Last month I was thinking about all the different products there are on the market for “that time of the month”. Do you feel that sense of overwhelm when you walk into the drugstore and stand in front of an entire shelf of blue and pink boxes? I used to but haven’t felt it in awhile because I typically go to the health food store and buy organic/chemical free products, and there aren’t so many of those on the market! However, I was recently in a foreign country, sans organic feminine products, so I was forced to go to the pharmacy to check out my options. Not only were there tons of blue and pink boxes but they were of course not in english. A whole new sense of overwhelm.
Then it hit me! Why the hell was I still using all this disposable crap anyway? Fine, I’d gotten rid of the chemicals by not using the mainstream brands (you know their names!) but I was still buying and using and throwing away these products every month!
This is what the Diva Cup website says:
“The 41 year menstruation span (women 11-52 years) creates billions of pounds of disposable feminine hygiene products that are “dumped” into the environment each year. In 1998, the annual figures, for the U.S. alone, were estimated at 12 billion sanitary pads and 7 billion tampons. Because The DivaCup is reusable it is ecological and economical, it is seen as a viable solution.”
Total truth! The dialogue in my head went something like this:
“You’re this big-time women’s health coach, you talk all day about periods and period problems, and living a non-toxic less wasteful life, and you have never used a Diva Cup. Or any cups on the market for that matter. What’s up with that?”
So, I decided I needed to change this asap. As soon as I was back in NYC I went out and bought me a Diva Cup. Prior to the purchase I explained to two friends over lunch that I was finally going to try this whole cup thing and they both seemed skeptical. One said “Oh, I don’t like the sound of that…seems like it might be tough to use.” I was somewhat inclined to agree with her.
Mt Diva Cup experience:
Anyway, the big day came (yes, the first day of my period) and I whipped out my Diva Cup. Did I mention it comes in this super cute little pink drawstring bag? I forgot to mention that it also comes in two models, the first is for women who are under 30 and/or have not had a baby and the second is for women over 30 and/or who have had a baby. I decided on option number one, no need to make it more difficult than I already anticipated it being. There are also two ways to fold it to get it in. See diagram, much easier than explaining it! LOL
I tried the first fold option. And I tried and tried, and finally, magic, it was in! You literally hear a pop-like suction sound when it opens. Interesting to say the least! 🙂 Unfortunately my triumph didn’t last long because about 30 minutes later I was leaking like a busted roof in a rainstorm. I had no idea what the hell could be wrong – I had followed the instructions to a T! Here’s where it gets really rough. I knew I needed to get it out so I grabbed the Diva Cup’s stem (which had wandered quite far away from where I last felt it) and started pulling. Um, yeah that didn’t work so much. I’m not going to go into terrible detail on a public forum but I will say that it was a struggle and I practically had to give birth to this thing!
Clearly I was doing something wrong. What’s worse is the next day I went back for more, and it was the same as the day before. I needed to get answers asap. So I got on the phone with Tara from www.bepreparedperiod.com, she is a period product connoisseur (if there is such a thing she’s it!). She instantly put my Diva Cup anxiety to bed. Apparently a menstrual cup has a bit of a learning curve. It is like learning to ride a bike or drive stick shift…at first it’s a huge pain in the ass (ahem) but once you get it, you get it for life! Okay that was reassuring! And a bigtime bonus is that a lot of women report less cramping during their periods when using a cup vs tampons. I know lots o’ ladies can appreciate that!
How to use a Diva Cup:
1. Try lying down to get it in. Also try both folding methods to see which one works best for you.
2. Push it in and out a couple of times to make sure it’s sealed so there are no leaks.
3. Cut the stem a little shorter so it doesn’t cause discomfort.
4. Pinch the bottom of the cup when taking it out to release some of the Diva Cup’s suction super powers.
Now I feel so armed and ready to take on my next period with the Diva Cup. I’ll report back in two weeks or so! In the meantime, tell me if you have used the Diva Cup and what your experiences have been with it.
12 thoughts on “My Diva Cup Review”
Tried my diva cup for the first time it felt really comfortable and everything was great UNTIL it was time to remove it. Panic hit me as I couldn’t get my wrist bent the right way to pull the sucker out. After a few minutes and stress I got her out. I’m scared to try again. Any tips
Hi Nicole, thanks for the explanation! Are you concerned about keep a piece of plastic inside your vagina? Haven’t bought it to see what it’s made of, but it appears to be plastic. Thanks for your insight!
I find this post as very useful und interesting. Thanks for the post=)
I just got my first Diva Cup and I’m on my first cycle with it. I find that I can always feel that it is there — kind of like the same feeling I had when I knew a tampon had to be changed. I got the size 2 since I’m 30 and had my first baby vaginally last year. Should I be using a size 1? I’m pretty sure it’s inserted properly and completely open.
I own the Meluna XL cup and it fits me well. I’m very comfortable with it. I think I owned a Divacup yearrsss ago and I couldn’t get it to work right. I guess my body is different and this cup is different. The one I use has a ring instead of a stem also, which I do not feel at all.
Listening for the “pop” is deceptive. The cup can pop partially open, but still be flat, and if you are relying on the pop to tell you that the cup is open, you will continue to have problems because sometimes it will be open, and sometimes it won’t.
The only way to know for sure that the cup is open properly is to insert a finger up beside the cup, and sweep around the entire circumference to feel the shape for yourself. They call this “stirring” I believe.
You’ll know what I’m talking about once you start doing this, but once you get it down, you’ll be able to tell the difference in shape between the cup being collapsed (more oval shaped), and being fully open where the cup is as round as it was before you inserted it (or nearly so).
Spinning the cup around to open it up almost never works for me. I find that the only way I can pop my cup open if it’s partially collapsed is if I once again insert a finger up beside the cup, and feel for the part that is not flat, and push in on that side till the cup opens up. Once I’m fairly certain the cup opened up, I sweep my finger around again to check the shape just to make sure.
Always, always feel for the shape of the cup after you insert it, or you are going to have mixed results!!
Yes,I totally agree with you and thanks for pointing that out. I had to learn that techniques,but sometimes you’ll feel the cup expand,but doing this move will definitely help with preventing leakage.
Irina, you are a star!! Thanks for all the useful info, I’m sure everyone appreciates it!!
I also want to add that it helps to give it a boil after each period to keep it clean. Another trick that I discovered for myself and haven’t seen mentioned anywhere is to use a Sonicare toothbrush with an old attachment to clean the cup. Works like a charm 😉
Great post, Nicole! I love my Diva Cup and haven’t gone back to tampons since I got it a couple of years ago. I had the exact same experience as you! Struggled, leaked, all that good stuff. But it really is like riding a bike, you are absolutely right. I’m so thrilled that you wrote about it! I hope more women give it a try. Keep ’em coming!!! xoxo
Hi Marissa, yes I have had quite a few laughs experiencing this and writing about it! I’m looking forward to my next chance to get it right 🙂
Hahaha! This post was so funny. I can totally relate to the Diva Cup debacle. I had to lie down to put it in the first couple periods but it gets much easier. I agree there is a learning curve for sure!