smooth rim of a traditional diaphragm. The dome on the right is the removal dome into which the wearer inserts a finger to break the seal and pull it out.

Disadvantages of the Caya: Women with vaginas smaller than 65mm and larger than 80mm cannot safely wear it. The heat transfer properties of silicone are not as good as latex and in larger vaginas the relief arch tends to rotate a few degrees one way or the other. If rotation is too great the Caya rim can be under-thrust which the relief arch was designed to prevent. Since I am at the upper design limit for the Caya I’m reluctant to wear it for “flood insurance” during underwater sex.

A silicone Milex contraceptive diaphragm

The Photo: The last of the traditional diaphragms still commercially available Milex comes in two rim styles, Arcing and Omniflex (coil spring) rim. It is available in eight diameter sizes, from 60 to 95mm, in 5mm increments. The wide seal flange on the inside of the rim provides a larger surface to seal against the vaginal walls. The two cut-outs in the wide seal indicate where the fingers should be placed to compress the arcing rim for insertion. While the Omniflex (coil spring) rim has the same cutouts the Omniflex can be compressed at any two opposite points on the rim for insertion. The dark round spot in the inside center of the dome is the extrusion nub.

Properly cared for a Milex diaphragm will last several times longer than a latex diaphragm. However, it is still susceptible to deterioration from oils of all kinds as well as silicone lubricants. The stiff silicone dome has much poorer heat transfer properties than does the dome of a latex diaphragm.

One of my latex Reflexions flat spring diaphragms

The Photo: One of my 80mm latex Reflections flat spring rim diaphragms in its case. The curved white polymer device lying above the diaphragm is an ‘introducer’ which aided with insertion of diaphragms with rims of 60mm to 90mm for women with short fingers. 

A major advantage of the latex flat spring over the Caya is that when correctly fitted and properly inserted it is almost impossible for even a mischievous partner to intentionally under-thrust the rim. Other advantages are that silicone lubes can be safely used with a latex diaphragm and the heat transfer properties of the translucent stretchy latex dome are far superior to silicone diaphragms. Another advantage that isn’t generally talked about is that for women with partners who are able to thrust into their anterior fornix a flat spring rim, since it only bends in the plane of the rim, will retain its shape and allow the latex dome to be stretched tight over the tip of the cervix and deep into the anterior fornix. This puts upward pressure on the cervix and therefore the uterus pushing it a few millimeters deeper which makes the bottom of the fornix that much deeper as well.  This cannot be duplicated with Milex and Caya diaphragms because the Milex rims (arcing and coil spring) bend in two planes and the Caya cervix cup is too deep to allow the cervix to be pushed upward by a penis thrusting into the anterior fornix. Another advantage of a Reflexions latex diaphragm is that the raised triangle (with the size of the device in millimeters in its center) on the outside center of the dome can stimulate the glans of a thrusting penis long enough to reach it.

Disadvantages of latex diaphragms: The latex can be easily damaged by oils of all kinds in lubes, vaginal meds and even by perfume on the fingers during insertion. Even when properly cared for a well-used (3+ times a week) latex diaphragm should be replaced every year. The rim of a Reflexions is stiffer to compress and hold (when slippery) for insertion than the Caya and a latex device will develop an odor quicker than a silicone one because the surface of the latex is porous to a small extent.  The odor   developing quicker is seen by scent fetishes as a plus.

However, the main problem with latex diaphragms is that they are no longer commercially available.  I’m fortunate to still have several new Reflexions that I haven’t broken the seals on the boxes, so I should be fine for a while longer. Currently only at Gyn practices specializing in cervical barriers can women be fitted for latex diaphragms custom made with coil, arcing or flat spring rims.

