Saturday, April 21, 2012

The DivaCup Review & Giveaway

Share


ABOUT DivaCup:
The DivaCup is a non-absorbent menstrual cup that simply collects menstrual flow. It is inserted in the vagina and sits at the lower base of the vaginal canal. It is worn internally, yet because it is soft and smooth, it cannot be felt nor will it leak when inserted properly.

The DivaCup is the most clean and convenient method of feminine hygiene protection. No need to touch the flow. It is worn low in the vagina, not near the cervix, so it is easy to remove. No mess!

The DivaCup ends hassles with unreliable disposables in endless absorbencies, shapes and styles. It is perfect for all activities – giving women true freedom without the worry, guessing and unreliability that disposable feminine hygiene products pose.

The DivaCup can be worn for up to 12 hours before emptying, washing and reinserting for use for another 12 hours. It can be used for light or moderate flows and is emptied more often to accommodate heavy flows. Perfect for overnight use.

The DivaCup’s expert, proprietary, patent-pending features make it comfortable and assures ease of use and reliability. Perfect for traveling, running, biking, hiking, dancing, camping, swimming, diving, scuba, yoga, extreme sports and more...

Latex-free, BPA-free, plastic-free

No dyes, colors or additives

Comfortable, reliable

Clean, convenient, easy-to-use

Worn for up to 12 hours at a time





MY THOUGHTS:
Alright ladies...time to get down to the TMI stuff...Periods! In light of the recent "moldy tampons" news (read an article on it HERE), and after hearing about DivaCup from a couple of people, I decided to contact DivaCup for a chance to do a review for them. Let me tell you I was ecstatic when they agreed to let me do one and to boot they are giving one away to one lucky reader!

Something you should know about the DivaCup is that there are two different sizes. There is DivaCup Model 1 which is for women under 30 years old who have never delivered vaginally or by caesarean section and DivaCup Model 2 for women over 30 years old and/or for women who have delivered vaginally or by caesarean section. These two model types allows for proper fits for women.



Here's my experience:
So, I'm just trucking along minding my business when WHAMMO...Aunt Flo decides that she would show up. Lucky for me, I've got my new DivaCup :D I nervously read my instructions over again and get ready for a whole new kind of period.

So, the instructions show two methods of "folding" the DivaCup for insertion. The folds are called "U Fold" and "Push Down Fold" and look like this:



The fold type you use is simply whichever one feels most comfortable. For me, I found the U fold to be too bulky so I opted for the Push Down Fold.

The Saga Continues:
After reading the instructions and choosing my fold type, I washed my hands up and got ready to roll. I was surprised at how easy to insert the DivaCup was! I did find, however, that I should have heeded the wise words of my SIL to cut my nails first...ouch! So ladies...CUT YOUR NAILS FIRST!!! LOL. The instructions say that the stem of the DivaCup should not extend beyond the vaginal opening and that if it does you can trim the stem, but no shorter than 1/4". I found that I had to trim it as others I've talked to have had to do also. After that I couldn't even tell that I was wearing DivaCup...well...physically at least.

I found that I had to overcome myself mentally with DivaCup. I actually dreamed about whether or not DivaCup was going to leak on me for the first 2 nights I wore it! I kept thinking that maybe it wasn't in right and it was going to leak. Ladies, I assure you, if you follow the directions properly, you will not have to worry.

One of the nice things about DivaCup is that it allows your natural "juices" to still keep you "lubed" up (told you there'd be TMI :P), however, this does mean that there will be some streaking and you should still wear a pantiliner (unless you like stained undies :D). I really liked the fact that I didn't get all dried out down there like I do with Tampons. DivaCup was NOT progressively more painful to use as the period progressed as tampons were for me. Plus, I only need ONE STYLE for my WHOLE PERIOD!!! No more Ultra, Super Plus, Super, Regular, Light for me!

Now, let's talk about the REALLY TMI stuff! It's time to change DivaCup. Again, a little nervous, but really easy to do. Pull the stem a bit til you can reach the base, squeeze base to release seal, and pull out. Now, I'm a bit of a glutton for gore so, of course, I had to look at what my body produced. Needless to say, if you are squeamish around blood then you probably shouldn't be looking in your DivaCup after removal. One of the features of DivaCup are measurement lines on the inside of your cup...you know...for those enquiring minds that need to know :D Anyway...word of advice with removal, when dumping your DivaCup be sure to dump it on top of any toilet paper in the toilet or directly into the hole of the toilet as this is a sticky substance you're dealing with. It will take at least 4 flushes (on a low flow toilet) to get all the blood down the toilet if you don't take the necessary precautions above. Found this out the hard way :P Also, it's really handy to have a sink right next to the toilet because I don't have to leave the toilet to rinse out the DivaCup.

Reinsertion is a breeze and only gets easier and faster each time you use it! I'm so thankful for this product and I'll never go back!

My initial concerns:
When first receiving the product my worries were about taking DivaCup out and cleaning it in public. Then, I realized the most wonderful thing, since you can wear DivaCup for up to 12 hours at a time (much longer than a tampon), you really can time changing it so that you don't need to be out when doing it. I NEVER had to change my DivaCup when out and about! Not once!

Another worry was (sorry TMI again) whether or not DivaCup would pop out when pooping. Well...it doesn't...question answered LOL. Also, you can shower with it in too (just in case you were wondering).

I am definitely PRO DivaCup and will continue recommending it to anyone I can! It has REVOLUTIONIZED my period! :D

If you would like to find out more about DivaCup you can visit them at http://www.divacup.com/, "Like" them on Facebook, and/or follow them on Twitter.

If you already like what you've read, you can purchase your own DivaCup at a retailer in your area or directly from DivaCup.

***DISCLAIMER - The products in this review were provided to me free of cost for the purpose of conducting this review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation. ***


GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Alright Ladies, The DivaCup has graciously offered up a DivaCup of in the size you need to 1 of my lucky readers! Entry runs from Today (4/21/2012) through the end of the day Saturday May 5th, 2012. Good Luck Everyone!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

9 comments:

  1. Just 1 thing? LOL!

    I wash all my laundry in cold water and in the spring/summer/fall hang it outside to dry :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. We compost and have our own garden. I LOVE gardening. Thanks for the giveaway.

    journeysofthezoo at hotmail dot com
    http://journeysofthezoo.blogspot.ca

    ReplyDelete
  3. use shower water to water plants jen twark gersch jtwark@mail.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. i shared on fb
    http://www.facebook.com/JourneysofTheZoo?ref=tn_tnmn#!/JourneysofTheZoo/posts/356599414397501

    journeysofthezoo at hotmail dot com
    http://journeysofthezoo.blogspot.ca

    ReplyDelete
  5. I use a Diva Cup! And cloth diapers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My comment never showed up for some reason. I don't have twitter. And I made a blog post but i filtered it for girls only which means you have to log in and read it on my LJ.

    I use cloth diapers and green cleaning products. I also reuse water and recycle nearly everything. We also use environmentally friendly lightbulbs that last longer. And have been considering my friends' advice to try Diva Cups... at least I wouldnt' have to buy tampons to mail abroad anymore... because Asia doesn't have super or super plus tampons.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I reuse plastic and paper bags.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Many people are looking for effective food supplement and I'd like to Introduce the divacup that is safe and effective.

    ReplyDelete