Does anyone here use the DivaCup? (FEMALES ONLY!! !)

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I think it might perhaps provide convenience if it needs to be emptied only once per day, but I dont think it would be for me. It seems sort of like having a wine glass in your bajingo.

I've been using a mooncup for three years. It's just incredible how much less crampy my periods are when I use it, and you can't feel anything up there at all. I've got a very heavy period the first few days, so I have to change it three times a day for the first couple of days... but after that I only have to change it once before I go to bed, once in the morning. It's saved me a fortune... not only that, I can actually go out for a run, or ride a bike, if I want to.

But the main benefit which I hadn't been expecting is that it has cut down my period pain, very dramatically. Does anyone have any idea why?

Thanks for the additional info.... I had a few more questions. 1) Does it start leaking when the cup gets full/is this how you know it is time to empty it? (So, do you still need to wear a backup pad?) I always tend to have heavy periods lasting a week or more so I'm probably more on the three times a day end and I am wondering what happens when it overflows. 2) Can you wear it laying down or sleep in it, or do you use something else at night? In my mind, if it's a cup with liquid in it, and you turn it on it's side, it both spills and also the additional blood seeps sideways instead of collecting in it when you are lying down. Or does the "suction" somehow prevent this?

Hey Grendel!

I'll answer your questions here instead of PM because others might want to know too.

1) It can leak when the cup gets full, but this takes a surprisingly long time. Periods look heavier using pads and tampons and look like more blood than they truly are. When I started using mine, I would put it in for an hour, check it and empty, then two hours, then three, etc, until I got a general idea of how heavy my flow was. Once you know your cycle better (and using the Divacup will let you know it better, trust me) you'll be fine, but in the beginning it is probably a good idea to wear a back-up pad - not just because of "overfill" but it may take a little practice before you get it in the right place every time.

2) You can do headstands, cartwheels, swim, skydive, ride horses, spacewalk - anything you like - including sleep! You see, you insert the cup (it's silicone - I run it under HOT water prior to this as it softens the cup significantly, close to the feeling of those silicone baking pans) folded into quarters (well, that's what I do) - I pinch it flat, then use my fingers to fold the flattened cup into a "U" shape. You insert it (using a hilarious "football player" stance - the hut-hut moment - haha) then when you let go, it unfolds inside you and creates a weak vacuum. The soft silicone allows the cup to seal against you, inside, but to flex while you move. You can actually feel a tiny bit of suction when it unfolds (I wiggle my hips a bit to make it do this). This seal prevents the blood from leaking out of you, no matter what position you're in. To get it out, you just need to reach in far enough to pinch the bottom of the cup, thus releasing the vacuum (which is weakened by the increased volume of fluid in the cup - but not enough to leak!! !).

I have "tested" the Divacup pretty intensely over the years, and I've only had it leak once - on a gentle meander through a department store! I had actually thought when I put it in, "Hmm - that felt... different" but was too lazy to check. It wasn't disastrous - just a bit of a knicker scrub was needed is all.

Removal is very simple - the cup doesn't (for me, anyway) actually "cup" the cervix - it's nowhere near that high. The little nib on the bottom of the cup almost (but not quite) sticks out. You don't exactly have to fish around for it! Just get in the aforementioned hut-hut stance, bear down gently, and the little nub thing pokes out enough to pinch the bottom of the cup (which has grip ridges) and pull it out. Now, if you're not sexually active or haven't used tampons it's a little odd - but I was neither when I started using it and I was just fine. Now I tend to empty the cup once a day (as in, 24 hours) in the shower, which negates any messiness. But it isn't messy so long as it isn't completely full - if concerned, pull it out with one hand while cupping the other just underneath in case it spills a little. And it isn't as gross as it sounds, trust me!

And as for cleaning - if you have to empty in public toilets, you can just wipe it with some clean toilet paper, or carry a small bottle of water in your purse if you like. (I've never had to change it in a public toilet - usually in 24 hours I can find somewhere private!) I wash mine in the shower, or in the bathroom sink with hot water. I use Cetaphil, the liquid cleanser with no soaps or fragrances, and I've never, ever had a problem. Every few months I boil the cup to ensure that it's sterilised, but that's not really necessary if you clean it thoroughly after use.

Em, I thought I'd add this but beware it touches on a bit of grossness: I've heard a lot of people say that they wouldn't be able to stand the smell of the blood. Well - here's the thing: because the cup seals inside your body, the blood doesn't contain outside bacteria, which feed on the blood on pads and tampons and release pungent byproducts. The blood in the cup barely smells at all - even of the typical "blood" odour. I wasn't expecting that!

Any other questions, feel free to ask! I love the Divacup and fully support anyone interested in trying it!! !

Oh - and mgran: yep, I noticed the same thing regarding cramps! I am virtually cramp free now - though I will admit that I was one of the lucky ones who was really only "uncomfortable" most of the time, rather than in real pain. I think it's because it allows the blood to flow at its natural pace, and perhaps because it doesn't involve any chemicals? I'm not sure.

Hey Grendel!

I'll answer your questions here instead of PM because others might want to know too.

1) It can leak when the cup gets full, but this takes a surprisingly long time. Periods look heavier using pads and tampons and look like more blood than they truly are. When I started using mine, I would put it in for an hour, check it and empty, then two hours, then three, etc, until I got a general idea of how heavy my flow was. Once you know your cycle better (and using the Divacup will let you know it better, trust me) you'll be fine, but in the beginning it is probably a good idea to wear a back-up pad - not just because of "overfill" but it may take a little practice before you get it in the right place every time.

