January 12, 2015

Diva Cup Menstrual Cup Review

The Author

Jesica Williams

Since 2012, I’ve been creating digital wellness guides and researching natural beauty products, HIIT workouts, functional exercises, body positivity, self love, and tips helping you explore wellness and feel good.

Welcome to this post: The Diva Cup Menstrual Cup Review.

Diva Cup Menstrual Cup Review

About Diva Cup:

“The Diva story began in the heart of a young girl named Francine. Over time Francine’s entrepreneurial spirit and passion for better menstrual care led her to discover menstrual cups. Today, in partnership with her daughter Carinne, Francine is changing the way women view period care.

diva cup logo

My vision for a healthy, more sustainable feminine hygiene product began when I was just a teenager. Each month I would go through the motions of “dealing” with my menstrual cycle. Yet, I quickly grew tired (and frustrated) with the unsanitary, uncomfortable and impersonal feel of disposable tampons and pads. As I grew older, and began researching alternative menstrual care products, I was excited to learn I was not alone in my passion.

The day I discovered menstrual cups, was the day my dream turned into reality.

DivaCup on Bag

For ten years, I pioneered the menstrual cup industry, selling and promoting these innovative products around the world. In 2001, the best part about my vision came to life as my daughter Carinne and I began experimenting with our own designs and ideas. After years of experience and research we designed The DivaCup, a reusable menstrual cup that encourages a more positive period experience. I wake up every day excited to share The DivaCup concept with young women, and those a little older, who are not only looking for a better product but also a new relationship with their menstrual cycle!”

“It goes where? I have to do what? Yes, you wear The DivaCup in “there”, in your vagina… but we promise, it is not as scary as it sounds. In fact, your body will thank you for giving it the period care it deserves.

The DivaCup is a reusable, bell-shaped menstrual cup that is worn internally and sits low in the vaginal canal, collecting rather than absorbing your menstrual flow. Menstrual cups have existed since the 1930s when women were searching for an alternative to the choices of the time. Yet, its breakthrough into the feminine hygiene industry is much more recent.

diva cup

Many women feel uneasy about changing their menstrual care routine. Years of dealing with the sights and odors of disposable tampons and pads cause the familiar reaction: “ick!”. The DivaCup empowers women to connect with their bodies and menstrual cycles like never before. Perfect for all activities (on air, land or sea), its easy care and use make for a better period experience. Wear The DivaCup for up to 12 hours without leaks or worry.

The DivaCup Features:

  • 12 hour leak-free protection!
  • Made from the highest quality healthcare grade silicone to assure comfort and durability.
  • Does not contain any of the following: latex, plastic, PVC, acrylic, acrylate, BPA, phthalate, elastomer, polyethylene, and free of colors and dyes.
  • Reusable and eco-friendly – no waste, no chemicals.
  • Features extra grip ridges for easier removal.
  • Cleared for marketing by the US FDA and the Australian TGA and the only reusable menstrual cup allowed to be sold in Canada by Health Canada.
  • Diva International Inc. is the only ISO 13485:2003 certified menstrual cup manufacturer and head office in the world!

Discover the healthy, “non-ick” alternative to traditional feminine hygiene products. Join women worldwide by switching to The DivaCup today!”

Diva Cup Menstrual Cup Review

Oh. My. Periods. My menstrual cycle is the only speakable health “ailment” that I struggle with controlling the pain of. Because of my debilitating menstrual cramps, I am always eager to find new products that make my time of the month a little less painstaking, inconvenient, healthy and more tolerable.

Diva Cup was of interest for me for several reasons:

-The fear of “toxic shock syndrome” which can be caused by leaving a tampon in for too long, allegedly.

-Making my monthly period less of an expense. The Diva Cup is reusable, so there’s no more endless boxes of tampons that I have to go through.

-The material that Diva Cup is made of appears and seems to be one of the safest that you can use: BPA free and free of many harsh materials that have been found to leach into the body and cause health issues (however big or small they are)

-The ease of use. I think the idea is brilliant–and there’s no waste like there is with pads and tampons.

So, here’s where it simply has to get really real! 🙂

My experience with the Diva Cup has been pretty good. The capacity of the cup itself is sufficient enough to allow me to leave it in for several hours on end even on my heaviest days. They offer instructions on how to insert the cup (like you read above, yes, you wear it inside your woman part!) and following those worked well for me.

This may be a bit graphic, but there’s truly no way around it if I’m being frank. I have had a few issues with the cup leaking while I’m wearing it. It doesn’t appear to be because it is overflowing. Rather, it seems to be a matter of the internal “seal” that it’s supposed to form not being intact. The instructions do suggest that you insert the cup halfway, then rotate it–I’m thinking this is supposed to insure that the seal is solid. However, sometimes I have a hard time mastering that and the result seems to be leakage. Not much leakage, but still.

That said, I will take responsibility for the fact that it may be operator error. They supply adequate instructions–I just haven’t mastered my “technique”, so to speak.

The other issue I’ve had is that when I take the cup out to empty it, its kind of a messy ordeal. At home, it’s perfectly fine because I have privacy to deal with it. However, in public restrooms, it’s kind of an ordeal. I am a heavy bleeder, so when I take it out, it’s just not always a clean and tidy ordeal! I end up having blood on my hands and use a lot of toilet paper to not have it be a complete disaster. Finding a way around that mess is another aspect of the Diva Cup use that I’ve yet to get down pat.

The capacity of the diva cup is enough, in my opinion, that I could probably always be able to avoid having to empty it in a public restroom, assuming you are home mornings and evenings. It’s just been a matter of getting used to how quickly it fills up. It’s proving to last a long time, unlike tampons. I just had a few public restroom experiences that were messy. In hindsight, they weren’t even necessary because the cup wasn’t full. It’s just hard to tell when it’s inserted when it’s full.

All of that said, I still see it as a better alternative to tampons, because of what it’s made of, because it saves money, and because it is reusable. I’d recommend it! It just will take a little bit of getting used to.

Have any of you tried the Diva Cup? I am eager to hear your thoughts, if you’ve had similar struggles and how you’ve remedied them. Please, don’t be afraid to be candid in sharing your thoughts and experiences!

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Comments

2 Comments

  1. I am a diva cup newbie, I too love the idea that they are re-usable (better for the environment and my bank account!). So far I have not been successful at inserting it properly, but I’m hoping that with time and patience I get it figured out! Thanks for featuring this great product!

    Reply
  2. I’ve been using the cup for 6+ month now and my sentiments are about the same as yours. I still use a pantyliner every time because of leakage. I do the funniest shimmy in my bathroom when I insert the cup to make sure that it seals but I always manage to still leak. Very frustrating but I just endure it. I’m contemplating on getting the size 2 (blue box) to see if that’s any better with the leakage. If you figure out any better tips on the sealing part then please update this post! 😀

    Reply

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