Hi everyone, LDPage here, I was first introduced to the "Diva Cup" on a website called www.mymonthlycycles.com I bought a box, they wwere delivered to my home. I was nervous as I opened the box, or more less nervous about getting this thing in place and then not being able to get it out,I must say it was very easy to inseert and it seemed that it positioned its self over the opening of my cervix, OK...so far so good. I went the entire day with out a single problem and believe me I was going to the ladies room about once and hour just to check....Now comes the problem I had, when it was time to remove the diva cup I was at home and tactifully positioned over the porcelain throne....whoa, what a mess! It look as though I'd been stabbed. It was just a bloddy mess. Now after reading the other post I would consider using it again and for removal I'd do it while showering. I don't think I'd reuse them however. There are two types to buy...one Diva cup is for those that have not had children and the other diva cup is made for those that had birthed a child or two. They are comfortable, on my heaviest day I think I'd still wear a panty liner. I gave the rest of my diva Cups to a girlfriend at work, she likes them, I am still undecided but I wanted to share my experiences with the diva cup. Be sure to check out the web site www.mymonthlycycle.com you can chart you period and PMS symptoms, see when you ovulating. Its helped me keep trach of "Aunt Flow" for the past 5 years....

It's the seventh grade. I'm on my way to softball practice. My teammate and I plan on walking together but her mom almost doesn't let her leave with me because (sob)......... she thinks.... I'm... a... BOY! And that's just the beginning of seventh grade. Cut to third period pre-algebra. As I pull my mandatory 3-ringed binder from my dorky backpack, a gigantic super-human sized maxi pad attaches itself to the center of my folder! No, in fact, I didn't notice it. Not until I hear the quiet laughter and I am about to set it on my desk. Took 6, maybe 7 seconds, but it felt like time stood still just long enough to allow everyone to see my maxi before I could get the damn thing put away. Tough times. Puberty was filled with character building moments like these. My sense of humor really developed in 7th grade. Good thing too, because that was the ONLY thing that developed that year. Loads of embarrassing flow issues and still NO BOOBS, where was the justice?

I meant to say "How do I hide this" not "i do hide this..."

Sizing:Model 1 - For women under 30 years old who have never delivered vaginally or by c-section. Model 2 - For women over 30 years old and/or for women who have delivered vaginally or by c-section.

Megken, I'm not shy about it with my boyfriend, but whenever I try to explain anything "girly" to him, he just gets this blank look on his face and then says "Ok ok! That's enough! I don't want to know more!". Haha. Sometimes I'm just like, "Deal with it dude" and then tell him anyway. It's great to hear a man's point of view on the subject though!

ONLY on Meg's Makeup do we share the ALL gory-glam details of the feminine mystique,LOLROF!I think it's genius and so gla it works for you, pre menopause when I use to gush everytime I stood up,I used the "Instead" cups and rather enjoyed tossing the fruits of my labors into the toilet with pure abandon when it was time to change.LOVE the stories and find it hysterical and all of us have one,how could any woman NOT?I'm not in the running as I no longer have a need to bleed BUT will share a lil'funny with y'all:8 kids in my family,I'm the oldest,many a game of hoops played in our backyard and how were WE to know that it wasn't cool to use Mom's maxi-pads for knee pads,they worked well and were replaceable! We just put that big honkin' box with the cheerful yellow rose on the front out in the garage.She pulled in the driveway and there were not only her 8 or so lil' darlin's but several neighbor kids all sporting Kotex's finest tied around their bony knees playing their hearts out...:)

