Is America's economic downturn so dire that women should resort to reusable sanitary products? That's what the makers of the DivaCup -- a silicone Dixie cup that you insert to catch all of Aunt Flo's messy mess -- seem to think. Riding the recession news angle, DivaCup explains in a press release that the cup would save you about $150 to $200 in pads and tampons each year. That's because unlike disposable femilady products, you empty, rinse, (occasionally boil) and reuse one DivaCup for up to a year. "Hundreds of women a week tell us how personally empowered they feel," says co-founder Francine Chambers.
The menstrual cup has been around for decades -- a rubber version was first patented in 1932 -- but disappeared in the 1960s after little commercial success. Today's modern iterations retail for around $30.
Click here to read what some women say about this product.
We asked a handful of women how they felt about the menstrual cup, prompting two very different -- and passionate -- reactions:
Um, Ew
Those who'd never heard of it expressed alarm. Here's why: Using a menstrual cup requires that you are really, really, REALLY cool with your body ... and period blood ... and the insertion of foreign objects.
If o.b. tampons give you pause or diaphragms make you squirm, the DivaCup is not for you. Even fervent devotees cop to the fact that there is a certain level of mastery and pain involved in properly folding and inserting the cup, at least at first. (One DivaCup-loving friend explains that she folds it like a "taco.") If you do it wrong, you run the risk of leaking, and ladies, pray this cup doesn't runneth over, else you runneth to buy new pants.
Plus there's the whole having-to-boil-it-after-every-cycle thing, and that just sounds kind of gross, right?
Um, Love It
Then we asked self-described "fans" who already use a version of it. In fact, there are whole livejournal communities devoted to the topic.
Ickiness factor aside, there are some definite benefits:
(1) You are, to a degree, liberated from your period in that you don't have to carry around supplies 24/7, or run the risk of bumping into your boss on the way to the restroom for a changing of the guard with tampon in hand.
(2) You're not exposing yourself to the harmful chemicals built into some of today's leading period products.
(3) Menstrual cups cut down on serious waste. Billions of sanitary pads are dumped each year, generating tons of landfill garbage, whereas you use and dispose of one cup annually.
(4) And yeah, the math adds up. Investing in a reusable product ends up costing you less in the long run.
Worth It?
Will the cash-saving, earth-friendly DivaCup catch on in today's downtrodden market?
We're not sure. Adding a "Diva-" prefix doesn't make a blood-cork any more glamorous or sexy-seeming. Bleeding for a week each month sucks, no matter how you cope
And pads and tampons are convenient and reliable. Unless you cycle like clockwork, the cup doesn't make allowances for emergencies ... unless you tote it around all the time. We're not trying to hate on any woman's choice, but imagine the standard office convo gone cupped ...
Pam, a worried look on her face, peeks around Sheila's cubicle wall.
Pam: "Hey, Sheila, the crimson tide has just come in. Do you happen to have a (whisper) tampon?"
Sheila: "Oh sorry, Pam. I don't. Use my cup instead."
We guess the point is that everyone's ladyflower is different and special. Tell us. Would you invest in the DivaCup?
Comments:
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Thursday 19 March
By kogalrankotobuki
I use 3 month pills so its more like my time of the season lol and I actually wouldn't mind trying that new birth control that you never take breaks on if it wasn't for a probably more expensive cost. Once in the spring summer fall and winter its pretty nice. I would hardly ever need it now but I saw these a few years back in one of my dads magazines something that was camping/outdoor related and thought about getting one because I used to have a really heavy period and thought it might make me not even realize that I have it minus the cramps and stuff but then I found out there really hard to get unless you order one online or live in a bigger city with (usually a health food store) that you can buy one from, they don't just sell these at a local pharmacy in my area. And wouldn't you want 2 (which would be $60 kinda steep) so u can have one in while your cleaning the other, and cleaning one of them in public would be kinda weird but it would be grosser putting a used one in a ziploc bag in your purse.
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Thursday 19 March
By KellyJ
I have used the Moon Cup (very similar to the Diva Cup) for over a year and really enjoy it. I carry it in my purse all the time (in a small fabric drawstring bag) and wouldn't give it up for anything. While it did take some getting used to, it's great not to have to worry about buying menstrual products and making sure I have them (and enough of them) when and where I need them. (I used to keep spare tampons in my car glove compartment, in my desk at work, etc., just in case I got caught by surprise.)
As for monthly boiling, I don't. I just wash it in soapy water, then soak in hydrogen peroxide before storing in the bag for a few more weeks. But boiling would be no big deal either.
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Thursday 19 March
By GeneTierney
I remember the *Tassaway* menstrual cups marketed in the 1970's. Eeew.
