Soft Cup/DivaCup logistics question (possible TMI for the fainthearted)

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

I know there are some DivaCup users on the boards, so maybe someone can help me with this.

I usually use the Soft Cup (love it, a pro over the DivaCup is that you can have sex with it). However, the Soft Cup is disposable, and I would like to try the reusable kind.

The problem is, my toilet does not have a washbasin (hand washing in the kitchen, next to the toilet). The way I imagined the logistics would work was: remove cup, rinse/clean, reinsert. But without a washbasin in the toilet… I’m not seeing it. I can’t really picture myself waddling to the kitchen with my knickers around my ankles, holding a used cup. I thought about doing the whole thing in the bathroom (there is no toilet in the bathroom), sitting on the edge of the shower, but after removing the cup, frankly the toilet looks like Carthage after Rome’s been (there’s the TMI), so I don’t think that would work.

I’ve never tried the DivaCup, does that remove without spillage? Anyone have other suggestions as to the logistics?

#2

Take a bottle of water in with you :slight_smile:

#3

Former Diva Cup user here. (Hysterectomy! Yay!) At work, I had a typical US bathroom set-up with stalls one place and the sinks someplace else. I just skipped the rinsing part. If the cup was particularly gory with big clots (which it often was, which is why I got the hysterectomy), I’d wipe it out with a piece of toilet paper.

As far as spillage goes, I think much depends on how heavy your flow is and how adept you are. In other words…I sometimes experienced spillage.

#4

I use a DivaCup, and when I’m in a bathroom without a sink easily available (like in a public bathroom stall), I can remove the cup and empty it out into the toilet with minimal spillage (after a little practice the first time I used it). Then I wad up a few squares of toilet paper to wipe down the inside and outside of the cup (basically wipe the outside, and push a wad of toilet paper into the cup to absorb any remaining liquid). Then I reinsert the cup, and wash my hands in the sink after leaving the stall.

Whenever I’m at home or in a washroom with the sink right next to the toilet, I’ll also rinse out the cup. So I empty it like usual into the toilet and wipe it with toilet paper, and then also rinse it in the sink with hot water and soap before reinserting.

Each cycle when my period starts, I’ll sterilize the cup with boiling water before using it the first time.

The DivaCup website has their care and cleaning recommendations listed here.

#5

What they said - at home, bring in a little basin and cup or bottle of water to give it a good rinse once you’ve dumped the contents in the toilet.

When I was still using my DivaCup monthly (thank you, Mirena IUD, for shutting my periods off!), I would almost never need to empty it at work, but when I did, I’d just dump the contents, maybe give it a quick dabbing with some toilet paper and reinsert, then wipe off my hand with more TP and wash carefully once I got to the sink.

#6

Couple of options: bottle of water (squirt top makes it even easier) - just spread your legs wide and rinse right into the toilet.

Toilet tissue - some women just wipe it with toilet tissue. I haven’t found that to be very good, actually, as it sort of shreds itself on the cup. Ick. But some people like it.

Wipes - baby wipes or toilet wipes. Dump the fluid, wipe the cup, toss the wipe in the trash.

Dump and insert - you don’t actually need to rinse it every time you dump it. I rinse mine about once a day, and give it a good thorough clean with soap and water only at the end of my cycle.

Be aware that the DivaCup isn’t simply a reusable SoftCup. They’re designed differently and sit in different spots of your vagina. You do not have to (nor should you) put the DivaCup up high by your cervix. It’s much smaller and more rigid and sits low in your vagina, just beyond the vaginal opening.

Also, many women need to trim a bit of the “stem” on the bottom of the DivaCup. It’s there to help provide positional stability and prevent leaks, but sometimes it’s too long and pinches people. It’s okay to trim it, but just take a bit off at a time and stop when it’s no longer pinchy - the longer it is, the fewer leaks you’re likely to run into. (Yes, this is contrary to advice I’ve offered in the past when I told people just to clip it off - I’ve since learned what it’s for, and it’s not entirely useless after all.)

#7

Thanks, useful advice! Specifically, I was thinking of getting a reusable version of the Softcup (because I really like them). I was just wondering if the DivaCup maybe resulted in less carnage, but if it doesn’t I’ll stick with the Softcup.

I like the idea of a bottle of water in the toilet, and maybe some wet wipes. That might do the trick. Now I need to find out how I can get my hands on them here in the Netherlands. So far I’ve only found one shop that has them, and they only had the disposable kind… :frowning:

#8

I love my diva cup and have been using it about 7-8 years now. If there isn’t water right by the toilet I’d just use baby wipes. Remove Diva, dump, replace, then use 1-2 baby wipes to clean up. Just remember to take the wipes out of the package before removing the Diva, as you won’t want to get messy fingers on it.

Alternatively, just take a wet washcloth in the bathroom with you and use that.

#9

Soft Cup
Diva Cup
Little bowl of Goop
Messy Cup
Happy Cup
Grr-grr-grr

Ducks and Runs rapidly away