Diva Cup Review!
May 3, 2011 at 10:13 pm 10 comments
I posted recently about my desire to stop wasting money on menstrual products, to be more earth friendly, and ultimately keep from adding any chemicals to my reproductive plumbing. So, I took the leap and ordered the Diva Cup. Some of you guessed that I was going that direction! And sure enough….
After it arrived, I had to patiently wait for AF to arrive. As I am still breastfeeding, I wasnt sure when my monthly guest would decide to show her face. I dont think I have ever been so excited to get my period, EVER!
Basically, I opened the bocx and thouroughly cleaned the cup (HELLO, its going INSIDE…its gotta be clean). Then I stopped and nearly fainted when I saw how much larger it is than the typical tampon. Holy smokes, thats gonna be uncomforable….
I was wrong. I followed the instructions and inserted it, then I hung around in the bathroom for a few minutes doing acrobatics making sure that it didnt hurt or leak. And, IT DIDNT!!
The instructions say that it can be left in for up to 12 hours without having to empty it, so I headed out for the day. Let me tell you how freeing it is not to have to waddle around with a panty shield on. How incredibly liberating it is not to have to smuggle a tampon into the bathroom without worrying if I packed enough. It was a wonderful first day. Then I got home and paniced about having to remove it.
Would it be gross? Would it be messy? Um….maybe I cant get it out!
Nope, Nope, and yes, I could.
Its blood people, but it was no nastier than dealing with removing a tampon. It wasnt messy, but I was very careful. The removal was easy, however it was a little uncomfortable removing it (maybe Im doing it wrong).
The only other negative was trying to decide what to do with the, urm…fluid. A simple flush and it was gone. I rinsed the cup (and then bleached the sink) and reinserted it.
This was my most pleasant period, ever! I was actually excited to use my new product! And for comparison shoppers, I got the Diva on Amazon.com for $19.00 (with free shipping!). My average monthly hygiene cost is about $25.00. The Diva is good for at least a year. That would make my average savings $281.00 for a year!
Are you a Diva?
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1.
Allison | May 4, 2011 at 5:41 am
Love mine – I have had it for 1.5 years now. Best purchase ever!!
2.
PottyMouthMommy | May 4, 2011 at 8:55 am
I am a diva… and thank goodness I am… it’s the only way I can sleep through the night during that time of the month!! Otherwise I’d be waking up every 2-3 hours!!
3.
Christine | May 4, 2011 at 9:28 pm
Is this like the INSTEAD cup thing? I have a crazy story about my attempt to use this method nearly 12 years ago gost makes me squirm just thinking of it.
Lets just say that when your husband has to do a pelvic exam to find the dang thing… its just plain wrong! LOL
4.
studentrntiffany | May 9, 2011 at 8:53 pm
Christine- THats hilarious!! I can only imagine!
5.
Ethel | May 5, 2011 at 11:48 am
The only problem I have with it is using one in public restrooms – in the past I was rarely at home (grad school or traveling) with a sink right across from me. I have been using Instead, instead, which I am fairly happy with – also 12 hour usage, but my problem is after 2 vaginal deliveries it seems my vagina wants to push anything in it out during menstruation so often 12 hours is too long.
BTW, it isn’t really blood at all, it is endometrium – cells that are undergoing programmed apoptosis.
6.
undergrad RN | May 5, 2011 at 8:21 pm
I use Diva exclusively. Check out http://menstrual-cups.livejournal.com/453392.html for lots of good tips. I switched after my first month from the standard C-fold to the “origami” fold and I haven’t looked back, and that was over 3 years ago now
7.
mrs spock | May 8, 2011 at 8:15 pm
I have used one for- wow- about 10 years. I started using the old latex Keeper back in the day and graduated to a Diva Cup when they started making silicone ones. I love it- only empty it twice a day. I hop in the shower to clean in out. I don’t worry about public restrooms since I only empty it at home morning and night. I guess I don;t have Ethel’s issues since I had c-sections perhaps? It took a bit to get used to removing it. I just reach up and break the suction with my finger, then no problems coming out. I can get feminine hygiene products for free thanks to couponing, but prefer to Diva for environmental reasons.
8.
Laura | May 8, 2011 at 8:52 pm
@Christine
Same concept, different execution – the devil is in the details. I loved the Diva cup but the Instead cup made me miserable. The Instead cup didn’t want to fit with my anatomy so I was constantly worried about leaks, plus it was really uncomfortable.
9.
Christiane | May 9, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Interesting post. Thanks for sharing your experience. Always seemed a strange thing for me but hey, it sounds it works just great. I wonder – are 12 hours generally enough? What about overflowing/leaking? After all, it is not something you want to find out in a public place since taking it out/cleaning is a slight hazzle (if you want to keep it private).
Also, how exactly can this be removed? I understand the concept of folding the cup up before inserting, but after it is full, would squeezing it not lead to overflowing?
Are there any (health) risks involved in having it inside the vagina (like this rare disease you can get when a tampon might stay in too long)? Infections etc.?
Your post really makes me think about trying this cup.
10.
studentrntiffany | May 9, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Christiane- I LOVE the diva cup! 12 hours was a little long for me, I had to change it at about 10 hours (for my own sanity) and the cup was about half full at that point (during my heaviest flow, TMI, sorry!). I didnt have any problem with leaking or overflowing. I did have to remove it once while in public, and I simply dumped the fluid in the toilet and then used a baby wipe to cleanse it before reinserting it. Simple.
The removal is the trickiest part. You have to slightly decompress the cup to remove, but it really doesnt take much. I never encountered any problem with overflowing. I did the reading on it and since the diva is not introducing anything foreign substance there are no associated health risks. Toxic shock syndrome is not an issue with the Diva (and was a big reason I was interested in it).
I absolutely love using this! It made my period less cumbersome! Let me know if you decide to get one, I would love to hear what you think of it!