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Thursday 19 March
By Lemonysarah@gmail.com
There was a product like this in the early 70's called Tassaway. I tried it and it worked - but removing it? Ewwwwwwwww. The contents got all over my hand. Not surprisingly, the brand died a quick death.
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Friday 20 March
By Ms G
Trend, my butt! I prefer tampons and always will.
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Saturday 21 March
By S. Michelle
I use a cup and here's why I like it.
1.) I disagree with the fact that disposable pads and tampons are reliable. I have a VERY heavy flow, and the only reliable thing I've found about disposables it that on my heavy days, I know they will leak and make a mess EVERY TIME. I used to avoid leaving the house on my heavy days because of it. My cup doesn't do that. Even with the initial learning time. With my cup, I got very few leaks and the leaks I did get were small. (now that I've used it for a while I don't get any leaks at all) The leaks I got with the disposables were HUGE!
2.) It was always a mayjor inconvience to have to buy disposables all the time. When I'm feeling yucky and crampy, I don't want to have to go to the store. With my cup, I don't have to. It's always there for me. It's no big deal to keep it in my purse when I'm not using it. I used to do the same thing with tampons, because I've never liked asking someone for a tampon or pad and like you said, you never know when you might start so it has just always made since to me to keep something with me at all times. My cup takes up MUCH less room in my purse than a days supply of tampons or pads.
3.) I have sensitive skin and the more absorbant the disposable tampons and pads got because of all the extra junk they were putting into the pads, the itcher I got. I don't have that problem with my cup.
Ya, you might have to touch your own blood, but so what, it's not like your touching someone else's blood. To me it's less grose than having to wipe my butt after a BM and we all do that on a daily basses.
I have no problem with people using disposables if they want. Our personal hygiene is just that, PERSONAL. What I do have a problem with is all the people who criticize me because MY personal choice is different from theres.
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Thursday 26 March
By Elisa D.
I've been using my lunette cup for 6 months now and can't imagine not using it. It is the best menstrual product ever! I don't really understand why some people are so bothered by it. I had more problems with tampons than with the cup. Also, tampons and pads smell bad. Blood collected in a menstrual cup does not smell bad. I feel bad for those not willing to try cups. They will never be making their decision on what actually works better for them- just on their biases.
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Saturday 04 April
By Kat
I own several cups and I love them. I will never let blood decompose, stink and rot inside me again. The cup doesn't have to be boiled; only washed with soap. Also, it has never leaked, or even gotten blood on my fingers removing. I strongly urge women to check out menstrualcups.org before believing this is gross or overstated. You will see the menstrual cup has changed the lives of countless women, including myself. I wish I would have known about this since my first period.
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Saturday 04 April
By Kat
Oh, and you can wear this even for discharge, so you can put it in days ahead of your period if you want. You just have to remove it every twelve hours to clean.
I have to say, the writer of this article didn't research very well...
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Monday 06 April
By Donica Ben
I just want to call my husband's medical flex plan and see if they cover the cost of this. They cover pads/tampons.
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Thursday 16 April
By Tabitha T
Well, this wasn't researched well. OB tampons are not that hard to insert and you can do it with minimum ick. (Really...If you are that uncomfortable with your body parts and fluids, definitely don't have sex. LMAO)
I have a DivaCup I didn't faithfully use until after my 2nd child. I only have to deal with it 2 times a day except on my really heavy day (After baby 2, I have a very heavy day. I would have to change Super Plus size every 1 to 1 1/2 hours.). I empty it at home so I can relax for reinsertion. Insertion has always been the obstacle for me.
Emptying is not awful as described. At first I freaked out because there was no string to yank it out, but then I learned to not freak out and can easily remove it without making a mess. It's a cup. The gross part is dumping out the cup and seeing what your body just trashed.
I still use tampons on my light days or just a pad, but that's because I have a hard time positioning it when I am drier. I love not being "dried out" after AF's visit and not having any smell concerns during AF's visit. Many women say it's easy to get used to. I still have to take my time for insertion after 1 1/2 years of use.
If you have problems with dryness or cramping during your period, this should help. Plus you can avoid most of the nasty leaking that even your favorite tampons can't prevent.
Also, if you can feel your DivaCup, you should definitely trim the little tail. That made a world of difference- from uncomfortable to wearable and free.
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Thursday 16 April
By jschiraldi1983
My initial thought was EWW! But I must admit, after doing a little more research on the subject, I am pretty intrigued by the idea. I got my period when I was 11, so I can only imagine how many pads/tampons I have put into landfills and sewer systems since then. I'm a surgical tech and I'm around other people's blood all day long, so I don't think my own blood would bother me all that much. Definitely something to consider, except for the fact that it needs to be boiled monthly. I can only imagine the look on my boyfriend's face if he were to walk into the kitchen and see this thing boiling away on the stove!