Expressing a diaphragm: For the best protection, a diaphragm should develop a strong seal (suction) in the dome. This seal depends on the flexibility of the vaginal walls with no major irregularities to grip a properly sized and correctly placed rim. A diaphragm with poor suction can be used fairly effectively with plenty of spermicide in the dome, but not as effectively as with strong suction. There is nothing more satisfying to me, from a safety perspective, than to feel the strong suction tug as I break the seal to remove my diaphragm at least six hours after the last act of intercourse (to make sure all his little swimmers are dead) from a long session of love making.

To get the strongest suction possible a wearer should express the air out of the dome or cervical cup with her fingers. Where the most air will accumulate under the dome is in the anterior fornix. The wider the anterior fornix the more air is trapped. Because of the smaller cervix cup there is less air to express from a Caya than a conventional diaphragm dome. Some women can press down and lower the cervix enough that the wearer can express all the air from her anterior fornix with her fingers. But when using fingers there is the possibility of cutting or tearing the dome with a fingernail. Others find it helpful to use a small dildo or the rounded handle of a table knife to force the dome into the anterior fornix to completely evacuate the air. It’s especially important if the wearer is using a diaphragm as “flood insurance” during dive-sex so the hydraulics of a partner’s thrusts will not force water into the wearer’s uterus.   

Boxing Day, diving the well

This year Monday 28 December is Boxing Day

The Photo: A caution to frenzied UK after Christmas sales shoppers

Blackthorn Barony and Boxing Day: The Oxford English Dictionary gives the earliest attestations of the term as being from England in the 1830s, defining it as 'the first week-day after Christmas-day, observed as a holiday on which post-men, errand-boys, and servants of various kinds expect to receive a Christmas-box'. However there are indications that gift giving to tradesmen and servants on the day after Christmas began long before that name was attached to the custom.

Presently in UK Boxing Day is the day after Christmas. However, because Christmas is on Friday this year Boxing Day is celebrated on the following Monday, December 28^th. These days in the UK, Boxing Day is a bank holiday when the after Christmas sales begin. Traditionally ‘Christmas boxes’ contained money or presents and the Barony’s ‘boxes’ for employees who have performed satisfactorily throughout the year contain a sum of money equal to at least 10% of the servants annual wage. The Barony’s boxes are distributed to employees by the Baroness on the afternoon before Boxing Day and to tradesmen and others on Boxing Day itself.

 For her female employees my predecessor Edith, as 22^nd Baroness Blackthorn, began a tradition in the late 90s of allowing most of the Barony’s women servants to travel to London aboard The Dragon the night before to attend the sales on Boxing Day. The minimum staff that stayed behind on Boxing Day to provide hospitality services to the castle are taken to London for the sales aboard The Dragon the following Monday. Anyone who has been in domestic service in a major household knows how tightly they are run so having time off with meals, transportation and lodging (sleeping aboard the Dragon in very comfy reclining seats) on their employer’s dime is very rare. Although the excursion is not entirely w/o oversight since very junior staff are in the care of senior staff members on the trip to ensure no harm comes to them. Male staff gets an equal amount of time off to hunt or fish on Barony land. So that has proved an extremely popular tradition.

Multi-bed hyperbaric chamber: The four bed industrial multiplace hyperbaric chamber (MHC) was the last piece of major equipment installed in my dive facility. It was installed in a space reserved for it after I decided that I could rent out the facility as a diver school when I wasn’t using it and needed an MHC to ensure I had the equipment needed to get the necessary approvals and licence. It’s an upgrade from the one that is about six years old that Adolph, my friend in Vegas, has installed for his dive facility that was used also by women in residence at his Spa, The Lorelei, near by.  

Diving the Well: I try not to vary my exercise routine very much regardless of what is going on around me because at my age I can’t afford not to keep my body in top dancing condition. That’s especially true over the holidays when fattening foods and sweets are so plentiful so that it is harder to keep the pounds off. So after my daily ballet barre and pointe classes I’ve been diving the shallower, 64 ft., well for dive-sex with one of the ballet-boys who are here to provide erotic companionship over the holidays. Carla fitted him with one of the Guardian FFMs reserved for guests. I chose him because he is very well endowed, is an avid SCUBA diver and has a reputation as a considerate partner and an awesome underwater fuck.

