I Tried The Diva Cup!

Today's post is going to be on periods! More specifically on what product I now use to deal with them. A menstrual cup! Menstrual cups are becoming more widely known and used and I will be talking to you all about my experience with switching over from tampons to a menstrual cup.

So, periods have probably never been easier than they are today. We have so many options to help us women get through our little monthly reminder that tells us our egg didn't get fertilized and we are not pregnant 😆 There are tampons, pads, liners, birth control pills, and menstrual cups. As usual I like to find the most natural way to deal with my body in the modern world we live in today. And after using organic cotton tampons and organic liners for quite some time I have now moved on to the menstrual cup. When I first heard of it I thought it seemed cool, but I was also curious about the material that was used and researched more to see if there were any chemicals involved.

So I decided to try out the Diva Cup mostly because it was the one I came across most often, and it was more easily accessible for me. After research and looking on their site I learned that they are made with medical grade unpigmented  silicone that is not colored with dyes or chemicals, and is bpa and phthalate free (*ding* "Melissa approves" so far).

How It Works

First off there are two different sizes to choose from. The smaller size is for women who have never had a child and the bigger size is for women who have. There are a couple ways to insert The Diva Cup, I ultimately decided on the U shape hold (you can find more info on their website). Then you relax your muscles and get it in there. The soft silicone softens more with body heat which helps it form to your body. The Diva Cup only needs to be cleaned out twice a day, and if you're cycle is regular it can be inserted right before your period is about to begin to avoid leakage, which is pretty cool. Once removing it and dumping in the toilet it needs to be rinsed out and cleaned with warm water and mild oil free soap. It's most convenient to dump and clean it while in the shower. When using public restrooms with no private access to a sink, it's okay to reinsert without cleaning it until you get the chance to clean it more thoroughly at home or wherever you can get it done. After your period is over the cup is supposed to be boiled for 5-10 minutes to kill any bacteria, so then it can be ready to use the next month.

My experience

At first it was tricky and took a few tries to get it in correctly, but once I did it felt comfortable like there wasn't anything there, just like with tampons. My experience has been good so far. Although, not great because there was still leakage. The diva cup can be left in for up to 12 hours, but apparently that didn’t apply to me. At least not at the beginning of my period which is very heavy and I have to remove and clean the cup every hour or two. I’ve read other women’s experiences with menstrual cups and it is common to find women noticing that their period is actually lighter than they imagined. When your period is all gathered in a cup you can really get an idea of how much comes out of you.  And so, I still think I have a really heavy flow. So I need to use liners on my first two heavy days for backup. Once my period reaches the lighter easier days then using the diva cup becomes less stressful because I don’t need to change it as often. And it’s more of that care free period you see on tv advertisements.

Sustainability

Tampons, pads, and liners all contain a lot of extra plastic wrap and inserts which add to our land fill. It is not something you'd have to worry about with a menstrual cup. When I purchased The Diva Cup it cost me $40-$50. Now you can find it on Amazon for $23.99! That's great for not needing to worry about purchasing tampons or pads every single month. It generally doesn't need to be replaced till after a year, but it can last a lot longer or less, depending on how well it's taken care of.

Overall

The Diva Cup was easy to use once you get the hang of it. However, being that I have a heavy flow, I did have to change it more often than advertised. Leaking was a big bummer for me, because I really wanted to not worry about it, but hey here we go with "first world problems". Once my period slowed down it was awesome. It felt like I wasn't on my period. It may be the perfect choice for someone with a light to moderate period. However, for women with heavier periods it still can be super beneficial, so I'd say its still totally worth the try!

*Update* After using the diva cup for a year I decided to switch back to organic cotton tampons. Here is my favorite brand. Here is another brand I like. Cleaning out a diva cup was more work for me than changing a tampon. If my flow was lighter then I probably wouldn't need to remove and clean the diva cup as often and I would still be using it. In addition, the diva cup has to be boiled to be sterilized after every menstrual cycle. I was living with my in-laws at the time which made it difficult for me to set a time to take care of it (when nobody was around) in my already busy life. It was ultimately easier for me to use tampons at this time in my life.

What's your take on periods? Have you tried a menstrual cup? What was your experience?

I'd love to read your comments or questions below.

Tell me what you think.

Thanks for reading!

Melissa

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