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Saturday 02 May
By Shannon
I've been using cups for a few years. I will tell you cups have changed my period. I never liked tampons. I always used pads that left me rashy for a week afterwards.
Now, I have used Diva, lunette, lady cup and Mooncup Keeper and any of those cups are better than relying on pads. With the perfect cup, I don't have to use a pad at all and be leak free for TWELVE hours. Each cup feels different and has a different capacity. That is why I went through so many. Some people have backup cups for their car. I know when my period was coming and I insert my cup in the day before. I've never been caught without it. I've never been in pain from the cup other than the stem poking me which can be fixed.
Using a cup means no icky period smell. Inserting it can be a trial at first but once you have it down, it's great. I've never, EVER had blood spill all over my hands, even when using the instead cup and I'm a huge klutz.
In public, if you do have to take your cup out, all you have to do is pull it out, tip it over, and wipe the blood of with toilet paper(although some people don't). You don't have to worry about cleaning it in public. I know sometimes I take wet wipes to wipe mine off. When you are at home, you can remove it, wash it off with soap and water and reinsert. Some people do this in the shower. You don't have to boil it. I rarely boil mine. I mostly wash mine really well before/after a period. You usually store cups in breathable bags (ziploc bags are bad for cups).
I have been broke for the last three periods. The choices were food or pads. I was thankful to have a cup that didn't leak. My period phobic boyfriend has been very thankful because I never ask him to go to the store to get anything.
A cup has made me love my period. Some people have said their cramps and flow has gotten better since using a cup.
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Thursday 18 June
By Moem
Hi, a happy LadyCup user here. (Yes, there are other brands beside the Diva.)
To me, using a cup would be worth it if only for the decrease in cramps. But there are so many other advantages.
And no, you don't throw them out after one year of use. It's silicone... it lasts for years and years.
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Saturday 20 June
By belle
Who needs more chemicals and artificial disposable products in an already disposable commercial world.
Do yourself, our children, our purses and the environment a favour, discover the menstrual cup (non latex version) and feel in control, at peace and EMPOWERED with your body and cycle.
Think I’m stupid for the last paragraph, well I challenge you to overcome your phobias and try the Diva Cup (or any other brand) and see how you feel. One cycle, three days in and I’m in love.
Death to tampons and vaginal dryness and ouchiness forever!!!!
PS. In response to another reader, you do not need to sterilise the cup after each use, a wash is enough. I have discovered friends that have had theirs for years so the 'new cup every year' would have to be a marketing gimmick. You will hardly ever need to change at work. Do it in the morning when you get up, maybe once at work if your are on a heavy day and then when you get home. No probs! Super tampons cannot stand up to the challenge of menstrual tissue and clots, the cup can. You will always need to change tampons more often than a cup.
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Friday 17 July
By katie
Cups are great, and you can use them for many years, not just one. The cup also doesn't have to be boiled all the time, I've never boiled mine. It's just too bad if someone else needs a tampon or pad from me, that is their own problem, not mine. Keeping the cup with you in your purse isn't hard, and I find that I can predict when my period is going to happen ahead of time. With a cup, you can insert it before you even start your period, which is nice. I don't find tampons and pads to be convenient or reliable, it's annoying to carry them around and have to keep buying and throwing them away.
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Tuesday 04 August
By sasha
I have a Mooncup, the most popular British brand. I've had it for three years (I'm 22 and glad I discovered it so early on) and I still feel a happy buzz owning it - and believe me, I never thought I'd feel that way about any period product.
Things the article got wrong: you don't replace your cup annually (I think they can go up to 10 years or so). It's not messy; I assumed the blood would spray everywhere on removal but it all sits nicely in the cup. It doesn't require you to be 'really, really, REALLY cool with your body' - once you know what you're doing it slips in easily and you shouldn't have to insert more than the tips of your fingers to remove it. You see the blood but, um, so? And mostly you wash it on removal so wen you sterilise it, you're putting a clean cup into germ-killing boiling water. How is that "kind of gross"?
My cup is more hygienic, more reliable, better for the environment, cheaper, handier, easier and more comfortable than any disposable product I've used; you couldn't pay me to go back. I wish more women would realise that it's disposables which are gross and unhealthy and we just brainwash each generation into thinking they're the ideal and only options.
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Friday 16 October
By me
All I have to say is that this author is very VERY biased. It shows that didn't made a real research in the topic. Glad some real users shared their experiences...
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