I have been using a Diva Cup for two years and I will NEVER go back. To answer the questions already posted: It doesn't really get "full" unless you have one of those incredibly heavy periods that soaks through an entire roll of paper towels. You simply empty once or twice a day. I admitt here that I have left mine in for an entire 24 hours on the second day of my period with NO problems. The thing is simply too deep to "overflow". You empty it by pinching it to break suction, always in the shower or over a toilet. Since you can leave it in for so long most people never run into the issue of having to empty it in public. I never have! I always empty it and put it back in in the shower. It's just eaiser to clean and put back in. Is it a bti gross? I suppose. But so is stewing in your own juices in a pad (I DESPISE those things) or having a bloody tampon string leaking everywhere. Periods are unpleasant by their very nature and I personally find the Diva Cup for "mature audiences only". If you cannot handle putting things into yourself or seeing yoru own period funk then this isn't for you. The comfort and ease makes this more than wothwhile in my opinion. You simply rinse, boil it every so often to kill any germs on it, dry it with a towel, and you're good to go. There are directions printed to help you learn how to put it in and take it out and I admitt there is a bit of a learning curve. It took me a couple tries to get it to seal well. But it NEVER leaks, wven when I sleep all wild and tossy-turny. The things never overlfows, it doesn't hurt, and it doesn't itch. Tampons caused me screaming hell pain because they dried me up so much. These absorb NOTHING, leaving you at lower chance for infections and pain because your natural lubrication stays put. You can also easily have sex after you take this thing out because you aren't bone-dry (if you're into sexing on your period). These things really are my savior. My horrible story:When I was 14 I started my period at school with nothing to wear! I stuffed some toilet paper in there, but of course it made a mess. I came home to change and my brother's dog drug my bloody underwear out of my hamers and began eating them. My brother was about 11 and thought it was the funniest thing ever. I was mortified and horrified all at the same time. Why so bad? My Mom had company over and the boy I had a crush on was there. Kids at school knew about it the next day. Worst day ever. :(

Hi megken here!!! Dear britts, reading your story I thank god that I am a man... just growing the first pube was horrifying enough... but to involve "period funk" with it all would have had little megken curled in a ball crying... I have to say as for the boyfriend that you were too shy to buy it in front of or if you just didn't want to explain it...I must admit when I saw how cool they were in operation I told the Diva ladies that it almost made me wish I had a place to use it. It's cool it's like a gadget. I will admit, that seeing the string coming out in the past, pre diva-cup, was a bit strange, it always reminded me of those dolls where you pull the string and they speak.

I've been reading a lot about the Diva Cup and have been trying to work up the courage to get one. I came *this* close once when I saw it in a grocery store, but I was with my boyfriend and didn't really feel like explaining what the heck I was buying. Growing up, I always had really heavy periods -multiple super-duper-extra absorbent tampons a day and extra long, boat size, winged pads. Luckily, when I started birth control the periods became lighter ...until I tried Yaz. Now it's almost non-existent ... but not non-existent enough to not have to wear anything. Only now I can't wear tampons because they're uncomfortable, and I gave up on pads a loooooong time ago. I'm thinking the Diva Cup might be my best bet. Maybe I'll win one! (Oh, and I just stopped taking Yaz ... so it'll be interesting to see what happens next time Aunt Flo visits)As for my "period piece" ... I can't narrow it down to only one, so here are a few. Hopefully someone will get some kind of enjoyment from my pain :) Please keep in mind that I'm not a freak, I was just a weird, neurotic kid.*I started my period in the 4th grade (I had just turned 10). I knew what was going on because we just had an puberty program thing at school, but was REALLY embarrassed about it. I decided to not tell my mom because I figured she'd tell everyone she knew, so I kept it secret for like a year. So, since my mom didn't know about it, I didn't have anyone to buy my supplies .... so I just used whatever I could find in the medicine cabinet. One day I found a stray tampon -sans instructions- and decided that I was smart enough to figure it out. I saw commercials on tv so I knew the general idea. So I inserted the tampon ... the entire thing ,,, applicator and all ... with the plunger not "plunged". After like an hour of extreme uncomfortableness, I finally took it out. I just couldn't understand why it wasn't "so comfortable you can barely feel it" like the commercials said. *In the summer after 4th grade I had to come up w/ a plan for swimming. I swam everyday and didn't want anyone to figure out that I wasn't swimming because of my period. Obviously I didn't want to use tampons (see above comment), so I came up with an idea that involved Kleenex and scotch tape. Needless to say, that wasn't a pleasant experience either. *In 7th grade, my pad bunched up and I bleed through my jeans and onto my seat in English class. I didn't realize what happened until I went to get up from my chair, I was in the 1st row, so I just tried to nonchalantly sit on one leg while slowly trying to wipe up the mess while everyone else left. I thought I did a good job, tied my sweatshirt around my waist, and made a beeline for my locker and the bathroom. I thought I was in the clear until my English teacher pulled me out of my next class and asked me "Did they tell you?" - making sure I knew about menstruation! After I assured her I was in the loop & went back to class, of course EVERYONE wanted to know why I was called out of class. I wanted to die! That was a really long day. Oh Geez, I can't believe I just shared those! I honestly don't think I've ever told anyone ... so that just shows how special you girls are!

