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The DivaCup

roxiroxi Raw Newbie

I was in my health food store the other day and came across the DivaCup. It looks very interesting and I thought about trying it. Has anyone here used such an item?

Guys: this question is for the ladies!! :)

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Comments

  • AKAAuburnEyesAKAAuburnEyes Raw Newbie

    I bought it! Haven’t used it yet … waiting until I get my next period to do so, but they are becoming few and far between now that I am at an almost 100% raw vegan diet now. Hallelujah.

  • i have one.. and i use it but not all the time.. i find it to be alittle much when i am out in public trying to empty it and clean it.. so when i know i will be out i take applicator free tampons.. but when i do use it it works great.. it takes alittle practice to get the hang of it.. i got a little panicky when i couldnt get it out the first time i tried it.. it had some serious suction! but like i said, you get the hang of it.. every now and then i have a little trouble getting it in the right position.. if you dont get it in the right position it will leak from not having the right seal.. this is not something for someone who isnt umm.. how should i say.. prepared to get in touch with herself.. also.. had to loose the finger nails.. ouch! but all in all a good purchase.. any step i can make to produce less waste

  • I use it and LOVE it. I had to after reading how much sanitary pads and napkins are dumped into landfills every year. But I think it works great! It might take a little adjusting at first. But it is so much easier than having to carry a diaper bag full of crap with you. It does have a lot of suction, so I never had a problem with leakage. But it is super, I wish everyone could get one, but I usually don’t like to bring it up. :) Thanks for brining it up.

  • i’ve been using the Diva cup for 2 years now and love it. it takes a couple periods to get use to but now i’ve got it down. i use my menstrual blood diluted w/water (say 2oz blood w/a gallon of water) to “fertilize” my house plants and outdoor plants. i know that may sound strange and foreign to some but it’s more common than you think.

    AshleyDual – your locs are BEAUTIFUL :)

  • suzyqsuzyq Raw Newbie

    I LOVE my divacup. I’ve been using it for years…I guess that when I was first getting used to it, it seemed like a hassle. But now that I’ve got the hang of it, I have the most hassle-free periods imaginable. I don’t have to worry about emptying it in public because unlike a tampon it won’t give me TSS if I leave it in too long and unlike a pad it won’t start to stink (I’ve always been grossed out by the concept of sanitary napkins for SO many reasons). It might be that my period is lighter than some, but I find I can go 12 or sometimes even 24 hours without emptying the cup, which is fantastic! I just don’t even have to think about it the rest of the day. Plus, the divacup is still really comfortable (I can’t even feel it) even on the lightest days. I always had to switch to pads before for really light days because tampons hurt so much if they are at all dry, and I just felt like that created even more waste than necessary. Um what else do I love? Oh, I have almost no problems with it leaking—certainly less problems than with tampons. I just really really can’t recommend it enough! Get one!!

  • I so want to use a Diva cup that I purchased long time ago, but I seems like it is too big (I have the smaller size) for me…:( :( :(. I can’t fit it in :(. Feel pretty weird about it.

  • suzyqsuzyq Raw Newbie

    Hey LucyP—give it another try! The trick is to sort of squish it flat and fold it in half to get it in, then twist it around until it opens up. To get it out again, you can sort of press in on one side of it (you can’t totally flatten it since that could get messy) which releases the suction and gives it a little smaller profile so you can pull it out. But if it feels too big even once it’s inside, you might not have it high enough. You shouldn’t be able to feel it at all. This whole process is a little hard to explain, but try playing around and maybe you can make it work, I hope!

  • roxiroxi Raw Newbie

    wow! I didn’t realize so many people used this! That’s great. I was just introduced to it last week! I feel left behind…haha. Anyways, I have been seriously thinking about using it and now I think I will! Although, I sorta figured the part about “getting to know yourself” ahem. I think my only concern is getting it up there. I am very small and petite. Weigh roughly 102-103 and I am 5’43. I am married though so I think it may work haha! We will see….

  • i use one and i am very…how shall we say…sensitive in that area. i have fibromyalgia and a low cervix, both of which contribute to pain issues down there. i just finished my first period with it, and after some ouchy moments (i did not do a very careful job the first time i pulled it out and it snapped against something….whoa!), i got the hang of it. i have a very light flow so i changed it before leaving in the morning and at night around bedtime, with no leakage issues, barely filled the cup halfway!

    it’s a little tricky to find the right position at first, and you cannot be squeamish about touching yourself or your menstrual blood, but it makes me feel much better than tampons. now that ob uses polyester, they make me smell pretty foul unless i change them constantly. i feel better about using the cup.

