My Review of the Diva Cup

Warning: I will discussing my experience with The Diva Cup, a menstrustration product.
If you do not want to hear descriptions of this product and how it relates to my vagina, please just ignore this post!
You have been warned!


I recently purchased the Diva Cup which is a cup that is used during your period. I've heard of this concept of using a cup several years ago and didn't know it was available on the market. I saw one a few weeks ago at a health food store and did some research online. There are currently 2 major brands and so I decided to go with the Diva Cup. It's also made in Canada. So as a Canadian, it feels good knowing I am buying a product made in the country where I was born.
According to the Diva Cup site, the average monthly flow is around 3-4 ounces (90-120ml). The Diva Cup can hold up to once ounce (30ml). So you can empty your cup 2-3 times in a 24 hour span.
I got my period this Thursday and am nearing the end of my period. I must say that I enjoyed using this product. I have included a link to this site as I think women should start using this product more.
I tend to use pads and tampons. I usually use tampons for the first 2 or 3 days and then pads at night and for the remainder. The cup is good because it doesn't absorb your vagina's natural mucuous, whereas tampons do.

The diameter of the cup is 1.5" and the length is 2" and there is a stem piece about 1 cm. I think it is great and I highly recommend this product for women. If you're comfortable using tampons, then you should be comfortable with this product. My only complaint is that it is a bit bulky to insert into your vagina. A tampon has a smooth applicator but with this, you need to fold it flat and then fold it again so that it forms a 'U' shape. The cup is made out of medical silicone so it is flexible and it is hypoallergenic as well. For me the first few times were ackward getting it in but with enough experience, I was comfortable with this process. Once you get it in you just rotate it a bit to ensure that is fully opens up. Sometimes the cup would unfold as it was partially inside but even then it can easily be inserted. Make sure that you firmly hold the folded cup before you begin the insertion process.

And the cup is to sit at the bottom of the vagina. It does not go as high up as tampons do. It is actually easy to remove. I just don't understand why there is a stem to it because I find it useless. You can cut it to shorten it. To remove it, I just pinch the base of the cup and slowly pull it down. And be relaxed when you remove it. It's just like removing a tampon except you don't have to worry about breaking the string.

I had no leakage problems but it is key to insert it properly. It just needs to be emptied about twice a day and I did so after I woke up and before I went to bed. You can empty it in the toilet or the bathroom sink. Just make sure your hands are clean before you remove it. I emptied it at work because I was paranoid it would start leaking because I had it in for about 7 hours. What was amazing to me was that the cup only had just under 1/4 ounce and still had room for more.

What I found fascinating was just being able to actually measure and quantify how much menstrual fluid I produce during my period. Using the cup made me realize that it's not a lot of blood that gets lost. For some reason, tampons and pads create this illusion that there is a lot of blood being lost but it really isn't. Awesome folks. It's low maintenance, simple to use and you know its reliable and does not require frequent monitoring.