Woops vagabond...I did not realize that! It was only once and I won't do it again.Thanks for pointing it out. Much love.

I don’t have a ‘best’ diva period story but I can say I have one comment that wasn’t spoken of on this giant ode to menstrual cycles! When I was in grade school I didn’t know much about anything because as I have mentioned, I had a less than healthy mother. The only thing she ever did concerning becoming a woman was to say “Here! Read these filthy books!” as she handed me some beginners books about what to do when you get your period. During that time there was a girl in my grade school who was a bombshell (yes, she was without question on her way to growing to be an adult porn star I’m sure.) Anyway..the girl was the most popular girl in school with the little boys there and so I wanted to be like her. I was shy and had a reputation for fainting whenever we had to get shots in school so I was in a word, a dud. One day I went with her to some boy’s house where there were several boys and girls there and she took me back into a bedroom and opened a drawer of a dresser and showed me something (no idea what it was) but she told me that what she was about to tell me was a secret. She then proceeded to explain to me that boys have periods too only their blood comes out BLUE! I BELIEVED HER! Needless to say whenever I brought that topic up to anybody I was a laughing stock. :( Sigh. When I finally did get my first period in grade school, I had to go to my dad and ask him to take me to the store and he said “Bring your books so you know what to buy.” He was a good dad for taking me. I am happy to say I no longer need cups, tampons, napkins, or emergency provisions for this delicate monthly ritual and I am elated about it although, when I first was going through menopause and had horrible hot flashes, I WISHED for periods again as I could deal with that a lot better than the flashes of blazing heat that completely soak your body and make you pretty much insane on a daily basis! I’d tell you to enjoy your periods but of course I know you’d probably use some distasteful verbiage on me...but just know...I think periods are so much easier than menopause!

First Post - Wow! You got me to talk. I have been a lurker for a long time and love the reviews. I feel like I know most of you so now maybe in a funny way you can get to know me.Period Horor Story - I have many. My first period came when I was in the 6th grade. It was in the middle of the night and I woke up to the scary sight of blood soaked underwear. I hid the underwear behind the toilet because Mom would find them in the hamper and snuck to Mom's bathroom to grab a pad. I went to school and was called to the Principal's office a couple hours later. Mom and Dad were waiting and took me home. Mom found the underwear and was afraid I went to school without knowing what to do. Mom then took me to the bathroom and to my horror showed me how to use a feminine belt and pad! I was not allowed to wear Tampons. Next it was Junior High School and I was on the Cross Country Team. I had to run a 3 mile race in a belt and pad (again not allowed to wear tampons and was to embarrased to ask another girl). I completed the race and afterwards had the horrible realization that my period was now on my shorts and legs from running.Well I got to typing and it wasn't that bad - - blushes.

vagabond: I actually figured it out because of makeup, strangely enough. I started using primers, and had reactions to them. I asked my mother about it, and she told be about how a lot of people in my family are allergic to different forms of silicone. I just put two and two together (plus, it was only after using the cups that I would miss my period). I need to look into that "Instead."

