Dear men,
The ladies and I are going to discuss lady things today. And quite frankly I don't think you men are woman enough to deal with it. So please enjoy this video of a Monster Truck rally while we discuss Diva Cups.
Years ago I was wandering around my local health food store looking for cheese making supplies. The store is in a very old building in town complete with creaky wooden floors. It's the kind of place that, even though it isn't very big, you can't help but wander around. It feels serene, and calm and cozy being in amongst all the bins of coconut flour and raw nuts.
This particular day there was no music playing in the store and the only sounds were the shuffling of feet, the sound of scoops hitting the bins and those wonderful creaking wood floors.
And of course my screaming. My top of the lungs, tonsil revealing, primal screech.
You see, as I was wandering the aisle of essential oils and organic soaps I came across a site so shocking that a bunch of terror got all mangled and twisted inside of me until it forced its way out through my mouth in the form of a scream. A scream was better than a massive toot I suppose.
What I saw was the Diva Cup for the very first time. It had to be 12 years ago and these were not well known. I learned they were one of apparently many brands of "Menstrual Flow cups". Now, I had no idea these things existed and I can assure you my scream wasn't a scream of excitement. It was a scream of horror.
Table of Contents
What is a Diva Cup?
Staring me in the face was a clear silicone cup that was meant to be pushed up your hoo hoo and extracted when it was full of your womanly deposits. Basically you're turning yourself into a human Dixie Cup dispenser, only instead of water or Kool Aid the Dixie cup is filled with the blood of your menstrual flow.
It looks like the nipple of an overbred dog.
I immediately thought it would make a great post topic but couldn't bring myself to buy the thing. I just couldn't.
Fast forward to 2014 when I heard a couple of people, for some reason, mentioned they had used and loved the Diva Cup. I found this hard to believe, what with it being a silicone cup that held your period blood like a cherry cordial.
So I went out and bought myself a Diva Cup. I did so without screaming, all in the name of science.
The benefits of the Diva Cup are the low cost of $32 for almost a lifetime of use. They were $25 when I first tried it in 2014 by the way. So that's about the price of a few boxes of tampons/pads. Even though they're made from silicone which does not ever, ever biodegrade, the makers still claim it's better for the environment than flushing/disposing of the thousands of bleached tampons we go through in our lifetime.
Read this post on the only kind of toilet paper to use if you need a reminder on why you shouldn't flush tampons by the way.
Welcome to my menstrual Diva Cup adventure.
This is how it all went down.
Just days after buying my Diva Cup I felt that tiny little cramp in my gut letting me know I was a grown up lady woman.
Turns out I had just eaten too much Shepherd's Pie. But two days later the cramps were back and the main event was on its way.
Since inserting the Diva Cup involves pushing it into yourself with your fingers, I wanted to make sure I got in there before my fingers came out covered in uterine lining. So into the bathroom I went, armed with the Diva Cup, a full sheet of instructions and very clean hands.
How to Use a Diva Cup
To insert the silicone cup you roll it up until it's small enough to fit. There are two sizes. One for women under 30 and one for women over 30. The over 30 cup is bigger. I'm assuming the makers figure at that age we're so stretched out down there you could drive a train though us because these cups are BIG. Intimidatingly so.
But I rolled it up and got it where it's supposed to be. Once you get it up there you grab the base of the cup and twist it 360 degrees. This ensures it's fully open and suctioned to your insides. I managed to accomplish this on my first try and was desperate to tell someone about it but there wasn't anyone around.
I wasn't terribly worried about losing it up there but that seems to be a fear for a lot of women. Not to worry. It won't get lost.
So there it was. The Diva Cup. In my vagina. Wayyyy up in my vagina. Turns out the Diva Cup is actually more comfortable to wear than a tampon.
Why? Because it stays in place.
Have you ever noticed that after wearing a tampon for a while it tends to decide it'd like a good look at the world? It slowly starts working its way down towards the door until it's just a strong sneeze away from flying out of you.
The Diva Cup doesn't do that. It's obedient. The Diva Cup stays where the Diva Cup is put. More on that later. You really can't feel it at all. There's no itching, or pulling or attempts at escape.
So far so good with the Diva Cup. Did I mention it has handy measurements on the side of it you can see exactly how much fluid is in there? Because it does. Incredibly useful for anyone who likes to keep track of how many ounces of blood they shed a month. These are probably the same people who keep their scabs in a jar and have a laminated bowel movement chart.
