I’m kinda unconvinced about the lack of messiness. I’ll put in a super plus at 8 am and by 10 am I’ve gone completely through it and the ultrathin backup pad. And when I change it (just grabbing the string) there’s usually enough backed up behind it that my fingers get bloody (I hate having blood under my nails). Day one I go through six or seven super pluses plus pads so it sounds like I’d have to change this thing at least twice at work. I can deal with a little blood but I hate when it gets really drippy.
I’m still intrigued by it tho’. Maybe I can work up to convincing myself that it’ll hold by trying some lighter days.
Another very happy customer. I got a Keeper many years ago and had to replace it with a Diva Cup when it finally broke down last summer (after over ten years of regular use). I love it, it is the single best purchase I have ever made. I have told all my female friends about it. I have even been known to try to sell my male friends on it in the hopes that they will pass the good word on to their other female friends.
Please don’t let the public bathroom thing discourage you. I empty/clean mine once a day (in the shower, it’s the easiest thing ever), occasionally twice on the first day, and I’m a heavy bleeder - in my tampon days I had to change my Super Plus OB every few hours. tremorviolet, I think you’re fine. Honestly. You can always wear a back-up pad and carry a tampon around, just in case, until you feel totally comfortable with it.
While I still don’t look forward to my periods, I no longer face them with a sense of dread and disgust. Now it’s just no big deal.
I definitely want one of these things. I’ve perused the website extensively (aw, look at the cute cloth pads!). I just haven’t made the decision to get one yet.
I got my DivaCup right before a trip to Spain in June, and I LOVED having it there! I only had to change it when I was in the hotel room, no worries with pads (I HATE tampons, and it was 105 degrees all day). No smell, not too much mess, and it was reasonably easy to use. I had a little leakage on my one really heavy day, but nothing a panty liner couldn’t handle. I’ve recently stopped using it because it seemed to make my cramps worse, but I really miss it. I’m thinking about trying an alternative. My question is, did anyone seem to notice a change in cramps? I’ve never had bad ones, but I noticed them getting gradually worse after I started using the cup… I stopped last month, no cramps at all (which was the norm before), and again this month I’ve been cramp-free. It makes me wonder what’s going on…
Well, obviously noone can say how it will work for you unless you try it, but I just can’t see how it would be worse (or even the same) as tampons. Although I never had particularly heavy periods, for whatever reason tampons always leaked on me. I never wore tampons without a pad as well - if I did, I’d end up with dirty underwear. With the Diva, I go without underwear at all, and have never had even one small leak.
I have very heavy periods, especially on the first two days. My MoonCup has never leaked. On my heaviest day, the most I have ever seen it fill up was about 1/2 to 2/3 full. If you change it at least twice a day, there is no way it will ever fill up completely.
Also it really is not messy. If you pull it out by the stem and handle it with the stem, you won’t even touch blood.
What I do at home is I start the water in the sink running. I sit on the toilet and pull it out by the stem and pour it out in the toilet, then I put it in the sink (which is right next to the toilet) under the water. Then I finish my business, and go to the sink and finish rinsing it off, then reinsert it. I never touch blood, even when insterting it, because since I have had it in the whole time, blood hasn’t even made it down to the opening, so when I reinsert it, there’s no blood lingering in that vicinty to get on my fingers. (Still, you want to wash your hands after inserting, of course.)
Actually, I knew my body when I was a virgin. I have never had children (don’t plan on it) and have a very small vagina. Having to insert a cup and all that would be way too much trouble for me because I would feel it (not to mention hell to get in. I am pads only and never feel unclean or dirty.
More power to you, though. I respect your decision and think women should do what makes them the most comfortable.
Are you talking about Gladrags? I started using those about a year ago. I hated the icky way disposable pads felt. Also I started getting a bit weirded out thinking about what chemicals they were using to cause it to hold all that liquid. I also switched to organic all cotton tampons. I thought about the Keeper or the DivaCup, but I had such a bad experience with Instead that I didn’t get one. You ladies are starting to convince me to give it a try.
I love my Diva Cup. I’ve used it for a little over a year. It took some getting used to but after the first cycle it’s pretty easy to use. Though for some reason I seem to leak on the first day so I use tampons for one day… after that, it’s Diva Cup only. I hated tampons - one side would always stay dry or they leak, hurt, etc.
I especially like using the cup during the end of the cycle when tampons are too absorbant but I don’t want to sit on a panty-liner all day. It’s perfect.
I empty & clean my cup in the morning shower and sometime during the evening once I’m home from work.
I kinda like seeing what & how much is coming out. As for public restrooms - it can be a little tricky but I rarely have to empty it in when I’m out. For me it’s much less of a hassle than tampons. And pads… well, I wont get onto that.
Here’s a TIP
After my cycle is finished I soak it in hydrogen peroxide overnight. After that it’s clean as new. It gets rid of any staining. (FYI - I don’t know if this will harm other cups that aren’t made of silicone but it works great on mine Diva Cup.)
