Still loving the Diva..

Another few months have come and gone, and I don't know what I'd have done without my Diva! :) It was truly a blessing when travelling this fall.. In October, I awoke early to find my cycle had arrived.. on the same morning we were leaving for a long road trip! (9 hours driving, 11 travelling total). If I had not known about the Diva, I know that the trip would have been even longer (due to more stops), and VERY uncomfortable for me! :)

Still raving about my Diva.. ~Susan~ ;)

A Year Later

Over a year after purchasing my very own silicone menstrual aide, I couldn't be happier with it than if it came with a lifetime supply of chocolate and made me lattes every day. It's not as clean and white as it was when I bought it, but my DivaCup and I have become friends and allies. We take care of each other for five or six days out of every month, and even though she (it?) sits in her little purple cotton pouch in the bottom drawer in my bathroom the other 23 or 24 days of the month, knowing that she's there when the time comes is somehow comforting.

Every now and then I like to feel people out about what products they use, and knowing that I use something that's currently so unconventional thrills me in a possibly insane way. Still, I am coherent enough to know that, while I'll likely always have a minimal suply of tampons for the oops-I-unexpectedly-got-my-period moments, I won't go back to using them full-time. Ever.

D.C. paid for itself in about four months, and so now I've saved about $70, with lots of years of savings to come!

Please Comment: Cleaning

What, exactly, is your method of cleaning the DivaCup?

(I brought this back to the top because I'm having trouble cleaning the pin-holes, and I'm wondering what thoughts you ladies have.)

Are you talkin' it up?

Hey girls... I'm sorry it's been ages since I was able to post on here, and apparently the other bloggers are in the same boat. Of course, I have a great excuse, but you don't really want to hear it, so I won't bother sharing it.

Yes, I'm still using my Diva, although on a recent missions trip, I used tampons for a couple days because of the circumstances. My body was glad to exchange the cotton and chemicals for the simple D.Cup.

I'm wondering if you have been able to herald the goodness of the DivaCup to friends or onlookers (looking on as you experience the Diva, though hopefully not while you empty or clean it), and what their response has been... do tell!

My most recent story was actually set up for me by the same friend who first whispered the concept to me, almost two years ago. A woman we both know and love was experiencing what some women do at a certain time of life when nothing known to drugstores can prevent their clothes from being soaked through every 2 hours while Aunt Flo is in town. My friend introduced her to the idea of the Cup, and handed the conversation over to me to fill in the details.

After I went over the basics, I hesitantly mentioned the price, but she assured me that $35 is nothing if it'll prevent her clothes and bedsheets from being soaked, and, of course, it'll save her money when you think about the mountains of super-sized tampons and diaper-sized pads she's been using for who knows how long.

So. Another possible convert!

Once again..

Got my period yesterday, unexpectedly, and at a friends house. I raided the bathroom and stole a tampon, but I couldn't WAIT to get home and get out my Diva! I am SO thankful for it!! I am really in love with the way it frees me from yuckiness and pads, and I am once again amazed at how comfortable it is, especially compared to the most recent experience using a tampon again. ugh, they're so DRY! I LOVE MY DIVA! :) :) :) Thank you once again Sarah! You have changed my life in a MOST beneficial way! :) This cycle seems to be normal, not crazy heavy like the last one, I'm hoping and praying that it's a so-called "normal" cycle, whatever that is for me post-children! :) ~Susan~

Update?

So things have been going well with the Diva, mostly. I have no problems inserting or removing, and it just seems to pop open no problem for me, which means that it "shouldn't" leak. However, I just had a cycle which was SO much heavier than I can ever remember having, and I was leaking quite a bit, so I eventually took the Diva out, and just went with pads, which hold a little more. And no, it wasn't inserted improperly, I was just filling the cup every hour or so. :( I even called Telehealth after 2+ days of this, and they said unless I was feeling lightheaded and dizzy, or having large clots.. Anyhow, it all went much lighter the next day, so I went back to the Diva for a few days. I'm still waiting to see if that'll happen again this time around, but I'm hoping not! I'm hoping it was a freak thing. :) Not that I'm a freak.. haha.. ;) My cycles are unpredictable, so I'll let you know how the next round goes! :) ~Susan~

Here we go again...

And she's back in the race! Not that anyone's racing anywhere around here, but I just wanted some sort of catchy opener for the mundane and unnecessary announcement that I got my period again today and so we're off on another round of DivaCup-ing!