  • I’ve been using mine for about a year now and I LOVE it! So many pros, very few cons!

    Here are some links to pics of different folds you might try for inserting it.

    http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups…

    http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups…

    It helped me a lot to remember NOT to try to put it in exactly like you would a tampon; push down towards your tailbone as you are inserting, not just straight in. Once it’s in, run your finger around the base of it (it may spin around with your finger a bit and that’s ok) to see if and help it open up completely if it hadn’t already. Some women prefer to cut a tiny bit of stem off, but I didn’t need to.

    To remove, grasp the base of it with a couple of fingers and gently squeeza a bit while also tipping it just a bit to one side to release the suction. DON’T try to just grasp and pull straight out- – it will feel like you’re pulling out your ovaries with it!! ;)

    The only time I had it leak was when I slid it in too far (too high up). When I realized what I was doing wrong and just let it sit just beyond my opening, it has worked perfect and I forget it is there!

    Some women will pull it out, dump the blood in the toilet, wipe off with paper towels or toilet paper and re-insert when they have to use it in a public restroom.

    And I’ve used the blood to feed my indoor plants, too. :)

    Also, I got the bigger size even though I have never been pregnant (and was 33 years old) and it works (fits) fine.

    It’s another awesome way to make a difference in our environment, plus the benefits of no odors like when using disposable products, having to mess with it much less per day, and saving a ton of money! And it’s great that women can learn to feel comfortable with our own body, including vaginas (and saying it!) even though we are taught it’s “bad” by society.

    :)

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    I had one a while back. I loved the idea of no waste, figured out the getting it in and getting it out, but it always ended up being uncomfortable at the tip, even after I cut the tip off. I tried for quite a while to make it work but it always hurt. I think I ordered a size for “after childbirth” so it would be snug but it always seemed to slide down too far. I highly recommend trying it, I would love to be able to use it.

  • jenny2052jenny2052 Raw Newbie

    Does anyone use the Diva Cup who has had problems with UTIs? Granted, I have had very few infections on raw, but I had chronic UTIs most of my life and had horrible problems with exacerbating them when I used a diaphragm (which looks just like the cup). I’d be very interested to hear people’s thoughts, if anyone has experience with this.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Wow, I just read about this on WLIR

    I want to try it! Mrs.Rev BT… fertilizer? Not common? Wow!

    Thanks suzyq for your input. I wondered about leaking too… glad to hear it was less of a problem than w/ tampons.

    LucyP: It’s too big? Oh no! I want to buy one… but, then you need a different one after kids… so I don’t know whether to wait or not. I’m not having kids for another year or two… (on NFP too). And it fits big for you? May I ask how tall you are, your weight, and frame? I’m 100lbs, 5’2” (barely) and small frame… I’m wondering if the Diva Cup could be too big for me too.

  • MeditatingMeditating Raw Newbie

    I use one called the Keeper, which is all natural rubber so you aren’t inserting any manmade materials in your body and its production doesn’t negatively impact the environment. I bought two of them about 8 years ago (about $45 at the time) and love them. Look at all the money and environmental waste I saved. The first few times I used it I didn’t always get it right, but it works well once you get the hang of it. Highly recommend it to everyone. Imagine if half the women used this instead of the tampons or kotex what the environmental impact would be.

    Also, the things our bodies do that so many of consider yucky are a part of life and we must deal with them. For anyone that is concerned about the difficulties of emptying and cleaning the cup in the privacy of your stall, the answer is remove the cup and then urinate in it. Urine gets a bad rap. Urine is completely sterile. If you urinate in the cup, it will clean out the cup and sterlize it. The average pee will fill the cup and cause the tissue inside to float to the top and over the edge. Reinsert cup, clean and sterile. Wash hands in bathroom sink.

    I couldn’t find the article just now, but a few years ago Monsanto had a new strain of GMO cotton that I believe was grown in Australia. After the cotton was harvested, they bought in sheep to feed on the land. Within 10 days, 1 in 4 sheep died (app 10,000). Sometime later, women in the country began having these strange diseased vaginal problems (can’t remember exactly what it was). Doctors began collecting statistical data on the patients to try and determine the cause of their illness. The only thing they could find was that they all used the same brand of tampon/kotex that was, yes you guessed it, made from the GMO cotton that the dead sheep had grazed on.