I got some GladRags to go with my DivaCup (although they are pretty easy to make and you can buy (unused, sickos) home made ones on eBay pretty easy.
I dig them. It’s a little harder for me to get used to than the cup, but they really are comfy. I love that i can wear them all day as panty liners/backup. They are just cotton, so they don’t get all gross just sitting there. It’s almost a shame I love the DivaCup so much that I probably won’t use them much. I used to wear pads at home/at night because if I didn’t have anything to think about I’d end up dwelling on my tampon and it’d drive me nuts. But with the DivaCup I never feel it.
I’ve done quite a bit of reading online about the different options and I haven’t heard much good about Instead. The benefit seems to be that you can keep it in while having sex… though I don’t think that would work for all women. Simply put, a longer penis will hit it and probably cause discomfort to you and/or your man.
The Diva Cup cannot be worn while having sex but I will mention that if you remove it for the act, it doesn’t absorb all of the natural lube (not blood) on the way out - the way tampons do.
Try not to let a bad experience with with Instead discourage you from trying the Diva Cup. Besides, they’ll take it back within 3 months if you don’t like it.
(I do wonder what they do with the returns?)
I read threads like this and I’m so glad I no longer have periods. I hate tampons (plus I use the Nuvaring, so insertable stuff is usually out of the question) and I dislike pads.
Even when the boy gets a vasectomy, I’ll probably continue to use BC for the wonderful side effects.
If I do start up again, I’ll be trying out the divacup.
LOL!! Oh, you know you miss the cramps, messiness, and moodiness.
I was thinking of going on the pill and just stopping them altogether for awhile. I am not having children…ever. There is no reason for me to have one. Besides, I have read that stopping ovulation for a period of time (usually accomplished by incubating rug crawlers) lowers your chances of various female cancers.
I would still rather have a period than have that ticking time bomb known as a prostate.
So why the hell don’t they sell these things in stores? It’s totally rediculous that this literally life-changing product is so relatively unknown and unavailable.
Ok you have converted another one! If there’s any chance in hell that I can knock some time off of a seven day bleeding stretch I’m there!
I have always been put off by the thought of inserting and removing these cup type things. I’m not grossed out by it; just a bit scared I will be the one moron who can’t get the damn thing out and end up being the laughingstock at the emergency room that day.
But, I recently got the nerve to switch over to O.B. no applicator tampons and have been doing great with them for a few months now, so if I can learn those this shouldn’t be too bad.
I won’t lie to you; the first time you try to remove one, it may take some time to get the hang of it. I thought I was supposed to just pull on the little piece of plastic on the end - uh, no. The rim of the Cup has pretty much made a leak-proof seal with your walls, so it wouldn’t budge that way for me. My trick was to slide one finger up the side of the Cup to break the seal, then press my finger on the Cup to squish it into a semi-circle shape, and then slide the Cup out. Don’t know if that makes sense…
Again, it’ll take some time to figure it out, but since there’s no danger with inserting it when you’re not on your period, you can try it in a clean, not-bloody environment a few times to get the hang of it.
I don’t know if it’s just the hippie-ish nature of Vancouver, but all sorts of places - from big drug stores to health food shops to yoga wear stores to sex toy stores (!) - carry the DivaCup here. And apparently, London Drugs stores Canada-wide do carry the Cup, for fellow Canucks. Despite how kick-ass these things are, most women have been using pads and tampons forever, so it’s out of their comfort zone, they don’t want to buy it, and stores therefore don’t carry them. However, I’d bet that many stores would order some in for you if you asked for them and it was a guaranteed sale, especially smaller health food/vitamin shops and such.
Little TMI here, but about 3 weeks ago I had cryosurgery. As anyone who has had cryosurgery knows, there is a LOT of discharge (clear, watery, stinky), like weeping from a burn, and it lasts for ages. I asked my OBGYN and he said that it was safe to use my Diva Cup for the discharge and even though there was some leakage, I think due to the consistancy, it has been a lifesaver.
I am now on my second period since I got my Diva Cup and I have been trying to convert all my friends.
I’ve been using mine for about a year and all I can say is where the hell were these things 20 years ago? No leaking - no nasty trash accumulating in the bathroom - no chafing - no odor - no worrying about whether I have enough supplies to see me through Aunt Flo’s visit this month - I love it. I plan to buy one for my daughter and have it ready for her as soon as she starts her monthlies.
I had to trim the stem a little bit, because it was too long and it was rubbing on things I didn’t like it to rub on, but other than that this thing is perfection in silicone. The only times it’s leaked have been when I forgot I was on my period (yep, I FORGOT I was on my PERIOD - that’s how awesome this thing is) and didn’t dump it out in time.
Check the link in my sig for more discussion on this little marvel.
Okay. I went to the site, took the tour and placed my order!
There was a question about my exact fear listed there and after reading the answer I lost my fear. I didn’t realize until I visited the site that there is that little handle thingymabob on the end to hold onto. I guess I just pictured a flat bottomed cup and that’s why I wondered how I would ever get it out. The suction thing makes sense, but sounds easy to break the suction.
