Diva discussions continued

There are a few things I wanted to add about the Diva Cup. For me, and many others I've spoken to, there seems to be a learning curve. The first few times I inserted my cup were tricky, but it became easier after the first couple of days. Here is a great resource on different folds (shown using a different cup, but you get the idea):

Menstrual cup folds

I also wanted to link to the Diva Cup website because they have a great FAQ section:

Diva Website

Hope this info helps!

Are you a Diva?

Warning to any men that may read this: this post contains girly vagina information not suitable for men of any age. Stop reading. Seriously, this is more info. than you would ever want to know.

After 16 blissful months without Aunt Flo, she has returned full force and I've finally gotten to try out my Diva Cup. I have to say I'm totally impressed. For those of you who are unaware of this fantastic little invention, here's the scoop:

The Diva Cup is inserted like a tampon, but instead of absorbing your monthly blood flow, it catches the blood in a cup and can be emptied out, then re-inserted. It comes in two different sizes (pre-baby is size 1 and post-baby is size 2). According to the Diva Cup website, they should be replaced every year, but as long as it is sterilized and cared for, I'm guessing they would be ok for about 3 years.

I got mine for just under $20 which is a great deal, considering how much money I will save over the next few years not having to buy tampons. Well, let's go ahead and see just how much money I'll save (this is really an estimate since tampon preferences differ as well as how heavy/long a person's period is...).

Let's say I can get an economy pack of 100 regular tampons for about $15. On average a person bleeds for about 5 days and changes their tampon every few hours, so about 6 per day. That's 30 tampons for each monthly period.

30 tampons x 12 months = 360 tampons x 3 years = 1080 tampons

so for 3 years I would need to buy about 11 boxes of tampons at $15 = $165

SAVINGS from buying a Diva Cup = $145

Even if you replace your Diva cup each year, you could still save about $40 per year!

Monetary savings aside, there are other reasons to switch to a Diva Cup:

Environmental reasons- less waste, packaging, etc.

Less vaginal dryness/irritation- people with sensitive skin (like me) can appreciate a non-chemical alternative to tampons

Convenience- Diva Cup can be worn for up to 12 hours, and there's no need to send hubby on an embarrassing trip to the pharmacy

Get your Diva Cup!