You can wear the Diva Cup for 12 hours at a time at which point you have to take it out ... and empty the reservoir. This is where the Diva Cup lost me. Removal was difficult. Very difficult. I'm sure it gets easier with time but it was slightly painful and kind of like pulling a turkey out of your nostril.
In fact, when it finally popped off I’m pretty sure my nose whistled.
But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was emptying the blood streaked cup of woman goo into the bathroom sink and rinsing it out.
I know this is where a lot of you will be thinking "How awful for Karen that she's so out of touch with her womanness that such a thing bothers her. A woman's period blood is a miracle of life to be revered and marvelled at.".
I know there are those of you thinking this because that's exactly how other women who reviewed the Diva Cup describe the experience as. They liked the cup dumping. It fascinated them. You know what fascinates me? Magic Tricks.
I couldn't bring myself to put the cup in again and instead put it back in the box and slipped it to the back of the cupboard.
The one other caveat to the Diva Cup that even those who love it say is an issue, is public restrooms. If you need to empty your cup while at the mall or your favourite local restaurant you'll need to dump the cup in the toilet, pull up your pants, get yourself back together with one hand because the other hand will be holding the blood stained Diva Cup.
Once you're back together you'll need to dart to the sink and wash out your cup in the public restroom sink, all the while your face getting hot and your pits getting sweaty worried that someone will wander into the bathroom to a horror show.
Is your cup rinsed? Good. Now it's back into the stall to reinsert the Diva Cup.
I just couldn't handle it. But I have to say there are many of you who will be able to handle it. You'll think it's great and life changing like the other women on the Internet. Like the 10,000 people who reviewed the Diva Cup on Amazon with almost 5 stars. The women who say they couldn't live without it.
To you I say, you're more woman than I. I have no doubt you also would have handled donating blood far better than I did. It's a bit blurry but as far as I remember my blood donation involved a prayer circle and a stretcher. You can read about that proud moment in my life here.
Do I recommend the Diva Cup? Yes. That probably surprises you but it just wasn't for me. I know it wasn't for me because I got gaggy and almost fainted. So there's that. I know that other women won't be bothered by it at all.
And to you women I have one more thing to say. Please don't try to change my mind. Please don't try to convince me I didn't give it enough of a shot. Much like Brussels sprouts, it won't matter how many times I try it ... I'm never going to acquire a taste for menstrual cups.
As luck would have it I am currently moving out of my Diva Cup years and into my coffee cup flying across the room and exploding into shards as it hits the wall because I can't sleep and am so tired years.
I resisted the urge to use my Diva Cup as a change purse and eventually threw it out.
I now buy my cheese making supplies online.
Laura N.
I'd rather use washable rags like my grandmother had to use.
Mary Werner
I was going to say this! Totally agree. Even drying the rags on the clothes line would be less embarrassing than the washing up bit.
Elizabeth
Oh for goodness sake, you empty it in the toilet not the sink.
I have had one for years and would never go back to tampons. I heard about these well before I bought one and my first thought was eew no! but a few years later I decided to try it and never looked back. I'm not trying to change your mind I'm just saying you may get that box back out eventually.
Susan
Yesterday's post made me cry - and today's post had me crying-laughing .
I could never use tampons - couldn't imagine trying to put a plastic dixie-cup up me!
Feral Turtle
LOLOLOL
Lea
I used one while living in Scandinavia where most public bathroom stalls are equipped with small sinks and a handheld bidet. So cleaning up in private wasn't an issue. But I tipped the contents into the toilet before rinsing my Diva Cup in the sink. They don't leak or dislodge either. Great device!
Laura K
OMG Karen, you had me laughing so hard I was crying and couldn't see to read anymore. Hilarious!
TeePee
Now, This made me laugh. AND I'm a guy. I dated a gal once that loved this product. Swore by it! And yes, she cussed it out once or twice. She also did not use deodorant (two showers a day) did not wash her hair for 3 weeks (cause Sting of the Police doesn't wash his hair either. I asked her to start after 3 weeks ) and was a total, fulltime Vegan (for ethical reasons). She swore by this product and never did go back to the conventional method. I loved that gal, she was a hoot! AND I did check out the Monster Truck rally.
Gerri
You, sir, are awesome.
TeePee
Why Thank You. That girl always kept me on my toes.
