Achtung! Warning!
This entry is a review of the Diva Cup, a menstrual device. If you have a weak stomach then perhaps you’d best not click on.
So I wouldn’t say that I was actually looking forward to my period so that I could test the Diva Cup, but in a way, I kinda was. I was interested to see how it worked and how my body would feel about it. I had read so much about it, I wanted to experience it for myself.
My hesitation in trying the Diva Cup is that I don’t like the feeling of tampons. As I said to a friend, there is only one thing I want in there these days! The vagina has no nerve endings, and where/how the Diva Cup sits, you don’t actually feel it if you have it in correctly. I do find it a bit hard to twist it which makes it pop open. On occasion if I have not inserted it correctly it has unfolded suddenly resulting in a short cramping pain. I have read suggestions that you can trim the stem, but I haven’t found that a problem.
The ick factor. Having worked as a personal carer and having lots of blood noses, the blood doesn’t bother me. If anything it intrigues me. The blood is so red and dark, almost black. One of the problems with emptying it at work though is that blood emptied into an elderly toilet will sit at the bottom of the s-bend, heavier than water. I had to flush the toilet a few times to get rid of it all.
Cleaning it isn’t a problem once you get into a routine – remove it, empty it, clean it, wipe yourself, reinsert it. I have found it a bit of a hassle to ensure that the little holes up the top are clean though. It has been interesting to see how much blood I actually lose. Most of the time when I take it out it’s only been 15ml, so perhaps between 90-120 per day. I know my iron levels are good from the last time I donated blood anyway.
The first day I tried it – yesterday – was a 41degree day, so I was quite glad to not have to wear sticky pads. I didn’t have any leaks at all. It was interesting getting to know my body a bit better. At first I was quite delicate with myself, it’s easy to pinch yourself when grabbing the stem, but by tonight I quickly inserted it before hopping in the bath with the children!
And that’s the beauty of it, you can do things like go swimming, have a bath, sleep with it in. It was great to empty it and reinsert it this morning after I woke up, then have a shower and get dressed without that inconvenience between getting out of the shower and putting another pad on. Yesterday I wore a (cloth) pad just in case, but today I didn’t bother.
So, I give the Diva Cup the big thumbs up and I can’t see me spending much money on pads and tampons in the future!
Edited to add: Day three and all is going well. Didn’t get a chance to empty it as often today, but the Diva Cup still coped.
