Menstruation cups are becoming a more and more popular method to maintain your period. They're eco friendly, cost effective, easy to use and generally risk free. That being said, I decided to give one a go. Anything to make my time of month easier - I will gladly do.
I decided to go with the Diva Cup - purely because it's arguably the most common one, therefore making it easy to find in stores. I usually choose a tampon as my weapon of choice because I don't like how a pad feels. It makes me feel like I'm wearing a diaper, I find it smelly and messy. I like tampons because they're easy to use, discreet and relatively comfortable.
When purchasing the Diva Cup, they only have two sizes:
Model 1: Recommended for women under the age of 30 who have never delivered vaginally or by caesarean.
Model 2: Recommended for women aged 30 and over or for women who have delivered vaginally or by caesarean.
Those being the only options available, I went with model 1.
I found the cup was a little difficult to put in. It's awkward and a bit uncomfortable. You have to fold the cup a certain way, insert and twist it to create a suction. I found the process to be a bit time consuming and it's hard to tell if it's in correctly. Diva Cup does say that it may take a few cycles of using the cup to get used to inserting it properly.
To be honest, I was terrified of overflowing the cup. Sometimes my flow can be pretty heavy (tmi?), but even on the heaviest day, it never overflowed. Saying this, I did experience minor leakage. It was nothing major, but I would feel more comfortable knowing that there was zero leakage. Since I never bled enough to make the cup overflow, it must've been down to the cup not being inserted correctly. User error.
Like the rest of our bodies, vaginas come in all different shapes and sizes. I don't necessarily think that only two models (having had birth vs not having birth) are enough sizing options. Someone could very well be inserting the cup properly, but because the size/shape isn't correct, it could cause leakages. I'm curious if other menstrual cup brands have more sizing options and if it's proven to be more effective.
One really nice aspect of the cup is being able to wear it for such a long time compared to a tampon. You just need to ensure that you remove the cup and clean it twice a day. It's also safe to wear over night - bonus! Diva Cup does have it's own wash for the cup that you can purchase. It's mildly scented, cleans the cup just fine and re balances the Ph levels. As you wear it more often, you'll adjust to how often you need to empty it. Unlike a tampon, it's not as discreet. If you work somewhere with a public washroom and you need to take it out and wash it, you might feel uncomfortable doing that out in the open sink area. If it works for you, emptying in the morning and night works well.
Removing the cup itself can be messy at first until you get the hang of it. Otherwise, it's very simple. Using a cup really allows you to get to know your body better during your period. Using a tampon or pad, you can't exactly measure your flow, but with a cup it's easy to do and it's handy to know.
I will continue to use the cup and I hope it'll get easier and be more efficient with time. Hopefully I'll be able to correct the slight leakage problem - if not, maybe I'll look into other brands.
Have you ever tried a menstrual cup? How did it work out for you? Let me know in the comments below!
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