divacup... love it, hate it or i have a better idea

[lovebug]

i really want to get away from tampons. i am liking the idea of the diva cup, but want some feedback and tips. do you love it, hate it or have a better choice to the cup.

thanks!

[Mama2Bug]

I've had a Diva for about four months now and it's been great. There was a slight learning curve the first month- especially figuring out the best way to insert it. There are different folding techniques and it takes some practice to figure out which works best for you. Looking back, I wish I'd gotten used to putting it in before I actually needed it, because it was more difficult to learn while managing the mess.

Other than that, the only other thing I would say is that emptying it in a public bathroom can be tricky, if you have to leave the stall to get to a sink. I haven't mastered taking it out without getting at least a minimal amount of blood on my fingers. To be fair, I do have a somewhat heavy flow, so that might make a difference. I just keep some moist wipes in my purse to tidy up with. You don't have to take it out to pee, so public restrooms may not have much of an effect on you, if your flow isn't heavy.

Overall, I really love the Diva. I can't even feel it when it's inserted and positioned correctly. The only problems that I have had with leakage were when I didn't get it in properly and, even then, the damage was negligible. Keeping it clean is easy too.

[Ola_]

I love it also. One of the things that I definitely don't miss about tampons is that itchy, dry feeling, you know? Plus sometimes I would misjudge the absorbency I needed and then have to pull out the tampon when it's not saturated - that wasn't fun at all.

[Nicole730]

I'm trying to love mine, but it's not working. I've used it for a few cycles so far and I almost get instant cramping when it's in. So frustrating. I've tried inserting it different way and I know it's opened all the way because I can feel it. I have spotting with it, as I did/do with tampons. Honestly, I've been using mama cloth more and more. I hate disposable pads with a passion and never used them before having kids. The cloth ones aren't so bad! (and usually I'm just stuffing a prefold down there when I'm around the house).

[JElaineB]

I have used mine for almost 2 years and I love it. I find it very easy to use and so much cleaner and more comfortable than tampons. I wish I had bought one years ago.

ETA: I saw the comment above about emptying it in a bathroom stall. My flow is not heavy nor light - and I only empty it once every 12 hours. So I empty it at home in the morning and again in the evening. I have emptied it only once or twice in a public bathroom and I just emptied it in the toilet then wiped it out with toilet paper and put it back in -no need to go to the sink (though carrying around moist wipes is a good idea - I do that too). I actually wipe it out at home sometimes as well if I'm feeling lazy.

[hillymum]

Love it! My period has gone from 6 days of hell to 3 days of light flow! I only empty it morning and night so no worries about being out and needing to wash it. Even when my flow was really heavy I could easily go 5 or 6 hours without needing to empty it. It's paid for itself and no waste so I am very happy with it.

[amyjeans]

I have it, used it and didn't really like it. I have heavy periods- and so I am always emptying it very frequently. And when I do (sorry for tmi) I have to rinse my hand and it off, because I bleed all over, and out of the cup. Maybe I haven't made it over the learning curve, yet but I have to wear a pad with it, just in case I overflow. Of ourse I haven't used it since Dec of last year

[isabchi]

Love it!. I been using my for almost 5 years.

[Smokering]

Hate it with a fiery passion. I'm not very comfortable with things messing around in my vagina - HATE cervical smears, never liked tampons at all, and didn't chart cervical positioning when I was FAMing. I don't think it's a repression thing. I just tend to find it painful, intrusive and unpleasant. So I used the Diva cup one cycle and it was horrific - SO painful to remove I nearly passed out. They say there's a learning curve, but I quit on the shallow slopes and made me some nice cloth pads that very day.

[Melaniee]

There is a learning curve, such that after my first disasterous attempts (though I started with The Keeper - but same idea), I put it away for months and months. Then I did a little more studying of the anatomy online (seriously, I had no idea what I was doing in there), and I haven't looked back since. It's fantastic. I switched to the Diva Cup b/c I wasn't sure if the Keeper was irritating me. I still have it for back up. I originally thought it would be more comfortable b/c it was rubber and would soften as it warms to body temperature, but in my experience, the silicone of the Diva is softer to start with.

I definitely forget I am wearing it.

I definitely can go much longer than I could with a tampon.

My periods definitely became shorter and more comfortable.

I did use panty liners as back up to begin, as AF was quite heavy in those days, but even still it was better than tampons.

The negative is just that for me, I generally have to remove it to use the bathroom (or it starts to come out), even if it didn't need to be. Fine at home, not always convenient when out and about. I think this definitely depends upon individual anatomy. I never rinse it in public bathrooms. I would sometimes bring my own water bottle around but that proved a bit messy and inconvenient as well. I tend to just dry it out with TP in such situations.

[moobiegirl]

I loved my diva from after ds. But after dd, it was no longer working for me. I had just purchased a ladycup, but got a BFP the day af was supposed to arrive. Actually the ladycup arrived the same day too. So I haven't had a chance to use the ladycup yet. I love using a cup though. It made such a difference in my period and moods.