DivaCup vs. Keeper

Since The Keeper (rubber menstrual cup similar to the DivaCup) came up in the comments of the last post, I decided to do a bit of digging around for people that had compared the DivaCup with The Keeper. In case you're interested, here are some links:

The Keeper vs. DivaCup on community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups

keeper vs. diva cup on MotheringDotCommune forums

Hip Mama's Thoughts on The Keeper vs. Diva Cup

The Keeper Website

Of Colour and Care

Fact: Things that are red in colour tend to overpower other colours, and even override your seriously admirable resolve to make sure everything that comes into contact with said red object retains its original colour. Ask any hairstylist who has dyed someone's hair any tone of red. Ask any laundress who has dealt with brand-new red sweatshirts.

As I waited for my DivaCup to dry after its final post-period washing a few days ago, I noticed that it has garnered a slight reddish tinge. The Diva people assure us this is normal, and I'm here to publicize my pathetic opinion of assent; I agree with the Diva people. After all, the thing is stuck up inside your pink flesh, being filled with reddish fluids for 24 hours of several days out of every month. Expecting it to emerge each month as pristine as when you bought the untainted silicone cup is a lot like storing spaghetti sauce in a clear plastic container for a week and expecting it to emerge as pristine as when you grabbed it off of the fourth shelf in Aisle 23 at Wal-Mart.

Onto what the title says is the other topic for this brilliant post: Care. Again, the Diva people generally know what they're talking about, so when they say to store the DivaCup in its cute little purple cloth drawstring bag between uses, there's a reason. The airflow that is allowed by the cotton bag, combined with washing it with warm water and gentle soap after each use, prevents the buildup of bacteria on the silicone.

Slightly off-topic, you might be interested in reading what Wikipedia has to say about Menstrual Cups: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cup

Sarah

Using Diva again?

Well, I "thought" my bleeding was done for this month, as I had a full day of nothing in the cup a few days ago, HOWEVER, my crazy body decided it wasn't finished, so I took out the Diva again, and have been using it yesterday and today. I have to say, it is the MOST comfortable thing ever! :) I've only had to remove and reinsert for comforts sake a few times, the other times were great! :) I've found that it's always the angle that does it. I've also discovered that if I let it start to open a little from the c-shape during insertion, (just a little), then it helps it open easier, and doesn't require as much prodding to unfold. :) I've got the twisting down, and I agree with the other post about how to clean the holes. :) I've been folding and rinsing as well, and it works great! :) (Although I didn't realize there were 4 holes until this morning, I just thought there were 2.. haha). :) I am VERY impressed with the Diva, and will be recommending it to all my girl friends! :) I don't know if it works easier for me because I'm married and have had kids, and have used a diaphram in the past as well, but I'm loving it! Sarah, I'm SO thankful for your posts! :) It's amazing! :) I'm for sure in the "C" group! :)

~Susan~ :) The latest happy diva. :)

Readers Write...How to Clean the Pin-Holes

I just got this email from my aunt, who I hope will join us as a blogger soon, but until then wanted to share her experiences with the DivaCup:

I was having issues with trying to get the pin holes on my DivaCup as well. Tried the pin thing but wasn't really comfortable with the sanitary part of that and was concerned that I would make the holes bigger. Was cleaning it the other night and tried something new and it works. Fold the cup in half with the pin hole being on the fold and run water into it and pronto it rinses out the blood.

I'm still working on trying to get mine not to leak. After reading on your site I think that it is connected with the position it's in and the fact that my muscles there aren't in such good shape.

Keep up the info. It's a great place to connect and promote a terrific product. Even with the leakage thing (so I still have to wear a pad) I will not turn back. My flow is so heavy that there are times when I need to empty an almost full cup every 1 1/2 to 2 hours but that is better than running home from work to change clothes. The pain is almost none existent compared to before.

Thanks, Aunt Hazel!

Sarah

All is Well in Diva Netherworld

I'm hearing reports from people who have sympathized with (or been terrorized by) my first posts, when the whole DivaCup thing was very new to me. These people either a) Think I'm crazy to keep the DivaCup after all that; b) Think I've had no good experiences with the DivaCup, or c) Are now addicted to the blog.

For A and B, I'd like to make it clear that most of my experiences since those first few rounds with the cup have been fine, and therefore not juicy enough to blog about! I've written about the dramatic experiences, the painful experiences, and the sketchy ones.

No, I don't feel as if I have to relearn the whole technique every month, although my body doesn't anticipate the invasion with joyful nostalgia!

