I LOVE my DivaCup! Not for guys...

[Puzzicato]

WOOAAAHHH! Long time, no see, ladies!

Hello! Have you been away? It feels like you haven't posted in ages!

 

[KittyT]

Hello! Have you been away? It feels like you haven't posted in ages!

I know! I haven't been away, just haven't been keeping up. A lot of rough personal stuff happened in the past year and I took on a lot of extra responsibilities this year with my roller derby league, so I've mostly been kindof swamped and haven't had much time to keep up!

 

[zombi]

I, too, LOVE my DivaCup! It has made my periods so much better. Tampons were always uncomfortable to me and caused dryness and soreness I hated. With the DivaCup, I don't have those problems. Even when I used tampons I used the ones with no applicator, though, so I'm certainly no stranger to putting my hands on my anatomy during that time of the month. It doesn't bother me, never has. I do think the DivaCup works better for me than the disposable Instead, with which I had leakage issues.

I also use Lunapads. I'm allergic to adhesives in modern disposable pads, and I prefer a more Earth-friendly alternative, anyway! I don't mind washing them, and they're much softer and more comfortable.

I have that book, also, "Taking Charge of Your Fertility". I haven't made it all the way through, yet, but I think it's a great and informative book.

 

[virgi]

have had my diva cup for about two years. Because I use to grap it at the base and pull it out, my IUD actually slipped earlier this year, and I had to have it replaced. However, now I take it out correctly (loosen the seal prior to removing it), and all is well. It makes periods a lot easier and cheaper. Once you get over the ick factor, it's one of the best decisions I've made. Highly recommend it to anyone

 

[nostalgic]

chiming in

Just wanted to chime in: I also have a diva cup and to be quite honest, haven't used it in ages but LOVED it. I never had any problems with leakage or insertion/removal but I have an average to light period (I think). I do however, always use my cloth pads (homemade )... ladies, if I can make them, ANYONE can... sadly, it's the only thing I've ever made on my sewing machine. They are ridiculously comfortable and easy to deal with. I also own the book that GoldLeaf and Rosie were talking about... to be quite honest I haven't slogged through all the technical stuff yet. I love, love, love the idea of it though and ideally would like to have that as my birth control method as a trial period before kids (married, but just not stable enough for little ones yet!). Right now I haven't renewed my bc prescription yet and have had a hideously heavy flow... REALLY should have remembered my cup! :eusa_doh:

 

[MarieAnne]

Since having my daughter I've had some problems using my diva cup. It's harder to position correctly. My cervix is much lower now and I have to make sure the cup goes over the cervix and not next to it. I get occasional leaks from the seal breaking. I think this is from my diminished muscle tone and not from the cup. Doing kegels has helped and I haven't had any leaks this week, even overnight. I may try the Lunette next. I empty it once a day, in the shower. I carefully pour it down the drain, wash it, shower and then put it back in before I get out. And just think, if we all used cups, that we only had to purchase once every couple of years.......that's like an ENTIRE aisle at the pharmacy that could be replaced with cosmetics and hair styling tools and products.

 

[miserabelle]

I do have one, but I can't find it! I hate using towels (allergic!) and tampons I've never got on with. My cup was so much easier, and cleaner, and cheaper.

I think I might order another one - does anyone have any favourite brands? I had a mooncup before xx

 

[nosferaturoams]

I'm about to start birth control and I don't know if it'll change my flow or not . If it does that'd suck because I'd really like to try the diva cup

 

[KittyT]

I'm about to start birth control and I don't know if it'll change my flow or not . If it does that'd suck because I'd really like to try the diva cup

If you're starting on the pill, it will decrease your flow and the length of your period. When I was on the pill, mine was 3 days. Off the pill, it's 5 or 6.

 

[Spearmint]

Delurking to give a hopefully quick note on the topic of cups. I've been using one for years and recently just got my second, I have a Femmecup and a small clear Lunette. If to those newbies looking into buying a cup I really suggest heading over to http://menstrual-cups.livejournal.com/ and combing through the size charts to find one that will fit you best, instead of automatically going with the Diva Cup as its long and narrowish shape makes it so many women are not able to wear it comfortably. Cups come in many sizes, materials (rubber, silicone, TPE) and colors. Also the menstrual cup site has a list of all the brands available.

 

[Spearmint]

Oh and there are more folds out there the standard C and punchdown folds. If it "snags" when removing it squeeze the base to break the suction pull it down gently by rocking back and forth until you can get it in a position where you fold it in half and angle it where you pull one side out and then the other instead of the whole thing at once. Sorry for the rambling.

 

[Penny Dreadful]

I've been using one for about 2 years and I love it SO much, enough to rave about it to strangers stranded in bathrooms. "Get a Diva Cup and for starters you'll never have to worry about this again..."
The grosseness is really not a big deal at all, and I am *VERY* easily grossed out. Honestly the thought of using bleached cotton, a chemical-y breeding ground for bacteria, is much grosser to me. And you can have it in for so long the chances of having to clean it in a public bathroom are very slim. Except for that time mine fell out in the middle of a bar (learning to use it is admittedly tricky). And besides, I think it's kind of neat and medically beneficial to see how heavy your flow actually is. It keeps you more in tune with your body. Once you figure it out you can't feel it at all, in fact it's quite common for me to completely forget that I have my period now.
These just make so much sense I can't possibly reason ever going back to tampons for anything besides a doctor insisting on it for some reason. I can't say enough good things about it, everyone should give it a chance.
And I guess I'll also confess that I'm 25 and I've only been checked out down there once, and it was only because dh accidentally ran the dishwasher with soap when trying to disinfect the Diva Cup and it gave me a yeast infection. Definitely one of my more embarrassing -and funny- stories. But something is stopping me from actually going out and finding a doctor, something that's been nagging the back of my mind for years. Shame on me.

 

[zombi]

^ Just boil it in a pot of water