If there happen to be any gentlemen who read my blog (besides my husband and my dad), WELCOME! Now go away. I have this lovely post about Lord of the Rings to offer a nice distraction. You’re welcome to come back later. Today is all about girl talk. Specifically, menstrual cups.
I’ve been doing some hard-hitting investigative journalism over the past week. Namely, I twisted the arm of the nice people at Diva Cup and convinced them to give me their product so that I could tell you all about it. This is not a sponsored post because I am not receiving any compensation other than the Diva Cup itself. I was just really curious about using a menstrual cup and I truly am a chronic over-sharer (see my biography over there in the sidebar?), so now you get to hear all about my experience. Lucky you.
Now, on to answer the questions that I’m sure are on your mind:
What the **** is a Menstrual Cup??
Um, it’s basically a silicone shot glass that you shove up your who-ha during that time of the month to catch all the yucky stuff. It’s an alternative to pads and tampons.
Gag! But, But, But…Why??? Why would you do that?
I have been hearing about these things for over a decade. I went to a women’s college and stuff like this was pretty fair game for small talk in the classroom. But, I understand where you are coming from, it took me a looooong time to get over the initial gag factor too. Personally, I wanted to try a menstrual cup because I have a hard time wearing tampons after having two c-sections, and pads make me feel gross, so I wanted try an alternative. Plus, it’s more friendly to the environment and your body.
Friendly how? Girl, you better ‘splain yourself.
Ok, look. Pads and tampons are made with a buttload (very bad pun, sorry) of chemicals and bleach and all kinds of nasty stuff. And then we put them right up next to our reproductive organs, or in the case of tampons, into our reproductive organs. Does that not seem kind of stupid?
The Diva Cup is made out of medical grade silicone with no dyes. It’s made out of the same material that they use to make implants and feeding tubes and stuff, so it is safe to have inside of your body for up to 12 hours (or longer, but you need to empty it, so….).
Plus, there is no nasty period trash to deal with every month and your hundreds of pads or tampons aren’t sitting in landfills.
Ok, fine. But how do you even get that thing in there?
It’s really not that hard. It takes a little bit of practice, but you really just fold it in half (vertically) and stick it up there. Then you rotate it to seal it and lock it in place. You know that old phrase, “Sit on it and twist?” That. It only took me three tries before I got the hang of it.
Then how do you get it OUT?
This was my least favorite part. It basically involves giving yourself a pap smear several times a day. You just reach a few fingers up there, squeeze it a little bit to break the seal it has created, and pull it out. Bear down like you are birthing a silicone baby.
Um, isn’t that messy? I’d rather not recreate a scene from I Know What You Did Last Summer in my bathroom.
Actually, it is surprisingly clean. For real. I didn’t have any spills or anything. Pull it straight down, don’t tilt it. You just take the thing to the sink, dump it out, and rinse it out with hot water and mild unscented soap. Diva Cup makes special soap, but I just bought a gentle feminine wash at Target.
Name ONE time in my everyday life that this thing could be more useful than pads or tampons.
Camping or traveling would be at the top of the list, but I wish I would have had this thing when we were building our house and there was only one port-a-potty shared by me, the kids, and a bunch of men. Also, do you know how many times in high school I had to touch my toes and “stretch” just to see if there was a tampon string hanging out of my cheerleading uniform? And when I was teaching because sometimes you can’t get to the bathroom all day, so it is hard to change a tampon or pad. If you are in another profession with that dilemma, like nursing, I’m sure you can relate. Are you a truck driver? A woman in the military? Does your dog get into your period trash and drag it all over the bathroom? I’m sure there are a million other reasons.
Can I pee with it in?
Yes. (You can poop too.)
Can I have sex with it in?
No. (Apparently there are other menstrual cups suitable for this purpose, which baffles my mind because your vagina is only like 3 inches long, so I don’t understand how you can fit all that stuff inside of it at the same time. I’m sticking with “no.”)
What if I am in public?
I went out to lunch, Target, and Home Depot wearing the DivaCup without changing it and it was fine. But if you are out all day, don’t worry. Just dump it in the toilet and either carry a water bottle in your purse or I sometimes used unscented baby wipes to wipe it out.
What size did you get?
It comes in two sizes. The smaller one (Model 1) is for women under 30 who have never given birth. The larger one (Model 2) is for women over 30 OR women who have given birth.
After reading several Amazon reviews, I decided to go with the smaller size, even though I am turning 30 this year and I have given birth twice via c-section. The smaller size was definitely the right move for me. Also, it might be helpful to note that I have a tilted uterus and I didn’t have any problems using this product.
Anything else you insist on telling me about this thing?
I’m still not 100% convinced I will make the switch to menstrual cups full time, personally. I was pretty uncomfortable with the removal process. But I love the idea of them and I think that they could literally change the world. (Don’t roll your eyes at me.) When I was in college I took a class about social justice issues and one of the topics that came up repeatedly was education for girls in third world countries. They often miss school for a week every month because they don’t have the necessary hygiene products to deal with their periods in school. They wind up missing so much school that they get too far behind and drop out. I imagine menstrual cups could make a BIG difference in the lives of those girls.
