I’ve decided to get a little more environmentally friendly, and order my first reusable menstrual cup. I haven’t had the ‘curse’ in over a year due to pregnancy and breastfeeding, but I’m pretty sure it’s on the way back, as I just stopped BFing two weeks ago. So I’m going to go ahead and get one of these two options so I can be prepared.
However, I’m not sure which one is better. Any suggestions? Reasons you like/don’t like one of them?
E.
Based on a thread I read here, I use a DivaCup. I haven’t tried the Keeper (IIRC, it has latex, which I have a mild allergy to).
It’s great. Easy to use, and you can forget about it all day. I haven’t had any leakage problems, not even the first month I was using it. It took some practice for me to be able to instert it comfortably, as it’s bigger than a tampon, even folded over, but once you get the hang of it it’s easy.
I am going to echo **badbadrubberpiggy’s ** post word for word, including the latex allergy part. That is NOT the place you want a rash.
I’ve been very happy with mine, and it sure simplifies things to only have to deal with the hassle twice a day, especially if I’m doing something like camping, which can make things *very * inconvenient otherwise.
I love my DivaCup. You can pry it…, er, well, I’m not giving it up, let’s say that. I have very light periods, so it is a godsend for me. I have not tried the Keeper but know several women who have been very happy with it. I haven’t bought a box of tampons in a few months, so my DivaCup has almost paid for itself. And you get a cute pin! I put it on my motorcycle jacket.
Like badbadrubberpiggy said, it takes a bit to get the hang of getting it in there. Practice makes perfect.
I asked a bunch of people too, and ended up buying the Divacup. I love it.
Keep in mind it may take a little bit of trial and error to position it comfortably when you first get it (it’s worn really low, not like tampons). But, once you figure that out, it’s so easy. If you do a search for DivaCup, there are a few threads that have tips and such.
And, you may or may not get your period soon. I think it was 2 - 3 months after I stopped pumping before mine made an appearance.
I will also add that even if you have heavy periods, it’s great. Maybe especially if you have heavy periods! It holds quite a lot. Even on my heaviest days it only gets about 1/4 full. Totally eliminates the need to wear a tampon and a pad, or change said tampon/pad ever hour or two.
I apologize for the hijack, but I just have to say this (and maybe somebody can give me a pointer that can’t be found in the instructions) … Every month, I try and I fail. I cannot get that sucker in right for all the tampons in China. Someday, however. Someday I’ll get it right, and that will be a marvelous day for all womankind.
Oh … um … yeah, I have nothing to add about which works better. Sorry. 
And on preview, I’ll just do the search Cyros mentioned.
I tried for three cycles doing everything I could, but after three cycles of being unbelievably crampy, decided that it just wasn’t for me. Wanted it to work, but there wasn’t a place where it was comfortable.
It took me a while to figure out how to comfortably use it. I ended up needing to trim the stem and use the “punch-down” method instead of the “c fold”. And they recommend buying size 2 (the larger size) if you’ve had vaginal births or are over 30. I’m over 30 but my only child was born via section. I bought size 2, but I really feel a size 1 would have been better fit. Oh well. I’ll make due until my muscles “relax” I guess.
I’ve been getting those Before-AF cramps that I always got before getting pregnant, so I have a feeling the b*tch is on her way :(. It was nice not having it for a year.
I think I’m pretty sold on the Diva Cup - I’ll probably order it tonight. Maybe if I’m lucky, my pre-AF cramps will hold AF off for a week until it gets here.
E.
Here is a link showing different ways to fold it. Maybe you need to find a method that is more right for you? I use the origami fold and have a much easier time with it.
I have a hard time rotating it to seal sometimes, but found it was usually due to how I was sitting/squatting, so I alter my position if I start having problems.
It took me several cycles to get the hang of my Divacup, but I think I’ve got it figured out now. I use the punch-down fold. I was having a lot of trouble getting it to open too, until I realized that I was shoving it up way too far. Now I just barely insert the folded rim before I release it, and then push it in until it just clears the opening. Pops right open.
I also had to trim the stem pretty much off, because it was always poking me. The ribbing around the bottom gives me plenty of grip for removing it.