[TheGirls]

I hate it and would love suggestions for another brand because I love the CONCEPT of it...

I'm totally comfortable with putting things in my vagina, so that's not it. It's just really uncomfortable. And it spills. Like gets part way full and then I sit down, and it gets knocked over and a flood of blood comes out. Especially at night, if I, say, roll over. And I can totally feel it in there, it's so low. And I felt like, even after using it for 4-5 cycles, I still couldn't always get it to unfold. So it leaked. A lot.

I use an Instead Cup, which I LOVE, except for the fact that it is disposable. It goes in so much higher and I can't feel it at all except when it gets too full. It is messy to get it in and out, but I don't have to do it very often, even with heavy flows. I have short-but-heavy periods so usually only end up using like 3 per cycle.

Does anyone know of a reusable menstrual cup that sits high up like the Instead cups instead of just sitting against the vaginal wall?

[littlest birds]

I voted love it. I just started using it, going from exclusive pad use.

I will say that I have learned from using the cup that I have a pretty heavy flow, though I had always thought it was average or lighter. I wouldn't use pads up very quickly, but would release large amounts of blood in the toilet. I fill the diva cup several times the first day/night of my period to the point of leaking. I don't get blood on sheets but it is leaking before I remove it in the AM. I also have needed to empty it every four hours in the daytime or it leaks. I thought at first it was in wrong but it was completely full every time and when my flow lightens it seems more reliable. Fortunately I have one heavy day and it gets light after that. The diva cup is better than any other option IMO, even though it doesn't make it perfectly effortless.

I am home a lot--you may want two cups and a way to carry one unrinsed if you are in public bathrooms a lot. But I confess I pour it in the toilet and put it back in without washing if it's awkward that way. I just rinse it the next time--at home. I can handle washing my fingers afterward. Since this is still more often than those who don't empty as often, it seems clean enough for me.

BTW I got the silicone version, since a few people said they'd developed latex allergies from the regular one, and I did have to cut the long tip off shorter as many people have done.

[marimara]

I voted love my Diva Cup. I do love it for the reusability factor, the fact that I don't have to change it for a long time, can go swimming in it, etc.

But I have 2 issues with it:

1. When my flow is heaviest (for some reason these last 2 periods have been real heavy) it's just not practical to use the DC. I'd have to empty it every 2 hours and that's a pain if I'm out and about. I hate hate hate to empty it in a public bathroom. If it gets too full it will spill out and cause a huge mess. Therefore I always have to use at least a pantyliner with it for leakage. I've been using mine for 3 years and I know how to use it and don't have leaks other than when it's full.

2. When it's full, it's hurts me on the inside. Sort of a crampy feeling that lets me know I need to change it. After wearing it for more than 2 days it begins to be really uncomfortable.

So I only use mine for med flow. When the flow is too heavy (or with clots, sorry gross!) I have to change it too often, when the flow is too light I don't want something inside of me for 12 hrs so I just use a pantyliner.


So my alternatives are cloth pads for home/night use when flow is heavy. I don't use the Diva at night (even though I have before and there's nothing wrong with it). I use either the Diva when I go out or a disposable pad. I use disposable pantyliners when flow is light when I go out. I have cloth panty liners that I use at home but they don't stay in place so I can't use them when I go out.


So overall for light to medium flow the Diva Cup is great. For heavy flow it's too messy and have to change it too often. When you have a heavy flow with bad cramps the last thing you want to be doing is sticking something in and out of there several times a day, blah..

[milosmomma]

Love it, love it, love it!

My only negative is that when I empty it, I occasionally feel like I've murdered somebody (it can be a little messy).

Also, when I insert it for the first time in the cycle, I have a harder time getting it to open up. Once it's, um, 'warmed up' it's not an issue at all.


It's actually really amazing how much it's simplified my life (no buying pads or tampons, making sure I have them in my purse, finding a good way to dispose of them with a puppy in the house (sorry, I know that's gross).

[GoBecGo]

I clicked love it, but actually i love the concept best....

In 2000 (holy moly, i've been using these things for a DECADE!) my friend bought me a natural rubber Keeper. I loved it. No more mess, no fuss, i DID find it made my cramps worse, BUT i had those worse cramps for 4-6 hours instead of 24-36 like i do without the cup, so for me it's a good trade (ymmv).

In 2002 i began to get thrush symptoms during AF every month and it took me 3 months to figure out...i was getting a rubber allergy. So off i went and got me a Divacup (medical grade silicone). The Divacup is (i think) the l-o-n-g-e-s-t of menstrual cups and i'm not very, um, deep, so i cut the stem right off, otherwise it poked into me when i sat down (not comfy!).