Maj must be lucky because not everyone can get away with 10 tampons for an entireperiod. I go through about 10 a day for the first 5 days and then 5 or 6 in the nextthree days. Count your blessing Maj but others suffer far heavier than you do. Imust admit I was gifted this odd little "cup" and was hesitant to use it. However Idecided to try it one time as it was a very, very, very special anniversary for meand my husband and I knew we would want to be intimate. Let me just say that I NEVERhave sex during my period because it just FREAKS me out. I simply can't and WON'Tdo it. Since this was a very rare occasion I decided to try the Diva Cup for a day.It wasn't any harder to insert than a tampon and I didn't even feel it there all day.Like satil said it can be worn for a long time because unlike a pad (GROSS...thatthing sitting hot between your legs collecting a smelly substance...that's the TRUEdisgusting thing) your period simply deposits itself in the cup and it stays there.You pinch and remove and turn it upside down emptying the contents into the toilet.I am VERY heavy in my periods and was able to wear this for 12 hours with NO smell,NO wet tampon string, NO stain to my pretty anniversary panties, and NO interferancewith romance time. He never even knew I WAS on my girlie time. I know this seemsforeign to some but that's what people thought about tampons 50 years ago too. Mygrandmother thought you were a pervert if you used tampons because you had to touch yourself. Diva Cups are progress and shouldn't be judged too harshly. If you thinkyou can't you are 100% entitled to your opinion but if you feel you can give them a trythey are worth it. I've never had even ONE accident since I've used them this last year and don't have to think about my period ALL day long. I insert thefirst morning one while I'm washing in the shower so I'm completely clean and then I don't have to worry about it again until bedtime. I have two so at night I switch out to the clean one and wash the other one up in the sink with mild soap and water.Obviously Meg I don't need one for the contest but I'm sharing my story anyway...In Jr. High I was cursed with TWO WEEK long periods and a super heavy flow. It washell. I was a cheerleader for a small school and our away games could be up to 4 hourson a bus with NO stops to change feminine products. Sitting on a bus with a bunch ofteachers, coaches, and teenage basketball players there was NO way I was going to askthe WHOLE bus to pull over so I could change a tampon. I changed right before we goton board and prayed all the way that it would make it. It didn't. Coat wrapped aroundmy waist one of the other girls moms rushed me into the ladies locker room. Standingwith a coat wrapped around my waist I stood in the room while she washed out my pantiesAND my bloomers in the sink and dried them under the hand dryer. This process FELT likeit took about 2 hours as girls from the home team came in and out and sneered at me forstanding around in half a cheerleading uniform and a snow jacket. Utterly humiliatingand my panties and bloomers never really got 100% dry so I had to cheer for 4 games withsomewhat wet panties. I'll never forget it.

When these came out the first time (way back in the 70's i think) I LOVED THEM and used them all the time. But as just as Elaine did when they stopped manufacturing "the sponge", I bought up all I could find when they stopped making the cup. It was claimed the "cup" is what started the toxic shock phenom. So we didn't have the "cup" for years and years. I'm way past the age where I need them now, but thank goodness cooler heads have prevailed and the "cup" is back. Never re-use them and change frequently. They are pretty great.

A BIG "Thank You" to Meg and Diva Cups for solving my menstral issues. Due to the size of my vagina, I have spent the last 15 years leaking all over town. No pad or tampon has been able to capture the flow of my period quite like DIVA CUPS. How come no one thought of this earlier? All I know is, I owe a world of thanks to Meg for showing me the way to a leaky period free day. I was about to have a hysterectomy because my period was so bad. Thank God my mother talked me out of it and thank God for you Meg, for you are a lifesaver. I will be forever in your debt!Love and kisses,Diexa

I've never used the DivaCup, but there is a disposable version called "Instead", which I use quite a lot.  I guess the only difference, from reading about the Diva, is that it's a throw away version.The only drawback is that if you're VERY heavy on certain days (Uncle Gusher came into town right after Aunt Flo), then they fill up a little too quickly and you might not make it to the bathroom soon enough.  This happened to me a couple of times, which kind of turned me off to the cup theory for the first few days of period...then again, I'm REALLY heavy..

i read about this before but it doesn't sound convincing enough to switch for when you need to change them out or if you're not at home and using them

Wow, that's all really cool. I've read about the Diva Cup, but I've never really heard from people who've used it. From all of these really positive stories, I guess I have to give it try.

OMG I want that so bad  now wher can we find those ? how do we clean those?it souns so healthy way healthier than everything else I am smitten !

interesting

Wow, Diva Cups sounds amazing! I too, as many girls stated HATE pads and tampons. The bulkiness of the pads makes me way self conscious, like everyone is looking at my butt and sees a big huge bulge. It's terrible! As for tampons, they go way too quick and can get someone expensive, especially on a heavy period. Diva Cups are definately something I HAVE to try. Thanks for sharing this product!

ouuuch.

Ok so these sound really wierd and interesting at the same time.  I like the idea of spending less money and less waste from not having to throw away tapons however it still seems like a wierd concept.  Maybe I have to just give it a try...