But far be it from me to give up on something so wallet-friendly, eco-friendly, and body-friendly just because of a little discomfort every now and again. I am a woman, after all--when I'm giving birth, the slight nuisance of inserting a tiny silicone cup inside me will seem only a trifle!

For group C, great! Tell all your friends about the gripping DivaCup drama that occurs on these pages so that its fame continues to spread!

Sarah

I'm a DIVA girl.. :D

HELLO! I'm here! :) I finally got a period (don't ask.. very irregular cycle since the baby), and a chance to get a Diva Cup! :) So my darling husband went to the store for me, and purchased a DivaCup for me yesterday (don't worry, I called ahead and got them to set it aside to save him from having to search the store, or ask for it by name.. haha.. although he claims the owner was snickering while ringing up the purchase). So my first attempt with the Diva seems to have went quite well. It went in with no problems, and although I couldn't twist it, it seemed to have popped open anyhow. Cleaning and reinserting were no problem before bed, and I figured out how to twist it! haha! You just have to reach up a little higher and grasp the base of the cup and twist. :) It works! :) And lower is better, I found it harder to find the correct location this morning, and found it was irritating me a little, so after a few hours I removed it, and discovered that I think my cycle is over this month, so I'll have to wait for another time to continue my adventures. :) haha.. :) All in all it was a great experience for the first time, and I actually forgot about it all evening. :) It was nice. :) No more bunchy pads for me! :)

Say Yes to Friends, No to Rugby

Just found out that a friend I'll call A has been using the DivaCup for like 2 years! Yay, someone local! And apparently she's enjoyed my Diva blogs, too, so it seems the concesus is keep 'em coming!!

I'm serious about being willing to share the posting rights, so A, if you wanna post too, just let me know!

Random rabbit trail - now that DivaGirl has her own blog, we won't need to use the Warning: Girl stuff ahead! disclaimer ... bummer! Maybe we'll do it every now and then for a particularly juicy post!

Things are much better "down there" today. A confirmed that wearing it low is vital to comfort and utility.

She also shared from her wealth of diva-wearing wisdom that wearing the D.C. while playing contact sports such as rugby (she's speaking from experience) can be a bad idea. One wrong cleat-plant to the gut and you could be gushing--always awkward to explain.

Wanna be a Diva Girl Blogger??

I just invited two girls that I know are Diva girls to blog on this site, too... if you're a Diva girl and you are interested in blogging here about your experiences, comment this post and let me know!!

Am I Doing Something Wrong?

I think I'm doing something wrong. With the DivaCup, that is.

First of all, I've never been able to do the whole pinch-the-base-and-turn bit. How the heck does that work? Everything is slippery in there and I just can't get my thumb in there at that angle to pinch and turn!

So, instead of pinching-and-turning with two fingers, I try to turn the thing with one finger jammed way up there, trying to get on all sides of it and push them around, trying to coax it to open up fully. This morning it took an especially long time for the thing to open up. I might have given up before it did. I just had to block it out of my mind.

Then there's this strange pain like those dang eggs are still tearing themselves off of my uterine wall (no, this is not a professional medical opinion), or like I've jammed two tampons up my cervix and forgot about them. Or maybe I just still have cramps! If they're cramps, they're strange. They're not like my first day cramps.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, or even if I am doing something wrong!! I'd sure appreciate the expertise of another diva girl on this!!

Painfully and nervously,

Diva

What Every Diva Girl Should Know

Four things that I've learned that you just don't want to overlook if you're a Diva Girl!

What Every Diva Girl Should Know

Report: Round Four with Diva

Another round, ladies:

Round Four with Diva

Recap: Round Three With Diva

And another installment in the epic Diva Adventure!!

Round Three with Diva, the Recap

My Only Complaint

Only one this round!

My only Complaint

Fourth Day's a Charm

Getting the hang of things!

Fourth Day's a Charm

Round Two With Diva!

The Diva adventure continues...

Round Two With Diva

the Diva recovers

Thank God for each new morning... and a new chance!!

the Diva recovers

Day Two With Guinea Diva

All things considered, I couldn't have expected it to go swimmingly the first time!!

Day Two With Guinea Diva

Diva's Not So sure

Click to read about some of my initial struggles with my DivaCup.

Diva's Not So Sure

Hello My Name is Diva

I started posting about my DivaCup in September 2006, before I started A Transparent Life. A few months later, I'm deciding to separate A Transparent Life from my Diva Chronicles... but I don't want to get rid of the comments that were on those other posts, so I'm going to link to them...

Click below to read my first post as a Diva:

Hello My Name is Diva