Goodbye tampons, hello DivaCup!

On a very lonely night a couple of weeks ago, I was feeling ultra aroused but my favorite aunt, Flo was in town. Hubby was away for work that night so I really just wanted to take care of myself (hehe). I was surfing the net seeking advice on whether it was safe to do so, with my monthly visitor and came across something called softcups. Now, I had never heard of menstrual cups before this occurrence so this discovery piqued my interest. I went to the wonderful world of YouTube where apparently menstrual cups are the shit. I viewed several reviews on sofcups but the thing seemed so flimsy and just did not look secure. The reviews were mostly discouraging. I think there was only one video review with success. While I was looking for softcup reviews, I kept seeing DivaCup everywhere!! So I finally watched a video on The DivaCup, then two videos, then three; before I knew it, I had spent about 3 hours on YouTube watching DivaCup videos and reading countless reviews online. My period was ending so I decided to take the time until my next period to decided whether I wanted to try it out. Well, it didn't take me that long :) I ordered my DivaCup the very next day! What had me sold was it's cost-effectiveness. No more buying tampons and pads every other month. All I need is one DivaCup! They suggest changing it every year but some people use menstrual cups for 10 years or more. I think as long as you take good care of it, there's no need to replace it each year. Well, at least I don't plan to if its in perfect condition. The second selling point was that it's a green product. One less product to keep out of landfills, and thirdly, I love that it's cleaner and I don't have to be bothered with counting hours to change a tampon.

What is the DicaCup?

DivaCup is a mentrual cup that offers a safer alternative to pads and tampons. It is a small silicone, cone-shaped cup that is inserted into the vagina. It sits low in the vagina and collects mentrual blood.
The DivaCup does not contain latex, BPA or plastic; nor does it have any colors, dyes, or additives. It can be worn for up to 12 HOURS!!!! Yes!!

The cup come in 2 sizes. Size 1 is worn by teens and women under 30 who have not had any children, and size 2 is worn by women who have a children (vaginal or cesarean births) or over 30. The DivaCup website states that the difference between the two sizes is very small, but you must wear the recommended size in order for it to work properly.

How to use it:

My first experience!

Getting it in there is very easy but securing it can be tricky. Now almost all the reviews warn that there is a learning curve to using this. When I got my DivaCup a few days later, I wanted to try it and see how it felt so I played with it. Before my next mentrual cycle, I sort of practiced, I guess, putting it in and taking it out. When I finally got to try it out for real, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get it on the first try. The first month of me using it did not go as I hoped. I had some leaks, not major just minor leaks that panty liner can handle. Most people took about two months to get the hang of it. That is fine by me, hell take 5 months, even if I have these little leaks forever, I will stand by my DivaCup! I am not at all discouraged though. I freaking love this thing. I hope it doesn't come to that. I will try inserting different ways to find what works for me. I hate tampons and I hate pads. They make me feel so dirty. The thought of sitting in dried blood makes me cringe. And even worse, having dried, soaked up blood just chilling in my vagina for 4-5 hrs is even more unpleasant. The bacteria, the risk of TSS, ohhhhh the grossness!! So either way I m so incredibly happy to have found the DivaCup.

I purchased my DivaCup on amazon, but it is sold at Whole Foods Markets. It costs between $21-$25.