I took it along to my GYN appointment last month and showed it to my NP. She had not had a patient mention using one yet! She thought it was pretty interesting. She had heard of them, but didn’t have much experience with them, apparently.
I adore mine. My second day is usually extremely heavy, to the point where I used to have to change out tampons every hour or so, and I still had leaks. The DivaCup only needs to be changed every 4-6 hours on my heaviest day, and I’ve never had a leak. It’s a beautiful thing. I haven’t bought tampons or pads in a year and a half or so, it’s paid for itself two or three times over by now.
I had to trim the stem 'cause it was rubbing me in not-good ways, and it took a while of routine use before I got the hang of getting that sucker to pop open. But it’s worth it. There’s another thread about it linked in my sig.
I tried the Keeper but gave it up because of a few bad experiences.
The material is similar to the rubber in a plunger. Same color, texture, and everything. It took a while for me to learn how to get it in…and I’m not sure I ever perfected it so that it forms a seal against your vaginal walls. Whenever I wore it, I could feel it. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but it made me feel insecure.
A menstrating woman shouldn’t be afraid of blood, but when you wear these things–you’ve got to be prepared. The manual said that twelve hours of average menstrual flow can fill a Keeper, but on my heavy days it would only take a few hours before mine would be overflowing. And emptying the Keeper wasn’t a trivial task for me. Maybe it’s just me, but I often had a hard time getting it out without spilling blood all over the place. One time, I inadvertedly made a public bathroom stall look like a crime scene and I had to use a whole pack of paper towels to wipe it up (while praying that no one came into the restroom to see me!)
Dealing with all that blood got to be too much of a hassle and too stressful.
Another vote here for the Diva Cup. In fact, I just ordered a backup. It took me a couple of cycles to be able to insert it quickly, now it takes less time than a tampon. There are some great tips in other threads on this board re: taking them out (break the seal first!) and positioning them correctly (not too far in…) A god send.
I have a Diva Cup and it’s hell to get in at all, and once it’s finally right it constantly feels like it’s about to fall out or start leaking. Neither of which is comfortable (mentally or physically). It’s also incredibly uncomfortable to remove.
Since it hasn’t either fallen out or started leaking, I assume that’s how it should feel and that’s just something I’ll have to get used to until I at least get my money’s worth out of it.
The Keeper might be a better choice, I haven’t tried it and don’t plan on doing so.
I am fat, and have a diva cup. you will get it from me when you pry it out of my cold dead coochie … however a caveat. If you are fat as I am, it can be tricky moving around the body to [basically as my hubby puts it] crawl up your cootchie to install the thing. I dont squat, I stand with a foot up on the toilet [lid down] get the diva warmed up and wet by rinsing it in hot water so it is nice and pliable. I use the basic c-fold, and bend over almost double. I find that I can get it to just behind the bone where it will pop open and seal nicely. I find that the cup is best sitting behind the bone, and the little stub didnt need cutting off for me.
mark me down as one who can on a daily basis blow through a super plus tampon in an hour, but the diva cup will actually hold out for about 4 hours. I have multiples, and just changeout entirely at lunchtime when I am at work. I dump it in the toilet, and wipe it out with a bit of tissue and pop it into the small ziploc bag I carry the spare in. I wear pants with poskets and keep the spare in my pocket so when I go in to change i t out it is body temp and flexible.
ymmv
Here’s the most recent thread on the subject (as far as I know).
This thing’s one of the topics I’ll come out of lurkdom for. I’ve been using a Diva Cup since that last thread and I looove it. It does take some time to get the hang of inserting it, but now I find I get a good seal and it’s pretty easy. For me the key is rotating it after I get it to pop open and seat it - otherwise, sometimes it doesn’t fully open and there can be leakage.
One time I did get it in there wrong… I’m not entirely sure what happened but damn there was some serious pain and it was pretty hard to get it back out. Luckily it was just that one time or I would have taken the scissors and chopped it into tiny pieces as revenge, believe me.
Like Cyros, I wasn’t sure if I really needed a 2, but I’ve gotten used to it. I suppose it’ll only fit better with time! 