    If anyone knows the link is to those articles, I would appreciate you posting them. I would like to refresh my memory on exactly what type of medical difficulties these women were having.

  • WHOO HOOO THE DIVA CUP RULES!!! I have had mine for about a year now also..it great! My only problem is I cant use it for the first two days..I bleed to heavy… I highly recommend it to any interested..its the best invention ever…

  • queenfluffqueenfluff Raw Newbie

    I have the Keeper – the old version of it. Hard rubber and brown colored. It is too hard – it is not very flexible. I was able to get it in OK but out – OMG, it feels like a vaccum wants to suck my vagina out! That was it for me. I want to try using cup again and I did a bunch of research – on this page a woman compares all the different cups available and even has picture of how to fold them and stuff.

    http://sew-in-love.com/menstrual-cups.html

    After asking around a few years ago on another board, I think i will purchase the Mooncup UK. The one I have now is the USA made one and I don’t like it.

  • sweetpeasweetpea Raw Newbie

    I got a mooncup, similar sort of thing. I tried it once and found it too sore when taking out. I would like to try it again sometime but I’m not exactly over the moon about it. (whoops!)

  • Here is a link to where you can buy the diva cup super cheap ($16.95 I think). http://www.southcoastshopping.com/?CLSN_2536=12…

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    I want to re-post my question… in hopes someone answers it:

    Will the Diva Cup be ‘too big’ to function properly for someone 100lbs, 5’2”, small frame? Someone mentioned it was too big for them.

  • germin8 – wanted answer your question. i’m the same height as you and weigh just a few poiunds more. i got the diva cup that is made for women who have already had children. there is another one available for those who have never had kids. get that one. it’ll fit just fine. no worries.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    mrs.rev BT: Thank you for the response. I now plan to buy one tomorrow. :o) Thank you, thank you!

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    thinking aloud Ummm, I just found out this website says% to get size 2 if you have had kids or if you are over 30! I’m over 30 and never had kids… and I’m quite petite. Hmmm, size 1 or size 2… what to do… well, I have a 50-50 chance of guessing the right size for me. :o)

    Later the same hour:

    I found this from the website Q&A… so Size 2 it is. We recommend Model 2 if you are over 30 years old because as we age, our hips naturally widen and the vaginal muscles lose elasticity. Since it is the vaginal muscles which hold The DivaCup in place, it is important to use Model 2 if you are over 30, even if you have not had a vaginal childbirth or c-section.

    Even later the same day… I didn’t wait until tomorrow to buy it. I ordered online. athomelaurel: Thanks for the “super cheap” link. The website was not user-friendly enough… it has its quirks… (fyi: you may need a Google account) but still saved me money so I dealt with it.

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    germin8 – I don’t know what that says about me since Size 2 kept sliding! Yikes! I do remember reading that, don’t know what more I can do to make it work. Kegels??

  • Where do you think it might be easy to find these in shops? I try to avoid buying things online.

  • amysueamysue Raw Newbie

    They sell them in my independent health food store.

  • germin8germin8 Raw Master

    Check out the Diva Cup website and search for a distributor nearby.

    Amysue: Oh no! Oh well. I hope it fits! crossing my fingers

  • Well, after reading this read, I went out and got one, and am trying it out now. One thing I realized, my cycles are heavier than normal. I have to empty it out frequently. I am still a little awkward at it, but am getting the hang of it. So far I like it. I have always had trouble wearing tampons, I just find them painful, but I can hardly feel this one. Well, I am on my heaviest day, and at work – so we will see how this goes.

    Incidentally, I blame this thread for making me have a period. I haven’t had one in 6 months. I read this thread, and got one the very next day. Coincidence? I think not.

  • i’m 5’9”, 130lbs… i’m 29 – almost to the cutoff between size 1 and 2, but have never had kids (and don’t plan to in the future). is there anyone around my size who might recommend which size to purchase?

    Thanks.

  • Well, my first day wearing it hasn’t gone so well. I am 35 and bought size 2, as recommended on the box, and I had to empty it at work, and it will not fit back in. It was hard for me to get in in the first place. I think I should have gotten the smaller size.

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