I had a baby in April 2006, but my pre-baby diva still worked afterwards (i am the "lucky" one who got AF back 6weeks PP despite EBFing), so i never got a new one. In December 2006 i got a Mirena fitted. The guidelines say you can use the cup with the IUD/S BUT you have to be careful when removing it, since the suction could theoretically draw the device down into the cervix (which would be OUCHY painful and mean you'd have to get a new one fitted). So i stopped using it for 3 months to give my IUS time to "settle in". By the time those 3 months were up my bleeding was so light (with the Mirena hormones) that i just ran myself up some light mama-pads on the sewing machine and put the cup away.

In May 2009 i had my Mirena taken out and my Diva worked great for the 2 early miscarriages i suffered (and meant i could stay home and monitor what was out and what wasn't, rather than having to go in for a D&C, for ME a bonus as i like to miscarry at home with my loved ones, i've done it 4 times and i know how to weather it now).

In June 2010 i had DD2. My 2nd baby, 2nd daughter and 2nd delivery with a direct OA presentation (neither one turned to deliver their shoulders, coming out with them side to side instead) and my 81mins (total, including 20mins 3rds stage!) labour and 6mins 2nd stage....well that pre-baby cup ain't gonna fit no more!

I had a copper IUD fitted at 10weeks PP, so once again i was waiting for the IUD to settle, but hadn't had AF yet anyway.

So last month, when i got the shadow of AF back (only a bit of spotting but full on PMT/dip in supply/low cervix action) i went out and bought myself a lovely new post-baby cup. It's a mooncup, not a diva - moons are shorter (great for me, especially since there seems to be a bit of sagging/rectocele going on in there still, especially at AF-time!) but i still cut the stem right off for comfort. I used it for 3 hours last month, in a weird way i'm looking forward to using it in the next few times.

So, as a 10-year user of the menstrual cup i LOVE them. For me they are convenient, mess-free, comfortable and make me feel very empowered as a woman (not having to wear a pad smeared with blood, which i always hated, don't have to worry about an odour, not concerned about TSS (which CAN be a risk but has never been associated with cups like it has tampons), not having to shell out more and more money every month for the privilege of being female...i could go on).

Things i have learned:

It IS ok to put it over your cervix if that's how your anatomy works (the brim behind my pubic bone IS over my cervix, i'm about 3inches deep at AF time, about 6-7 at ovulation time). It IS ok to remove, tip to empty, and reinsert without washing or wiping - once in a filthy train toilet somewhere crossing Eastern Block Europe i had to pee on it to clean it (my pee was the most sterile thing for about 3 miles!) and it was fine. It is OK to cut the stem right off. It is OK to turn the whole thing inside out if that makes it more comfy. It is OK to experiment with it.

So there you go, i love it!

The only thing i would say is that with the pre-baby Diva i would very occasionally (twice a year) feel like i was getting a UTI if i wore it overnight every night, because my anatomy is so crowded that the brim rests pretty heavily on my urethra inside and sort of squashes it against my pubic bone. I get the same effect after every single exam i have that needs a speculum, it's just how i'm put together. I never GOT a UTI, i just felt like i might be, and wearing a mamapad for a night or two always completely rectified the issue.

[JElaineB]

Originally Posted by TheGirls

I hate it and would love suggestions for another brand because I love the CONCEPT of it...

{snip}

Does anyone know of a reusable menstrual cup that sits high up like the Instead cups instead of just sitting against the vaginal wall?

There are a few websites/blogs out there that compare the different brands, if you google "menstrual cup" you should be able to find them. One that seems pretty good is http://menstrualcups.org. There is also a Yahoo group called MoonKeeperDivas but I haven't checked that one out in quite a while.

[Juvysen]

Originally Posted by Nicole730

I'm trying to love mine, but it's not working. I've used it for a few cycles so far and I almost get instant cramping when it's in. So frustrating. I've tried inserting it different way and I know it's opened all the way because I can feel it. I have spotting with it, as I did/do with tampons. Honestly, I've been using mama cloth more and more. I hate disposable pads with a passion and never used them before having kids. The cloth ones aren't so bad! (and usually I'm just stuffing a prefold down there when I'm around the house).

I had this problem too, when I first started... turns out my it was bumping my cervix (my cervix is really low when I'm menstruating, apparently)... Here's what worked to fix it, for me: I took the stem of the cup and pull it toward my clitoris, thus tipping the rim of the cup toward my back... so if I'm standing up, the cup is more toward parallel to the ground than upright. It seemed to take care of the cramping, for me.

[Kyamo]

Love it. I've been using my diva for I think 6-7 years now. I have to pee a bit more frequently with it in because it presses on my bladder a bit, but no big deal. I never get leaks unless its full. Usually I just empty morning and evening, sometimes need one extra empty on the first day. I can feel bubbles escaping when it is nearly full, so I can tell before it overflows.

[neetling]

I love it. I have a very heavy flow for the first 2 days of my period and I need to wear a pad as a back up for a few days. I like being able to just wear regular panties w/o anything for the last couple of days when it's so light.

I do sometimes have issues with it wanting to come out when I use the bathroom. When that happens I just remove it, rinse it and put it back in.