My first experience with the Diva Cup

[dichotomise.livejournal.com]

Well I need to tell SOMEONE so here I am. Plus potential users might be interested.

I got my Diva Cup in the mail late summer, but just now had my first period since then (ugh). So I finally got to try it out! I considered myself pretty masterful with tampons (without applicators), and felt I knew the geography of my vagina pretty well and everything, so I thought I wouldn't have too much trouble getting the Diva Cup in. But I DID and it was awful, I tried a billion positions and it never seemed to go in all the way, so I could feel it when I walked and everything, really uncomfortable. I gave up but then got some encouragement from a friend and gave it another shot. She advised, "Don't be afraid to really shove it up there," lol, so I took her advice and it worked. Aggressiveness is key. I can hardly feel it at all and it's great. :D Success story, woohoo.

Being a poor college student, I'm going to really like the money-saving aspect, lol. Call me weird, but it's kind of cool to see the blood on its own and get an idea of my flow, rather than just see it soaked into a bunch of cotton. And of course it's good for the earth. Yay. AND made in Canada. The benefits are endless. ;)

Comments

[adroanzi.livejournal.com]

I have a Keeper and I think I've finally got the hang of it...hooray for muenstral cups and the poor college students who use them! ^_~

[whoremoan.livejournal.com]

I second that hooray! *is a total broke diva cup usin college student herself*

[abigor.livejournal.com]

I LOVE my DivaCup!! It took me a while to make it go in the first time too, but it is a different feeling than tampons, so it's to be expected, I guess. I always remember to pinch it before I take it out or the suction could be uncomfortable. I does also take a bit of getting used to, but it is so worth it!

[tr4insp0tting.livejournal.com]

this may seem personal but i was wondering..would something like the divacup be ok for someone with a heavy flow? i mean..is there alot of leaking?

[abigor.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's too personal, but as far as I'm concerned, it's fine for heavy flow. You can leave it in for as much as 12 hours, but if you've got a heavy flow you'll need to empty it more often is all. If it's inserted properly, there is no leaking unless it's full.

[tr4insp0tting.livejournal.com]

thanks, i'm going to seriously give products like these some thought..thanks for the input!

[dichotomise.livejournal.com]

I've heard of other people experiencing leakage, but I haven't. I have a pretty medium-to-light flow because I'm on birth control. They hold about half an ounce of fluid, and I heard that the average period releases three to four ounces of blood, so I would think it could hold a good amount per half day. I mean, I'd assume that in the worst case scenario you'd just have to empty it more often than other people, which would be true of tampons and pads.

[tr4insp0tting.livejournal.com]

what if you are like at a public restroom when you need to empty it? how do you change it?

[dichotomise.livejournal.com]

You can just dump whatever's in there into the toilet, and then wipe it dry with toilet paper. Just make sure the next time you're at home you rinse it and wash it with soap. I've heard stories of people just washing it out in public restrooms and other women get curious and interested, but I don't know if I have that sort of courage, lol. But yeah, just wipe it dry then wash it the next possible time.

[tr4insp0tting.livejournal.com]

cool, thanks..it's deff. something for me to look into and i'll take your advice into consideration also.. :)

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

I have found that just wiping it with tissue is a bad idea. You get little bits of tissue on it, and you don't always get the clots off.

However, it doesn't have to be emptied every time you urinate, because unlike tampons it doesn't absorb anything. If I am out at a club or whatever, I usually just leave it in and empty it when I get home.

In fact, these days I usually just empy mine about two or three times a day.

If you are out somewhere and you really MUST clean it, a lot of women recommend rinsing it in urine. I did this once when out at a club and it worked fine.

[dichotomise.livejournal.com]

The suction is definitely weird. I hadn't really thought of pinching it... I'll try that next time.

[tr4insp0tting.livejournal.com]

i love your icon!

[dichotomise.livejournal.com]

Thanks!! :) It's of The Body Shop's mascot Rubenesque Ruby (http://www.thebodyshop.com.au/ourValues.cfm?pageID=30). And the words come from a billboard I saw in Berkeley.

[tenderbloodrose.livejournal.com]

awesome icon.

[tenderbloodrose.livejournal.com]

hehe..awesine..i hope that deleted

[dichotomise.livejournal.com]

lol, it did. ;)

[dichotomise.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :D

[phreakie-teiris.livejournal.com]

Sorry for replying to a really old post, but I have a question. Does the DivaCup only come in one size? Because it looks awfully big and I don't want to hurt/stretch myself..thanks :3

[dichotomise.livejournal.com]

No problem.

Actually, the DivaCup comes in two sizes: one that is for women who have not given birth, and a slightly larger one for women who have. I got the normal first one I mentioned.

It looks big, but really it's not. It's totally smaller than the average penis, so if you're sexually active and this is a familiar idea, hopefully that will be of some comfort. It's definitely bigger than a tampon, though, so it takes a little getting used to.

There shouldn't be any issue with hurting or stretching yourself. Like I said, it's smaller than a penis, which can totally fit inside the vaginal canal usually with no problems. Check out the site to see diagrams of how it's put it; you usually squeeze flat the sides of the cup and then fold it over, so going in it's even smaller than it looks like normally. Once inside, it opens up, and the vaginal muscles are very strong (strong enough to pop out a baby) so they hold it in place.

To get used to the idea, maybe you should check out Insteads. They're smaller, more flexible menstrual cups that are disposable. You can buy them in most stores. The idea is very similar and could be a good stepping stone to get to the DivaCup or other more durable, somewhat larger and reusable menstrual cups.