I find it amazingly exciting to hang restrained by an ankle leash weightless tethered to the floor 64 feet below the surface sucking gas while having my brains fucked out by a marvelous hunky and very experienced lover.  At that depth using regular gas rather than a Nitrox mix I sometimes get just a touch of nitrogen narcosis which heightens my danger if I’m not careful. To avoid that we breathe Enriched Air Nitrox with 32% oxygen (EAN32) to minimize the chance of nitrogen narcosis and extend dive time w/o decompression. Even so I have deco lines and spare air hung in both wells for periodic decompression stops the last being at 15 feet if needed. After sex I love having an afterglow nap while still tethered to the bottom. I have my computer set to alarm when I’ve reached table limits and I need to deco during ascent. Dive-sex uses a lot of air as air consumption techniques are pretty much ignored as you are racing toward and at orgasm so we use 130 cu ft HP steel tanks. That way we can usually have at least three encounters and a nap before we ascend.   

Since it’s after Christmas I’m luteal, I ovulated on Christmas day, so right now I don’t need a cervical barrier for contraception. I just need reproductive tract protection for ‘flood insurance’ to prevent having water forced into my uterus from the hydraulics of a lover’s thrusts if or when my vagina floods which is a common occurrence for women during dive-sex.  Ideal for dive-sex flood insurance is a latex Reflexions flat spring diaphragm because silicone lube so necessary for extended intercourse underwater can be safely used with a latex diaphragm and unlike arcing and coil spring rim diaphragms the flat spring rim is nearly impossible to under-thrust even when the man is intentionally trying.

After inserting my Reflexions I always squat push, down to force my cervix closer to the entrance to my vagina and use my fingers to express the air out of the dome forcing the stretchy rubber deep into my anterior fornix to be held there by the suction which appreciably increases the strength of the suction in the dome and therefore the strength of the seal and the safety of the device.

Female staff off: Three thirteen passenger vans took the ladies of the castle staff down to Caersws to board The Dragon for the overnight trip to London for the sales. They will sleep and eat aboard the train and the Dragon will be parked at an unused platform at St Pancras so they can breakfast and leave for the sales when the stores open. They were so excited! I’m glad to be able to do something to please them as they work very hard to please me during the year.

Diaphragm tricks, Holiday planning

One of my 80mm latex Reflexions FS diaphragms

The photo: One of my latex Reflexions flat spring rim diaphragms and a pair of my red GM play shoes. The Reflexions maker, Lamberts, stopped making them at the end of 2014. The long white polymer device in the photo is an ‘introducer’ that was once a standard insertion aid and it too is no longer being produced. You can tell how soft and stretchy the dome is by how it lays in soft folds and the heat transfer properties of latex membrane are awesome! A flat spring latex diaphragm has become a must have for ritual sex during celestial celebrations as it allows me to cycle naturally while protecting me from the common consequences of sex with a virile and unprotected man.

 

Diaphragm tricks: To increase the strength of the seal (the suction) in the dome of a correctly sized and properly inserted diaphragm you need to express as much of the air in the dome as possible. The wearer should do that immediately after insertion by inserting the first two fingers of either hand into her vagina and press the dome against the anterior wall of the vagina and into the anterior fornix as far as it will go being sure not to damage the dome with a fingernail in the process. I wear my nails short, but even so while using the pad side of the finger the nail tip will come in contact with the dome especially while pressing it into the anterior fornix so care or a nitrile glove should be used.

