Menstrual Cup Review: Diva Cup
Over the past few months I have taken advantage of being homebound and tried something that I have been wanting to do for awhile … use a MENSTRUAL CUP during my monthly cycle! Some of you may be asking yourself right now “what is a menstrual cup?” so lets start with this important question. A menstrual cup is a type of feminine hygiene product that can be used as an alternative to Tampons or Pads. Like all menstrual hygiene choices, there are advantages and disadvantages to each type so its important you educate yourself about all options and choose the one that works best for you and your body.
For those of you out there that may be wanting to try a menstrual cup, I created this blog post to share my experience with you in hopes that this will provide more information so you can consciously make the right choice for you moving forward.
DIVA CUP REVIEW
I have been very pleased with my Menstrual Cup experience to date and after just 1 cycle, converted fully from Tampons to the Diva Cup. There are many types of Menstrual Cups out there so again, do your research! I chose Diva Cup because its a well known Brand, has been on the market for 9 years (one of the longest!), has thousands of user reviews and offers great resources on their website including a blog and quiz to help you select which cup size is right for you.
After taking the quiz on their website, I purchased the Model 2 cup size on Amazon. If you decide to purchase the product on Amazon be sure you buy it from the DivaCup seller as there are some knock-offs. The product arrived in 2 days (perks of a Prime membership!) and I can’t say enough good things about their packaging! I am a sucker for good packaging and the compact design, interior organization and included user guide were all well thought through and designed. The user guide in particular was and continues to be a great resource if I have any questions or need a visual (yes, visuals!) to help with how to insert, how to prevent leaking and how to remove.
My one piece of advice to anyone wanting to try a Menstrual Cup is practice. While I just dove right in and began using my Diva Cup on the first day of my period, looking back I wish I had practiced with it prior to a cycle. Personally, I found inserting and creating a seal to be quite easy. Removing the cup was a whole different story for me! I struggled with this part for about 15 minutes the first time I tried to remove it and I can’t thank my partner Matt enough for his coaching through this process. Image me squatting over the toilet and he is yelling tips and tricks to help guide me through it. (Seriously … he is the best and just another reason why I love him!) The best thing you can do during an anxious time like this is just breathe and stay calm which allows all your muscles (including your vagina) to remain relaxed. This is important as it will allow you and your body to work together in harmony to break the seal and remove it.
Once I got through my first successful removal, this portion of the process has become easier and easier. Similar to anything in life, the more we practice the more confident and easier that task becomes and before you know it, it becomes second nature. This is exactly how I feel about my menstrual cup now. With each day and cycle, the experience has become a new habit that I don’t think twice about. I don’t plan to ever go back to Tampons for multiple reasons - all listed below in a chart I created that highlights my pros/cons.
I hope you find this review helpful and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
Love, Abby