Su
all I can say is so glad I had my inner woman stuff removed a few years back...
sue
Enjoy your posts, especially ones like this, where we all chat and share what we think. When my periods were ending, I had a VERY heavy flow and had to worry about leakage all the time...and finding a bathroom. This sounds like a smart solution. Every woman is different regarding how comfortable she is about dealing with her body and what is happening. I stopped using the pill because I didn't want to mess with hormones and used a diaphram. Some women don't want to get that, "up close and personnal" with their bodies, and that's O.K. But, while some aspects of this sound messy, I think I would use it.
Oh, and Karen, dump the contents in the toilet, not the sink. What were you thinking?
jainegayer
I now have a "visual" stuck in my brain of my hoo hoo being a Dixie cup dispenser!!
Karen, you crack me up!
Tigersmom
Yesterday tears and today I'm blowing coffee out my nose.
"So there’s that." Bwahahahahahaha!
I couldn't even attempt these. I remember being freaked out by the tampons that didn't come with an applicator meaning you had to shove them up there with your finger. All I could think about was constantly getting blood under my fingernails. Yuk! Just yuk!
And I can just picture my husband walking into the kitchen when I'm performing the post cycle boiling of the cup...
"Hey Babe, what's that you're cooking?"
Once he came to, he'd never eat anything from that pan again.
And come to think of it, neither would I.
Codi
Laughing my ass off at this post, but for 1st thing in the morning over my chai, I was not prepared for this. Gagging. Even somehow just associated my teabag with menstruation. I guess I'm even less woman than the rest! Haha!
Danni
No one has mentioned.... you can have sex during your period with these. I used back in the day, loved them, and also loving a healthy sexual appetite, well, hardly missed a beat. Of course a really good romp might jar the thing, but all the foreplay preceding was not compromised, I guess you could say...
I'm blushing, but this might make those of you anti's think again.
Jen W
Nope! Lol! I used them for this reason too. The emptying is just too much. The darn thing is gross and having a hand full of nasty goop is more than I'm willing to endure! I'm a nurse, BTW, so I am not squeamish. I just don't like this thing! But...it is a plus for someone who doesn't mind.
Jody
I have an issue with this post. You let the men know what's coming and offer an alternative but there was no warning to those brave enough to continue to have tissues at the ready for tears of laughter. You are too too funny. Your description of the whole process was so descriptive that I know I would never want to try a menstrual flow cup AKA Dixie Cup.
SusaninPeckham
I use a mooncup here in the UK and I love it. I wouldn't try to convince you to try it again - your choice.
But for others who are considering trying it - give it a go. I dump the blood into the toilet, not the sink. If I'm at home or in a fancy loo then I reach over and rinse it under the cold tap before re-inserting. But, if I'm at work or at out wherever, then I dump, wipe with a little loo roll if the outside is bloody and then re-insert. It's unusual for me to get bloody fingers from extraction/insertion, I reckon this comes with practice. On the question, I've never found it painful - I reckon you didn't "break the seal" before you pulled, in which case I guess it would be uncomfortable. I usually slightly squish one side of it to break the seal and then it comes out easily.
Who ever thought I'd be writing about such a personal thing in a comment on a blog?
Steph D
I was coming here to say exactly all of this. I'm pretty squeamish, so it's not like everything associated with the cup is no big deal, but it is SO much more comfortable than the alternative that I can be okay with the downsides. Not to mention, if you travel, it's way easier to toss the cup in your bag than the amount of tampons/pads one would need.
Tracy K
I came here to say this, but you said it very well. I’ve been using mine since 2006. I did get a second one and the pull out tip was much more comfortable than the first one, so that’s my go-to cup now.
I too am a toilet-dumper. At home, a quick rinse under the water while on the loo and reinsert. If I’m out-and-about and HAVE to empty, it’s just a pull-dump-reinsert. It even says in the packaging that that’s ok if there’s no potable water, and honestly, it doesn’t happen often. Also, one doesn’t have to boil it each period. That’s optional. Just give it a good wash before you use it the next time and you’re good to go.
I find it so comfortable, easy to use, no leaking onto bedsheets, underwear, clothes, towels, and of course I get to avoid subsequent skin sloughing cleanup of said articles.
I really haven’t calculated how much money I’ve saved, but I think of it in terms of how much I’ve kept from the landfill.
I love it so much more because I just hate the way it feels on my skin down there. Cleanup is just as quick as throw-aways, and I’m less messy overall. Plus, I also don’t have the dreaded “period smell” about me.
