One girl, one cup... Here's Why you need to try the Diva Cup (or another brand... I don't care!)

Okay okay, here’s a FUN topic… 

Are you ready?

Let’s talk about PERIODS! And no, not the punctuation kind!

*waits while half of y’all move on to something else*

*waits while my mom, dad, grandma, husband, and anyone else who knows me either braces themselves for this post or burns their computers and hides from me in shame*

I’ve had an interesting journey with my periods. When I was in middle school, I would get SO SICK each month. They were heavy, nasty, and just MEAN! Eventually I was put on the pill to regulate things and I got better. I went off the pill when Honey Graham and I decided we were ready to have kids and within a month of being off of the pill, I could think so much clearer and my hormones weren’t so wacky. I swear I’ll never go back on them… 

Anyway, this post is not about that. This post is about the devices/contraptions/whatevers that we put in our underwear to catch this monthly gift. 

When I was first starting out, I wore big, bulky, full blown pads. The bigger and more absorbent, the better. That’s the route I took until I had a better idea of what to expect. Once I was on the pill, my periods regulated and got much less intense. I was able to use smaller pads and actually decided to switch to tampons since I was involved in sports and other activities and just didn’t want to deal with the possibility of leaking. Plus, locker rooms. *shudder*

I used the tampon route until after I got married. I decided to become even MORE environmentally conscious and I switched back to pads, but only this time I used cloth pads. I scoured Etsy and the internet for the cutest pads and made a few as well. The ick factor didn’t get to me. I just had a small bucket in the bathroom next to the toilet that I’d put soiled pads into. I’d rinse them out well in the sink, add a squirt of soap to manage any smell, and then just throw them into the next load of laundry. My husband didn’t care at all and there was never any issue. 

I usually chose to go with several layers of thin cloth pads instead of one huge thick one. This way I could just replace the top layers as needed. Also, this way I could have more layers in the middle but only have a layer or two toward the front or back. 

I went this route until after Cocoa Puff was born. Suddenly I hated cloth pads and everything to do with them. I found a sample package of Instead Softcups in my bathroom drawer and thought I’d try them out. I thought to myself, "I’m comfortable enough with myself to try this." 

It was a learning experience. I had 4 sample cups (these are the non reusable kind, but I highly recommend trying these first before investing in a reusable silicone cup) and I didn’t really get the hang of it until the last cup. It was kind of awkward getting them into the right place and I didn’t really know what to expect. 

It wasn’t gross or anything and it really wasn’t even all that messy. It was very easy to remove them and I didn’t even feel them while I was wearing them. I had no leaks either (but I did wear a cloth panty liner just in case), even overnight. I wore each one for 12 hours, which was SO. NICE. I didn’t have to worry about it at all while I was sleeping or while I was out and about during the day. I forgot it was that time of month actually. 

After using the Instead Softcup, I invested in a reusable silicone one. There are TONS to choose from and TONS of websites that help you decide which brand and what size is good for you. Basically, if you’ve had kids (regardless of what method they came into the world), you need the larger size, and if you have not had kids, the smaller would be the better fit. I decided to go with the masses and try the Diva Cup. 

I also have the Dutchess Cup.

I like them because I can totally forget about them. They are so easy to get in and out. And it’s not really all that gross or anything. Just either pull on the bottom to break the suction or bear down and it comes out. Dump it out, give it a quick rinse, and refold it and reinsert it. Easy Peasy. 

If you’re not QUITE ready to make the leap to menstrual cups, try getting the O.B. tampons. 

These don’t have an applicator so you have to put them in place yourself and get them out in kind of a similar way to the cups. 

In any case, it’s definitely worth trying, even if you’re not super environmentally conscious. They’re just SO MUCH EASIER to deal with. 

I’m happy to answer any questions. 

Mom, Grandma, Honey Graham, you can come back to the website now… 

Have you tried the cup? What did you think?