Trial Run-
In one of the hundred reviews I read prior to purchasing and blogging about the DivaCup someone suggested women give the cup a dry run to get accustomed to it and figure out how to correctly insert it. I tried this twice but my problem with it was knowing if the cup was in correctly, since I wasn't bleeding how would I tell? The Dry Run did help me get used to insertion, folding, and taking the cup out so even though I was worried if it was in correctly I would recommend it.
Day 1-
There is a certain Ick Factor in using a menstrual cup, everything that collects in there you get to see when you take the cup out, dump it and rinse! Fortunately for me at least, my first day is light so I wasn't to worried about the mess that might come with the learning curve.
Day 2-
This would be today, and its not great. On my cycle lately I get headaches which I got a really bad one last night, cramps which started this morning, and this morning also started the heavy bleeding stage. I'm not sure why but my bleeding is coagulated so it comes out in lumps, gross! The only reason I'm TMI'ing my cycle is to make a point. Since I'm heavy and the blood is lumpy at this point the only changing every 2-3 times a day isn't working for me. It's 3 and I have had to deal with the cup two to three times already. Once when I woke up because it was overfull which resulted in leaking... I had a pantyliner on so no problems. The second time I had inserted the cup wrong resulting in leaking, which was my fault. The third time it didn't need done but I needed reassurance! Using a new method of period control is a little stressful, given how embarrassing it is to get blood stains in your pants... even if your husbands the only one who sees them!
Days 3 to 5- When my period seemed to slow down significantly on day three night I switched to a light tampon and I will definately be returning the rest of my tampon stockpile because by trying both methods my preference became very clear. Despite some uneasiness with the Divacup due to worry that I inserted it incorrectly I greatly prefer it to tampons or pads. Unfortunately I still find that I use pantyliners which is still not the most eco friendly solution, however I'm no longer using Tampons so its still a benefit to the environment.
Pantyliners for me are a security measure given this was my first cycle using the Divacup and I felt unsure of my ability to correctly insert it, which hampers its ability to work effectively. While I believe that I will always wear pantyliners with the Divacup during my heaviest times/days I feel that with a little more practice using the Divacup I will be perfectly comfortable to be pantyliner free on the lighter days!
When comparing pantyliner use with the Divacup compared to a Tampon I had to change pantyliners frequently with tampons due to blood getting on them. With the Divacup blood rarely every got on them except on my heavier days, and even then it wasn't as much as got on them when compared to me using a tampon!
I would reccommend this product and can't wait until my mother gets one, as strange as that may sound! There is a saying "even the smallest person can make a difference", I believe that goes for action or inaction as well. I still create waste, unfortunately I'm creating alot more than I hoped I would be by now... however I'm attempting to cut down on waste that I once created every month and I believe that even a small change can make a difference, especially when made by a large amount of people!
I would encourage everyone to at least give the Divacup a try. It's a more natural, healthy solution for both you and the environment!
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