diva cup question - UPDATE 19

[doberbrat]

I'd say to wear a pad the first cycle or 2 esp for overnight. jic! I have super heavy periods at times so I ended up buying some cloth panty liners (rather than full pads) to wear when its super heavy.

I did trim the stem off completely for comfort. If you can feel it, its prob not inserted properly (or the stem is too long). for me, I find that once its inserted and I rotate to make sure its open properly, I bear down trying to expel it while I manually push it in gently. It does take longer to insert than a tampon if you include washing time, but the tradeoff is that I usually only have to empty it 2 or 3 times a day.

I try and time it so I'm not changing it while out and about but I keep a few wipes in my bag in case I do need to.

I my diva cup and will never give it up. Not only is it way more comfy and convenient than tampons/pads, but for what I spent on 2 cycles worth of disposables, I've gotten 5+ years worth of use out of it.

[SnuggleBuggles]

FYI- if you have an IUD, I don't think they are recommended. I was willing to try but read that on the box at the store (a few years ago).

[TwinFoxes]

The most important thing to remember is the insertion angle is different than for tampons. You're supposed to angle it more toward your tailbone.

[pastrygirl]

It always leaks a little for me, no matter the brand or size. I've been using them for a decade, and always, always wear a cloth pad as backup. I always wore a pad with tampons, too! I can't imagine not doing so.

I also use the 7 fold. If I can't spin it freely when inserted, that a guarantee that it will leak a lot. Otherwise it's just minor spotting (if inserted correctly and can spin).

[echoesofspring]

I started using one over the summer and it was instant if not love, relief, b/c I could not deal with how heavy my flow was when it returned after DD (and I was no longer on b/c). Ok, I do love it. It has really changed my life. I was desperate - tampons suddenly seemed very ineffective for me. I didn't find much of a learning curve, or I've forgotten it, but I will say this, I've only changed it at home and I'm not really sure how you do it if you are in a public or work bathroom, I guess that's when you buy the cleaning wipes or something. I do wear a liner with it, haven't had to wear a pad.

http://menstrual-cups.livejournal.com/ is all about diva cups and other cups, I spent some time there before I purchased. There's a chart there that can help you figure out the best brand fit for your body. I'm actually thinking I'd like to buy another brand to try.

[okinawama]

It took me a about 4 months of using it to find the Diva/lunette cup love, but now, I'd never go back to anything else. Size made a huge difference for me in comfort. I was shocked to find that the smaller size was significantly more uncomfortable than a larger size. To me, it almost felt like the smaller sized lunette was falling out of me, and as it began to fill it was putting pressure down there and driving me crazy and was very uncomfortable. The larger size lunette/Diva cup solved the problem. Here's the thread I started about it. http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/sho...-your-Diva-cup

[MamaMolly]

I have the Lunette and I love it. I did have to trim the little end, but no leaks. I find my cycles are shorter, even.

[doberbrat]

FYI- if you have an IUD, I don't think they are recommended. I was willing to try but read that on the box at the store (a few years ago).

yeah, this is true. My OB tried to convince me to get an IUD but I'm not willing to give up my diva cup

[lmh2402]

to update: i tried it. one thing i noticed was immediately after insertion, I felt like I had to pee. so not sure what was going on, but maybe it wasn't positioned quite right.

I also felt like it wasn't TOTALLY comfortable for at least a few minutes, but this might have been because I was so mentally focused on it being there.

Had a hard time "spinning it freely" - I mean, is it ever truly EASY to get at least two fingers in there to spin the thing around? but i tried and tried until i could turn it. however, it wasn't a total free & easy spin.

it worked. i did not leak, but i still wore a pad just in case. one day i thought it leaked, until i realized that i had totally filled it (sorry, TMI) and the overflow was just coming onto the pad.

overall, i'm pleased with it, but i don't LOVE it yet. it's still a bit strange to stick something up in there like that. i found that i preferred not use at night. so i would insert in the shower in the morning - that worked best for me. emptying and reinserting later in the day was a bit more challenging for some reason. anyway, that's my update.

[essnce629]

Yay, glad you gave it a try and it worked for you!

I've had one for many years but have only used it a handful of times as I just couldn't get it to work for me. In the past I've had really heavy periods and it would overflow by the 2 hour mark. So cloth pads have worked best for me. But the last few cycles I've been drinking peppermint tea and my cycles have been less heavy and 2 days shorter so maybe I should give it a try again.