 

Labia Labs latex (3L) diaphragms: Returning readers may recall that in March of 2012 I mentioned that Gepetto had teamed up with Labia Labs to produce a line of latex diaphragms with coil spring rims in standard sizes from 55mm to 90mm in 5mm increments. And now he has added a latex flat spring rim to take the place of the Reflexions of fond memory. He decided against producing an All-Flex arcing spring rim device because there were patent licensing costs and an arcing spring rim is needed primarily for women with lax muscle tone which is of no concern to Gepettos target market, escorts with fetish specialties and some of the tightest and strongest vaginal grips in the world.  The devices can be custom made in half sizes (2.5mm) and can be provided by special request. The Labia Labs Latex (known as 3L) line of diaphragms is now being offered exclusively through our women’s clinic here in London and only to hostesses working for Clever Cunts and Taryn’s stable of Escorts both of which are now run by one of Tanaquil’s stable masters. The exclusivity of the 3L flat spring diaphragm gives our girls a significant advantage over other escorts serving the fetish community.

 

The 3L line 80mm flat spring user roster: Having the Latex FS diaphragms dispensed exclusively by my clinic has enabled me to do a much better job of tracking women taking the 80mm size which is what I wear. So if an escort dies during sex with a client while wearing her latex 3LFS I know about it right away and can attempt to harvest her diaphragm before the body is sent to the morgue. In those instances the diaphragm becomes known to me as a ‘death rubber’ as it contains a small portion of its former owner’s Chi that contains all her pelvic skills and fetishes so when I wear a ‘death rubber’ its former owner’s sexual knowledge and skills become mine.

 

When it was announced that the Reflexions would no longer be available I despaired of ever being able to restock my ‘death rubber’ diaphragm supply, but Gepetto and Labia Labs in offering the 3L latex flat spring will allow me to continue harvesting latex flat spring diaphragms from unfortunate wearers for the foreseeable future.  

 

Winter Solstice, Christmas, 12^th Night & Virgin Gorda planning: Trinity College Cambridge Christmas vacation is from: December 14 Monday, Last day of undergraduate and graduate classes, to January 25 Monday, Undergraduate and graduate classes begin. Being off for five weeks will allow Bea, Willow, the Dryads (Bryony and Claire) and Marvin (Morning wood) along with the girls boyfriends to spend the Winter Solstice, Christmas and 12^th Night at Blackthorn Castle and then have several weeks with me along in the BVIs at my place on Lost Cove on Virgin Gorda. I was pleased that the Dryads want to spend the holidays with me rather than their parents though I think it was the lure of time in the BVIs and the possibility of multiple partners that tipped the scale in my favor.

 

My cycle and the moon: I’ll be fertile, CD11, on the Winter Solstice which will be on Tuesday December 22^nd. The moon will be waxing and 89% visible then and will be full on Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing Day, December 24^th through 26^th. I should ovulate on Christmas day. Being fertile on the Winter Solstice is awesome as it brings good fortune from the goddess.

 

Training for seminarians: I’ve been engaged to provide lust training for young men studying at a local seminary. The Head Master thinks it’s best to have them knowledgeable about what temptations await them before rather than after they take vows of Chastity Poverty and Obedience. It’s a novel approach, one I don’t think many seminaries have tried with success in the past. This is my first day with them and I gave them an overview of contemporary sexual health and then paired off for individual training with the first one. The order in which I’m taking them – it will be in a delightfully outfitted encounter salle at the seminary - was decided by drawing straws.  I’m certainly looking forward to taking each one in hand and to bed for a day. They are such lovely well muscled young men and are all supposedly virgins meaning that they have never had penile vaginal intercourse.

 

As this is written I ovulated four days ago and I’ll be luteal for almost the next two weeks and then menstrual so I can initiate any who are interested in menstrual sex as well. I’m going to train them with neither my student nor me using contraceptive protection of any sort. That way we both will have maximum tactile sensation during intercourse. I will have a different eighteen year old spew hot, thick, creamy semen deep inside me each day and have their sperm in my tubes every day for nearly two weeks with no worry about pregnancy. What fun! As I write I’m draining the first one’s liquefied semen, the bit you can never entirely Kegel out, into the cotton gusset of my tights. That is such a sensuous feeling! What a marvelous opportunity to enjoy young men at the height of their sexual potency!