TMI warning...diva cup/keeper...

[counterGOPI]

ok now that im learning about all the bad things in tampons : im thinking about the diva cup/keeper. i dont know if there is a difference between the 2...is there?
but i'm just wondering something silly.... putting something that big inside me and all,ha,ha...
does it stretch you out...am i gonna have to do a million kegels to make up for using it?
silly question i know...sorry. as soon as these tampons are gone THATS IT!!

[Tummy]

I can proudly say that a tampon has not been introduced to my vagina since Feb 04'.


I use the Diva Cup.. Loooove it!

The first few times I had some serious trials with introduction. But, we are good now, great ole pals my Diva Cup and I.


I have heard that the Keeper is made of Rubber/Latex??? The Diva Cup is made of silicon.
When it comes making a choice between the two I will chose the silicon every time. (rubber/latex is NOT my friend, and will never be introduced to my presious vagina ever again!)




I do not have to do any extra pelvic activity then usual before, during, and after using my Diva Cup.
I was just about to abbreviate Diva Cup... that sentence just did not look right ending in "DC"

[Shahbazin]

OK, I'm looking into using a Diva cup - but have a weird question; how hard are they to take out? The reason I ask, is at my post partum check up I wanted to be fitted w/a diaphram, but (TMI) I have short fingers or something, because when the midwife said OK try taking it out, I *could not* get enough of a grip on the thing to hook the edge & remove it! (so much for using that method of BC...)

[Ruthla]

The menstrual cup sits at the bottom of the vagina, not up high covering your cervix like a diaphram. You don't need long fingers to remove the diva cup (or the moon cup, or the keeper, or any other brands.) The diaprham is designed to be "out of the way" for intercourse, menstrual cups are not.

There's a bit of a learning curve with the menstrual cups- for some women the curve is faster and easier than for others. I'd suggest not waiting until you're totally out of tampons before buying a cup. Once you get the hang of using the cup, you can put it in in the morning and forget about it for several hours (or all day if your flow isn't very heavy that day.) I've heard of women having problems getting it in just right and dealing with leaks, and having to re-adjust it every half hour or hour at first. You may want to have some tampons on hand, so that if you've got a busy day planned, and your cup is leaky after half an hour, you can take it out and put in a tampon, and try the cup again later that day or the next day.

[intorainbowz]

I don't know how these work with NFL, but I LOVE the instead cup. The BCP's I'm on make me spot all the time, and the Instead cup works great. Even on heavy flow, I can leave them in for the max alloted 12 hours.

Also, as the box says, you can have clean intercourse wearing them. DH says he feels nothing.

[Ruthla]

I had a horrible time with the instead cups- I couldn't get them to not leak.

[EnviroBecca]

It will not stretch you. It's not all THAT big!

Instead cups are not environmentally friendly if you throw them away after a single use. If you rinse and reuse (in violation of the instructions) they're better. The only thing I use them for is when my period starts unexpectedly away from home, because I can carry just one Instead in my bag and be ready for hours of rinsing and reusing until I get home. I far prefer the Keeper, though. Instead always spills all over my hand when I remove it. It also leaks if I sneeze, do a lot of bending over, etc.

Also, as the box says, you can have clean intercourse wearing them. DH says he feels nothing.

My partner said, "They're joking, right? This thing is HUGE!" I showed him the box. He said, "Well, what kind of men are THEY having sex with?!" I think it might be me. The diaphragm gave us the same problem: I had the smallest size, but the lower edge of it was just barely inside me and was very noticeable to him and painful to me. Instead is not painful, probably because of the softer rim, but it does seem to fill all the space available.

[hubris]

Yup, the Diva is silicone and can be boiled.
The Keeper is rubber. DO NOT boil it unless you want a gloppy mess. Avoid it if you have latex allergies. I've read that extended exposure to rubber can actually *cause* latex allergies. That and wanting to boil mine caused me to choose the Diva instead.

I've heard they're shaped a tiny bit differently, one is a tiny bit longer than the other, maybe? It's not a big difference, they're both shaped roughly the same. The Keeper has a slightly longer stem than the Diva, but either can be trimmed.

Neither should stretch you out at all.

A menstrual cup sits low in the canal and is a totally different removal experience from fishing for a diaphragm.

Originally Posted by Tummy

I can proudly say that a tampon has not been introduced to my vagina since Feb 04'.

Wow, that makes me realize that my last tampon was probably in early 2002. Holy cow!



And EnviroBecca, DH and I had the same problem with him crashing into the diaphragm. I was definitely wearing it correctly, but he could feel it. He's a fairly *average* guy as far as I know. I don't think I've got a shallow canal or anything. I'm not sure who can comfortably use one.

[Momof3inMI]

I can not say how much I LOVE Instead!
I can run around allday and never think about it. Even on my heaviest days.
I do reuse them for the whole AF time. Just rinse and reuse. I have not had any problems with getting "messy". Just make sure you leave it upright while pulling it out. I don't have to go "fishing" for it either. Between the first and second knuckle is as far as I have to go.
As for sex with the instead... (TMI)... I just tried it for the first time this past month. Was so worried DP would be able to feel it. Told me "Nope, didn't feel any different" and had no idea AF was here!
I have been using Instead for over 7 years and will always sing it's praise.
:

[lactivist]

I have bothtthe Keeper and the Diva and I like the Diva better. It is less rigid and longer and narrower than my Keeper. The main reason I like it better is because it is much softer and it is clear so I think I will get it cleaner. I love my Diva cup and definitely won't be going back. I HATED Instead cups and always had a huge mess on my hands. Not with the Diva.
Wendi

[solidcitizqueen]

I was an Insteader for 10 years, got Diva 2 cycles ago, and recently also purchased a Mooncup for the comparison for the upcoming cycle. I won't badmouth Insteads for the 10 years they got me through not having to use plugs or pads, and I reused one for an entire cycle for the whole 10 years I used them. I still have some on hand, because I can't bring myself to toss them just because I got to other cups. I liked the sex factor Insteads allowed for, but now I find that a sea pearl works well for this, and choose that as my new alternative. My new moon 13 year old is on her 3rd cycle, and 2 cycles have been w/ Diva, and she is elated to not have to wear pads, after wearing them for only her very first cycle. Cups rock!

[intorainbowz]

Maybe a silly question, but .....

What is a sea pearl?

[EnviroBecca]

Sea Pearl is a brand name for sea sponges cut to the right size and shape to use as tampons. Sea sponges are aquatic animals whose bodies are cleaned and dried for this purpose. I personally do not care for the idea of putting a dead animal into my vagina, and because the sponges are harvested from the open ocean there's no telling what pollutants may be in them.