I Tried the Diva Cup
As you might have guessed by the title of this particular post, I purchased (and used) a Diva Cup. I was looking for something that would change the game for the Parting of the Red Sea, and a menstrual cup seemed the way to go.
I've been a pretty avid tampon user since the start of periods for me. Wearing pads weren't comfortable, and I didn't like that "wet" feeling. Of course, I was never taught that I had other options. It was strictly pad or tampon, it seemed. About 3 years ago, I heard about a menstrual cup for the first time. I wasn't really interested, I was completely content using tampons. Why would I want to change that?
When I quit my day job last year to be a stay-at-home-mom, the monatary impact buying feminine hygiene products reared it's ugly head. At that point, I had forgotten the Diva cup existed. There was the occassional month where I couldn't afford tampons right away, so for a day or two I would end up using toilet paper. I know. Pretty much not the ideal situation. Then, back in January of this year, I came across a YouTube video that reminded me that these silicone bowls of resuable value existed. I hopped onto Amazon and put in an order, hoping it would arrive before my next cycle. I just needed to know it was going to work for me.
Because I have had a child before, I went with the Model 2 Diva Cup. Luckily enough, it did arrive just a few days before it was time to surf the crimson tide. I was still pretty unsure that it would end up working well for me, so I ran down to Walgreens and picked up a package of panty liners, just in case of leaks. Over the next couple of days, I spent some time, here and there, going over the pamphlet, learning the different folds, and memerizing the insertion techniques. Just run of the mill, nervous as hell things that you do when you get something new like this.
Then the day finally came. Most people feel bothered when family members come to visit. But this time around, I was excited to see my Aunt Flow.
Like some people (well, most people I've talked to), my first couple of days are almost unbearably heavy. I could easily go through 5 or 6 Super tampons in a day. Then the next day or two are pretty "regular," and then the last day or two are pretty light. Naturally, I was worried about the first couple of days. But I was still excited to see how it went.
Step 1: I had to get it in, and get the proper suction. This was almost a circus act. Even I was laughing at myself. There's two different folds you can do to get it in, you don't just have to shove it up there. I opted to try the "u" fold first. This went well, until the next step. Once you get the cup in there, you're supposed to rotate it in a full circle. Since this was day one of my period, that part was pretttttyyyy messy. But I did it! And I noticed two problems right off the bat. The stem was too long, so if I wanted the stem to be in a comfortable position, the Diva Cup had to be higher up. But if the Diva Cup was higher up, then it felt like my whole cervix was in a constant vacuum. And uncomfortable, constant vacuum.
Step 2: It needed to be adjusted. I slowly pulled the cup out, which gave an audible pop which was hilarious to me, and gave it a rinse so I could trim it up. I had actually prepared for this, since I had watched so many videos and read so many blog posts, and I had scissors nearby just in case. I ended up trimming about half of the stem away, little by little. In that process, I ended up putting it in and taking it back out a few times, which made for great practice and disgusting hands. I also have a tiny bathroom, so the toilet and the sink are very close to each other, making it easy for me to clean up in between. I finally obtained a good fit, and felt it was time to go about my day.
I noticed it was there, it wasn't invisible. It shifted around as I did housework, it felt as if it almost slipped out as I took my kid to school. But, in the 5 hours from when I put it in, to when I took it out, it didn't leak. The product description does say that you can wear it up to 12 hours at a time, but I couldn't tell how full it was getting, so I figured it would give it a look.
It was full when I took it out the first time, but it was incredibly easy to deal with. Of course, I wasn't in a public restroom, so there's that. I pinched the bottom of the cup, released the suction, and dumped it out right there in the toilet. After a quick rinse in the sink, and a quick dry with the towel I had out just for that purpose (and really hoped my 5 year old didn't use), I popped it back in on the second try and went about my day. I was pretty impressed with myself that I didn't have to spend 20 minutes fighting with it as it was still a new concept to me. I decided at that point to go ahead and leave it in until bed time, just to see how it went. And it went well. It was full again, but still didn't leak. It seemed a little more uncomfortable that time around, but that could have been because of the awful cramps that decided to come say hey.
The next test, was the overnight test. I popped it back in, with my trusty panty liner just in case, and hopped into bed to sit there on my phone for the next 3 hours until I forced myself to actually go to sleep. I woke up at one point in the middle of the night in a panic, but everything was fine, and felt fine, so I went right back to sleep. I did end up sleeping in a bit, which was fan-freaking-tastic, and when I got up, it almost felt as if the weight of the cup just multiplied and the cup felt like it dropped drastically. I made a mad dash for the bathroom, but not before the dreaded leak. It was pretty messy. But not unmanageable, thanks to the trusty panty liner. There was QUITE a bit in there when I finally emptied it out, I'm honestly surprised it didn't leak sooner, even with me laying in bed. I was still impressed. I cleaned up, and popped it back in.
The rest of my period went pretty pretty well. Just popping it out, cleaning it, and popping it back in. I did end up having to actually leave my house and run errands. I wasn't confident enough to wear the cup if I wasn't going to be close to home. So I used a tampon, no biggie. I never had any other leak problems, it got more comfortable, things like that.
Because it's silicone, it can stain. Mine was looking pretty brownish and gross. The day after my period ended, I set up a pot of boiling water, gave the cup a quick wash, then popped it into the pot for about 5 minutes. If it didn't have a cut stem, it would look completely brand new. The Diva Cup also came with a cute purple cotton bag to put it in, but I have a knitting pattern to make a squid shaped one, which is obviously waay better.
I did wait a few weeks after I tried this, just to make sure I actually liked it. I've got my next Red Dawn right around the corner, so I'm hoping it goes just as well, if not better, the second time around. If you've been thinking about making the change, I urge you to stay away from department stores for this kind of thing. My local Wal-Mart wanted OVER $35 for one. That's $15 more than what I paid. I'll leave an Amazon link below for you, way cheaper, and you don't actually have to leave your house to buy one!! Let us know what you think about this particular method for menstrual destruction!