2) You can do headstands, cartwheels, swim, skydive, ride horses, spacewalk - anything you like - including sleep! You see, you insert the cup (it's silicone - I run it under HOT water prior to this as it softens the cup significantly, close to the feeling of those silicone baking pans) folded into quarters (well, that's what I do) - I pinch it flat, then use my fingers to fold the flattened cup into a "U" shape. You insert it (using a hilarious "football player" stance - the hut-hut moment - haha) then when you let go, it unfolds inside you and creates a weak vacuum. The soft silicone allows the cup to seal against you, inside, but to flex while you move. You can actually feel a tiny bit of suction when it unfolds (I wiggle my hips a bit to make it do this). This seal prevents the blood from leaking out of you, no matter what position you're in. To get it out, you just need to reach in far enough to pinch the bottom of the cup, thus releasing the vacuum (which is weakened by the increased volume of fluid in the cup - but not enough to leak!! !).

I have "tested" the Divacup pretty intensely over the years, and I've only had it leak once - on a gentle meander through a department store! I had actually thought when I put it in, "Hmm - that felt... different" but was too lazy to check. It wasn't disastrous - just a bit of a knicker scrub was needed is all.

Removal is very simple - the cup doesn't (for me, anyway) actually "cup" the cervix - it's nowhere near that high. The little nib on the bottom of the cup almost (but not quite) sticks out. You don't exactly have to fish around for it! Just get in the aforementioned hut-hut stance, bear down gently, and the little nub thing pokes out enough to pinch the bottom of the cup (which has grip ridges) and pull it out. Now, if you're not sexually active or haven't used tampons it's a little odd - but I was neither when I started using it and I was just fine. Now I tend to empty the cup once a day (as in, 24 hours) in the shower, which negates any messiness. But it isn't messy so long as it isn't completely full - if concerned, pull it out with one hand while cupping the other just underneath in case it spills a little. And it isn't as gross as it sounds, trust me!

And as for cleaning - if you have to empty in public toilets, you can just wipe it with some clean toilet paper, or carry a small bottle of water in your purse if you like. (I've never had to change it in a public toilet - usually in 24 hours I can find somewhere private!) I wash mine in the shower, or in the bathroom sink with hot water. I use Cetaphil, the liquid cleanser with no soaps or fragrances, and I've never, ever had a problem. Every few months I boil the cup to ensure that it's sterilised, but that's not really necessary if you clean it thoroughly after use.

Em, I thought I'd add this but beware it touches on a bit of grossness: I've heard a lot of people say that they wouldn't be able to stand the smell of the blood. Well - here's the thing: because the cup seals inside your body, the blood doesn't contain outside bacteria, which feed on the blood on pads and tampons and release pungent byproducts. The blood in the cup barely smells at all - even of the typical "blood" odour. I wasn't expecting that!

Any other questions, feel free to ask! I love the Divacup and fully support anyone interested in trying it!! !

Oh - and mgran: yep, I noticed the same thing regarding cramps! I am virtually cramp free now - though I will admit that I was one of the lucky ones who was really only "uncomfortable" most of the time, rather than in real pain. I think it's because it allows the blood to flow at its natural pace, and perhaps because it doesn't involve any chemicals? I'm not sure.

Interesting...

I have shyed away from the diva cup mainly from not knowing much about it and also the price...

It is getting to be that horrible time of month yet again...maybe I will get one.

I use the Keeper (the earlier edition of the DivaCup) and it's made things so much easier during that time of the month.

It's nice not having to carry a purse to hide tampons as well as feeling cleaner and more comfortable.

My aunty told me that when she used it, it fell out while she was walking in the shops, so ended up walking like she'd sh*t herself. Does this happen to anyone else?

Apologies for the enormous double post. I have no idea why it did that - I didn't even have internet issues. Weird. Sorry!

Hi girls,

** TMI ALERT ***

My period, on the heaviest days, is so heavy that if I sit on the toilet, it runs like a river (ok, maybe not like a river, but like someone just poured a cup of stuff out of you). I normally have to exchange the tampon several times a day, and MUST use a tampon plus a pad - if I use only one or the other, then disaster occurs. If I have only the pad and a "gushing" moment occurs, the pad is not absorbent enough to catch everything at once. If I use only the tampon, then there is leakage for sure.

I decided to give it a try anyway because a tampon can be painful during a couple days when I have my period.

So, when I tried the product, I had to empty it during the day, besides having to wear a pad.

It was a mess. There was no way for me not to have it touch my hand, and my nose is EXTREMELY sensitive -- even after washing several times with hot water I could still smell blood and hormones. I gave it a fair try as I figures I might get used to it after a while, and learn how to remove/replace it easily. Nope.

If you have heavy flows and a strong sense of smell, then stay away from the cup. It's a great product for some people, but not for everyone.

Ticktockpop:

Huh! Interesting how different it is for different people. I have a very, very sensitive sense of smell, and this was always one of the worst things (to me) about pads - I could always smell them, no matter how often I changed them or showered or whatever (TMI, I know). The cup is the opposite. I've never had a gag moment - smells a bit iron-y, I wash my hands, gone.

I concur that it might be tricky if you have a very heavy flow. Mine used to be like that when I was younger (just how you describe - sneezing caused the most disgusting sensation and always made me leg it to the loo to check things - and I have very bad hayfever! Spring periods were awful!), but it's lightened a fair bit, most significantly when I went on the pill. Have you considered that?

It sounds interesting, but I'm very anti-anything going up there, so I'll stick with the smelly pads until I get less queasy when I think about tampons and other products that go in the private part.

I do. Exactly for the reasons you said. I'm not too sure why I didn't change to it earlier either.

I've used my keeper for more than five years--it's especially useful when I'm travelling.

Thing is, I'm another woman with heavy flow, and it still requires a backup ST for the first 3 days. Plus, it does seem to make my menstrual cramps slightly worse, which I hate.

On the other hand, everything else I've tried is much less effective so I just have to live with it.