I also imagine they could be very helpful in women’s shelters, who are always asking for feminine hygiene products. Can you imagine being homeless and trying to deal with your period? I can’t. But I do imagine that this product would be life-changing for the women for whom that is a reality every month.
UPDATE: Guess what? Turns out there IS a company using menstrual cups to help keep girls in school! Ruby Cup reached out to me and shared more about their mission after reading this post. For every cup sold through them, one is donated to a girl in Kenya. Check out their website for more information about this very cool initiative.
Where do you even buy a thing like this?
They are available at drug stores, or you can get it online from a website like Amazon.
If you have any other non-creepy questions about my experience using a menstrual cup, I’d be happy to answer them in the comments.
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Jen at PIWTPITT.com says
I must admit, my first thought was “Eww” and my second thought was “Really eww” but you’ve opened my eyes. I would actually try this thing if I still got a period. I especially liked all of your suggestions of who this item would be perfect for, because I had never thought about the women’s shelters or homeless shelters. You’re absolutely right. I will be adding Diva Cups to my list of things to buy and donate to shelters. Great post!
Stephanie says
Thanks, Jen! That really means a lot. I’m sure shelters would happily receive them. (If they know what they are)
funnyisfamily says
As a swimmer in my younger years, I was constantly checking for strings, and this would have been useful. I second Jen’s comment about the eye-opening idea of women’s shelters and homeless shelters. Very informative!
Stephanie says
How did I forget about swimming?
Danielle says
1. How heavy would you classify your menstrual cycles?
2. Did you ever experience “leakage”
3. How long did you generally leave it in?
4. Could you feel it while you were walking…or ever?
Stephanie says
1. I usually have very heavy days the first and second day. (I would wear “super” absorbancy tampons and need to change them after about 1 hour) Then the rest of the time is normal. (I would still wear “super” absorbancy, but need to change them less often, like maybe every 4 hours?)
2. I only experienced very light spotting once, the second time I inserted the cup, because it hadn’t sealed properly. When I removed it, I saw that the tiny holes around the top rim, which help create the seal, had gotten clogged.
3. I changed it every 4-6 hours. I didn’t like the process of removing it, so I usually waited a while. It never had more than 1/8 of an ounce of fluid in it. (There are measurements on the side)
4. The first time I inserted it, it felt weird and the little stem kept poking me. I realized I hadn’t put it far enough up. When it was in correctly, I felt a very slight pressure (similar to the everyday pressure you feel late in pregnancy) but it was easy to ignore. I wasn’t as oblivious to the fact that there was something inside of me as I am when I wear a tampon, but it wasn’t exactly uncomfortable either. Just different than anything I was used to. For the first few minutes after it was in, there was a pressure that made me feel like I had to pee, but it went away quickly.
windycitysparkles says
You can leave it in for 12 hours and then you don’t have to deal with removal so much. I have an extremely heavy flow and I’m still fine with 12 hours.
hollow tree ventures says
I couldn’t think of any times it would be more convenient than a tampon, but as you listed examples I was like, “Yeah. Oh, yeah! Duh, of COURSE!” I briefly used a diaphragm a zillion years ago, and it sounds like the same-ish process. I gave it up for that ishy, uncomfortable removal part, but this thing sounds totally viable in those kinds of situations you mentioned. I’m surprised to say it, but I’m sold!
Stephanie says
Yeah, the removal is no fun. But I’m glad to see you’d be open to giving them a shot. 🙂
Meredith says
Okay, I’m not sure I’m convinced, but it was great to have this honest insight. If Stephanie Giese is for it…maybe??
Stephanie says
I’m not gonna lie. Taking it out is weird. But I still think they are very cool.
Kathy@kissingthefrog says
I’m with Meredith. I’m definitely more intrigued than I was when you first said you were using it. Thanks for the informative post!
Stephanie says
Thanks, Kathy. 🙂
Nicole Leigh Shaw (@NicoleLeighShaw) says
I read every word. EVERY WORD of this post. Some words twice. I’m intrigued. I have Mirena at the moment, providing not only birth control, but making my periods nearly non-existent. It comes out next month. When it does I’ll need something like a Diva Cup.
Mom's New Stage says
You had me with this thing, and answered every question thoroughly. I want to like it for so many reasons, and I know it makes sense, but I just don’t think I CAN! Is that bad? What is wrong with me? Haven’t even seen the thing in person and it giving me serious issues.
Stephanie says
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that at all. To each her own. 🙂
Terra Heck says
I’ve never used a menstrual cup before and I’m still not sure I ever will. But I’ll never say never.
Frugalistablog says
This would have been useful a year ago when each monthly course was like the Red Sea. Now I have an IUD and I haven’t had Aunt Flo come a calling for months. But I’m totally all for this if I needed it. Loved your honest Q&A!