Product Review: The Diva Cup

You all know, I'm always trying to find ways to live a more eco-chic lifestyle. I started researching alternatives to pads and tampons b/c they're very wasteful and pollute landfills all over. Yuck! You also spend ridiculous amounts of money on them over the course of your lifetime. I could be doing something way more fun with that money. I first got inspired by Candice's blog when she talked about the Instead Soft (menstrual) cup. It fascinated me and I figured since I already was a tampon user, why not a menstrual cup? So where did I go to first but good ol YouTube. I found a lady's channel called, Menstrual Cup Info, that had vids chock full of information on how they work, how to use them, different brands, brand comparisons, the list goes on.

After watching practically all of her vids on these things, I decided that I wanted to purchase The Diva Cup. I checked out their website and scoured the net for reviews. I read nothing but good things about them and decided to take the plunge. I found a health food store nearby that carries them  and they were on sale for $35. I wasn't expecting to pay that much but the cumulative amount I've paid in tampons and pads since I started getting my period, yeah, waaaaaay more than $35 that's for sure. It's an investment that saves you money in the long run is how I told myself to look at it.


MY THOUGHTS

*shouts from the mountain top* I. LUUUUUUUUV. IT!!!!!!!!!!
I got my period last week and tried it out. I'm diggin it big time and am def going to get another one for my purse. No leakage what so ever! With tampons I always got leakage and had to wear a pad underneath. With The Diva Cup, I don't have to. I still wore a pantiliner though b/c I read too many Say Anythings from when I was a teenager. Lol. But I think eventually, I will feel comfortable not doing that. I also noticed my cycle was shortened from 5 days to 4. Verrrry nice.


How does it feel? In my opinion, if you wear tampons, it doesn't feel much different than that. If you've never worn tampons, it's prob gonna feel weird to you and take more getting used to. I did kinda feel some bloating after insertion but I don't know if that was my typical bloating from this time of the month or not. It wasn't uncomfortable just something I felt.

How long can you leave it in for? You can leave the cup in for up to 12 hours at a time before you must empty it. Give it a quick wash in some warm soapy (mild or unscented soap b/c you don't want irritation) water, rinse and then you can put it back in for up to another 12 hours. Now obviously, if you have a heavier flow or on your heavier flow days, you may want to change your cup more frequently. On Day 2 and 3 of my cycle, I emptied it every 8-10 hrs.

Is it hard to put in? In my opinion, no. You have to carefully read and follow the instructions though. I got it right on my first try. :D You don't place/position the cup exactly the same way as a tampon so if you experienced spillage or leaking, it's more than likely because you didn't put it in right. You have to read and follow the instrustions. Proper insertion is key to not experiencing spilling/leaking. It may take some practice but you will get it after a while.


How do you care for them? At the end of your cycle, the instructions tell you to wash and rinse the cup like I shared earlier and then submerge it in boiling water for 20 minutes to sterilize it. Then you put it away in the cute lil Diva pouch that was included till the next time of the next month. Due to the nature of the product, the government regulations say you should replace it each year from initial use/annually. I believe they are recycleable so don't trash the old ones!

Is removal messy? It wasn't any messier than removing a tampon for me. Make sure you visit MenstrualCupInfo's channel. She has a vid on how to insert and remove the cups properly. When you do it right, you will experienc little to no mess. I watched the vid before I tried out the Diva Cup and it helped so much. I really think because of it, my removal wasn't messy.

I can't stress enough, to carefully read the instructions. They share everything you need to know to care for, use, clean, and replace The Diva Cup. Most, if not all, of your questions will be answered after reading it.

One last point: avoid having to do the whole emptying and cleaning of the cup process in public rest rooms. After reading the whole process, I'm sure you can see why. Lol. You want to be in a bathroom where the sink is close by the toilet. Keep that in mind. Also, if you had this other question, YES; just like a tampon, you can urinate while you have the cup in.

Correction: They CAN be used in public restrooms. One of our readers, Kayla, shared how:

The only thing that I'd have to point out is that cups can be used in public restrooms. I live in a dorm so my only options are public restrooms. In the stall you can use damp paper towels (we don't have them in our dorms) or some tissue to clean the cup. Simply ball it up, insert in the cup, and twist. It cleans the cup out rather nicely.

Thanks for sharing this tip Kayla!

I just luv you ladies. Alice from Diary of a Kinky Curly Transitioner dropped by and shared another helpful tip for cleaning them out in public restrooms:

I live in a dorm too and another option are baby wipes. I find this gets my cup cleaner faster than using damp paper towels and it eliminates the need to either pre-wet towels before I get into a stall or carry around a water bottle (I'm the queen of losing them!).

Superb! Thanks for sharing that Alice.You have many options here ladies! I plan to use some gentle and bio degradable baby wipes if I have to empty it in a public restroom next time.

Any Diva Cup or other brand menstural cup users out there? How do you like yours? Has this review sparked you to research menstrual cups or give you that final nudge to try out the Diva Cup? Let me know Kurlies!

Learn more about The Diva Cup at http://www.thedivacup.com/.

Check out Menstrual Cup Info's YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/MenstrualCupInfo. She has a lot of great info and has reviews on other brands.

If you have concerns or even more questions, def talk to your gynecologist too. These are simply my thoughts on it from my experiences using it. I am not a doctor, so please do your own research and use your better judgement if this will be a good product for you. I know some of you may be a lil grossed out but hey, it's your "stuff"/blood. Get over it and get comfortable with your body. Hahaha. :D

Comments

Ardourliene said…
BRave!!! strange too... maybe its cause i'm not a tampon girl... thanks for the review though..
MissBrandiss said…
Milan, you have striked my interest yet again girl! Thanks for such a detailed review :)

I saw the post on Candice's blog about the Diva Cup also. I remember thinking, "oh great it works for her", and thats it.