Anyway, in the coming apocalypse (inside joke about me always inserting that when talking about being prepared,) I won’t have to worry about sourcing tampons 😂
(OMG so sorry this ended up so long, but I am a total convert 🥰)
Amanda
You use yours exactly the same as I do when in a public restroom situation. Otherwise, I just empty it while in the shower. I wish I'd known about these things earlier in life - I can't imagine ever using anything else now!
Kate
I agree with all you've said. I hate hate creating waste, and not using tampons or pads is brilliant!
Myra
I LOVE my Diva Cup. I've been using it for at least ten years (having made the transition from the pre-age 30 to the post-age 30 cup about half way). It is super convenient and I love that I only have to empty it twice a day, never have to buy tampons and am not putting toxic bleached chemicals inside my body. Definitely empty it into the toilet. I will say, the more you use it, the more you develop the little tricks that will make it effortless and *less* gross. I would NEVER go back to tampons and certainly not to pads.
Julia
Great post Karen!
I've been using a "Moon" cup (as it's called in the UK) for 11 years now, and have found nothing but good to say about it!!
On the subject of cleanliness, it hugely reduces the risk of bacterial infection (eg toxic shock syndrome) that can result from a warm wad of soaked cotton acting as a perfect breeding ground...
I have also never had to leave a bathroom stall to rinse mine out... I have this thing called a "bottle of water" that I take in with me (think they are available in most countries)!! The cups should be rinsed in cold water anyway during use and then boiled when you finish a period...
However fabulous I think it is, I still can't persuade any of my friends to join me!!
Sara
I bought this thing way back when it was new and cost about $40. It is SO much better than the normal 4 hour jaunt to the bathroom to stick other things up there. I always washed it out at night before bed, and again before work in the morning. I don't know why in the world you'd dump it in the sink... aren't you sitting on a perfectly good toilet? A couple times I had really heavy flows and I needed to dump it in a public restroom... but I dumped it in the toilet and wiped it out with TP and reinserted it, and gave it a really good cleaning when I got home. Also, the first time I removed it was painful (but still less pain than a dry tampon...) and then I got the hang of squeezing it a little to release the suction and it's perfectly fine! Give it another try and follow the comments... these girls (the ones who have used it more than once) know!
Tracy K
I felt like you wiped a dry cloth across my teeth when you mentioned pulling out a dry tampon. *shudder* yet another reason I don’t ever want to go back to tampons.
...and omg 🤣 “perfectly good toilet” I seriously laughed out loud.
~Tracy
meg
hahahahaha OH MY GOD
I am terrified: mouth open, lips curled, teeth bared, nostrils flared. I am also wide-eyed and laughing nervously. Thank you for both informing me of and preventing my use of this product forever. "stuck behind cervix" "hard to get out" "rinse in public bathroom then put back in" -what? no, not for me.
Mindy
Lol!!!!
kristin
From when I first heard about the cup to when I finally tried one, it took about a year. I had to work up the nerve! Still it took a couple months before I became a convert (it took a while for my brain to adjust to not having to worry about my period all day long for a week). Now I could never go back to pads and I could NEVER even TRY tampons before. The idea of shoving dry cotton up there plus all the potential problems plus the fact that you have to change it every couple of hours turned me right off.
I agree with what other commenters have said about it. I never empty the contents into the sink. I always dump it in the toilet and then I rinse it in the sink with the hottest water I can stand. I find that I can put it in much easier if it's warmed up first. The only time I did have to change it in a public place, I was travelling and had been on a plane the whole time and really had no choice. Normally, I would never have to cuz I schedule the emptying for when I'm at home (I empty it in the morning when I get up and in the evening before bed). Even so, when I was travelling, I knew this would be an issue so I planned for it and bought a second cup that I could put in plus carried a little tupperware container I could fill with water and take to the stall with me. I also only had one moment where it felt like I was pulling my uterus out with the cup. It comes out easily if you pinch the top in. I always think I'm going to squeeze the blood out again and defeat the purpose, but it's surprising how little blood is actually in there! When you're wearing pads it looks much worse! I just had a baby, so I had to deal with pads again and I can't wait to get back to the diva cup. Everything else is a nightmare, in my opinion!
Traci
Just had a baby too and the return to pads has been so yucky and awful. I can't wait until I can use my diva cup again. I keep whining to my husband about it!