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It took me a long time before I finally jumped into the world of using a menstrual cup. It was a blend of fear that it wouldn’t work and being grossed out by the idea of collecting my monthly blood in a cup… But spoiler! It’s not actually that bad!
Divacup: Making the Switch to a Menstrual Cup
Why Switch to a menstrual cup?
A menstrual cup is a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective way to have your period. The initial upfront cost is a bit more (Divacup retails for $39.99 on Well.ca) but ends up saving you much more in the long run.
Here’s a quick list of the pros and cons.
Pros:
- You can leave it in for up to 12 hours
- The cup has no harmful chemicals unlike pads/ tampons. It’s made from medical grade silicon. (Goodbye Toxic Shock Syndrome!)
- It’s great for traveling; all you need to pack is the cup and some Divawash (or unscented soap)
- It’s environmentally friendly
- As long as you clean it regularly, you can use it for up to five years.
- Cost-effective; better than buying a pack of pads/ tampons each month.
- Convenient; Good for girls with a heavy flow, and it’s always ready in your cupboard for any surprises!
- It’s made in Canada
Cons:
- There is a learning curve to use it
- It may be too large for your lady-bits (but there’s size options like mooncup, lilycup or Organicup!)
- If you’re squeamish about blood, it may be a bit weird.
So why did I start using the Divacup?
I learned about the Divacup while I was in high school, and at the time I thought “ew, that’s disgusting” you have to look at your blood and dump it out. However, last year I decided to take the plunge into the ‘cup’ world.
I was sick of buying tampons because I was going through them like crazy, I’m talking every two hours. It took me a long time to finally make the change, but I’m so happy I did.
“But the blooood!” I hear you say.
Yes, sometimes it’s not pleasant, but it’s no worse than taking out a tampon that’s filled (you know what I mean!) And you’re not sitting in your blood all day like you would be a pad. The Divacup also allows you to be able to measure how much blood you really lose during your time of month (if you’re interested in that kind of thing.)
How do you clean it?
Once you’ve removed the cup, you just dump the contents into the toilet. Put a small amount of Divawash (it’s entirely plant-based!) on the cup under warm water and clean it off. You have to make sure all the little holes (there are four) are clear so that it can properly sit inside you without leaking. Afterwards, you just pop it back in and clean your hands off and then don’t worry about it for 12 hours.
Why do I love it?
It makes your period so much less work, and it’s super convenient if you’re travelling! Especially if you have an eight hour flight ahead of you and you hate airplane bathrooms as much as I do. Its also taught me to be less squeamish about the monthly gift and I feel like I’m helping the world, one period at a time by not using tampons and pads which clog up the landfills/ sewers. Plus, it comes with a cute storage bag. So why not?
Divacup update:
After a year of using the Divacup and experiencing some leaks I decided to try another menstrual cup (The Organicup) which ended up being a better fit for me as it was a bit smaller. If your cup is leaking a bit you may need to find another size to fit. It’s hard to tell what is going to work until you give one a try and go from there. I am now absolutely loving my Organicup!
What do you think!?
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