But now I really want to try it! lol
I use pads and tampons, and the costs surely do add up. But paying $35 once a year for this is smart.
Im going to try it next month if I can find one.


Oh yeah, is the removal messy? (I cant rememebr if you covered that or not in the post. Gotta go back and read it again)
Tiffany said…
WOW! This is why I luv bloggers! U learn something new ALL the time. I am intrigued for sure and definitely checking it out when I get home from work. I saw some washable pads or something similiar on etsy and I couldn't get into that, but this sounds much betta. Thanks for the scoop. Yo.
Deborah Jones said…
I've always been curious about these. Thank you for the review!
Kayla said…
I was too excited to see this post because I am currently on my first cycle with my Ladycup LOTOS. I think this post is great because more people need to know about these cups. They keep you dry ALL DAY!

The only thing that I'd have to point out is that cups can be used in public restrooms. I live in a dorm so my only options are public restrooms. In the stall you can use damp paper towels (we don't have them in our dorms) or some tissue to clean the cup. Simply ball it up, insert in the cup, and twist. It cleans the cup out rather nicely.

Other than that, this is a great post. :-)
Milan said…
Thanks for sharing that tip Kayla! I'll add this to the post.

Hey Brandiss, yeah this cup is da bomb. Lol. In my experiences, the removal process involved minimal mess; no messier than removing a tampon in my opinion.

Glad to have sparked some of your interests ladies. These cups are cool and uber money savers! Waaaay better than pads n tampons b/c you don't have to wear either one of them. And if you're a neo-hippie like myself, they're better for our eco-system.
Ravenslady said…
I love em. I first started using Instead about 4 or 5 years ago and haven't looked back since. I plan to try Diva cup though since they offer different sizes (I've had a baby).
Anonymous said…
I've been wanting to try this out, I just might now, thanks for your review!
Unknown said…
Very informative. I'm going to have to check this out. I've wanted an alternative but never knew what to go for.
Savannah said…
Thanks for the review. I used to use Instead but have gone back to tampons and pads. I'm thinking I should revisit the cups again.
Afrochyck said…
Fabulous review! I've heard about this product years ago and I'm not sure why I was hesitant to try it. Probably sheer laziness. If I run into this in my local stores, I'm buying this for sure!
Manecoarse said…
Wow. Thanks for the review. I never heard of these before. I'm curious to know what happens at night. Can you sleep with the cup in? Maybe not, right?
Val said…
I love the diva cup! I have been using it for almost 2 years. I have saved so much money. I never feel self-conscious using this product. It is a great investment.
Kayla said…
Wow, I'm in the original post now! You're super welcome, Milan! lol.

@Manecourse, you can sleep, swim, run, jump. Whatevah! lol.
Milan said…
Manecoarse, yes, you can sleep with the cup in. I did with no leaks what so ever. :D
Anonymous said…
WOAH! funny you should mention this because I bought one this morning!! I even joined the group on facebook. I did a 'dry run' today. And I am glad that I did because I was having problems. I think that it is because I am not that sexually active, so it was a bit painful. I followed the directions and everything. Once it was in, I couldnt feel a darn thing. i think that I will like it once i get the hang of it.Menstrual cup info on you tube is sooo great! I tried to take advantage of her 'folding' video, but the Diva Cup is not really that flexible for some of the folds.
Da Jadedpoet said…
Wow I just saw a video on this yesterday!! I'm a pad user never used a tampon so I'm not sure if this is for me LOL

>_> still debating.
Alice said…
I love my Diva! It's made my life so much easier because I don't have to run to the bathroom every 3 hours to check to make sure I'm not leaking.

I live in a dorm too and another option are baby wipes. I find this gets my cup cleaner faster than using damp paper towels and it eliminates the need to either pre-wet towels before I get into a stall or carry around a water bottle (I'm the queen of losing them!).

Another thing new users might want to consider is the FOLD. The one Diva recommends IS NOT RIGHT for everyone. There are tons of videos/picture instructions all over the web for someone who doesn't like/struggles with the one they recommended.

Alice
http://diaryofakinkycurlytransitioner.wordpress.com/
Milan said…
I'm luving you ladies' feedback! I will add your tip about baby wipes, Alice, to this post. Great ideas. Keep them coming and I'll keep adding to the post.

Jaded: you should be straight especially since you've had a baby. I should mention, they have 2 models: Model 1 is the one I purchased if your 30 and younger and have never had a child and Model 2 is for if your 30+ or had a baby (vaginally). Check out the website though. They have all the info you'll need there.

Alana: you Diva can't be folded some of those fancy ways. Lol. But the way the instructions say to fold works fine for me. Just takes some getting used to.
savvybrown said…
Thank you for this! I've been researching them for a while and I've been trying to find someone who's actually tried it. but it's not like it just comes up in conversation ya know? Thanks so much for this very informative post. I think I'll get one.

- savvy
http://savvybrown.com
Todra Payne said…
I haven't tried this yet, but I will. I wouldn't use baby wipes to clean it, though, as the website makes it clear that the cleaner should be natural, fragrance and irritant free. Believe it or not, baby wipes contain some not so good ingredients. And those ingredients may also break down the silicone of the Diva Cup. Just an FYI.
Anonymous said…
I love my cup! Been a committed user for 3 years plus. Here's an excellent community of users which provides info on everything from insertion folds to removal to cleaning. Every question I've ever had about my cup has been addressed in some way on this site: http://menstrualcups.org/