It's a Diva Cup, a silicon cup made to fit inside the vagina and to collect menstrual blood. It is used instead of pads, tampons, toilet paper or rags. It can be worn for up to 12 hours, then it just needs to be washed out and re-inserted. Imagine all the trash you could keep from putting into the landfill! And the toilets you would no longer cause to get stopped up. And the money you could save. Here is what they write on their website as questions to consider (which you won't need to worry about anymore if you get a Diva Cup):
Have you ever…(?)
- co-opted toilet paper from a public washroom as a temporary measure
- planned a vacation around your period
- avoided white pants for that one 'special' week of the month
- done a supplies hand-off with a girlfriend while the dates weren't looking
- cautiously tucked the telltale string into your bikini
- accidentally pulled a mystery object from your purse in front of a curious male audience
- scuttled to the washroom to survey the leak damage after a sudden 'surge'
- clogged your toilet with "flushable" feminine products
- left a party with a jacket tied around your waist...?
The cups cost around $40 from what I can tell. It's easy to spend significantly more than that on tampons and pads each year. I don't know how long a cup lasts - I couldn't find that information on the website, but it (the website) has tons of other great information.
Here's the link in case you're interested in checking it out: http://www.divacup.com/
Thanks to this young woman for giving me the information. I plan to get one before my next period, even though I probably won't have my period for much longer. It's a sound ecological decision.
just my two cents-- i've had one for nearly five years, so they last a while. well worth it. super convenient while traveling. i think we don't like to talk about it because it involves becoming more well acquainted with your vagina than a tampon. but that's a worthwhile cause, in my opinion. so spread the word!
ReplyDeleteI use one! And I do mean ONE, it has been in action since 2004. Think of all the waste avoided!
ReplyDeleteDuring college (in the mid '90s) I heard about the Keeper, which is a rubber menstrual cup, and I knew one person who used it, but it seemed very hippy-dippy to me and I just wasn't ready for something that seemed that "extreme." While pregnant with my first son in 2002, I was looking for cloth diapering information (my sibs and I were CD-ed and I knew I wanted to do the same), and in the process, I learned about a lot of lifestyle choices that are healthier for both the planet and my own body. If cloth for my baby made sense, why not something reusable for me? Since my period came back (15 months post-partum) I've been a Diva user, excepting two more pregnancies/postpartums. I love that there's nothing to buy, pack in my purse, throw away. No box to pack for trips. I can go twice as long with the cup in as I can with a tampon, a blessing on heavy days. I'm less crampy and get less irritated "down there", too. And a side benefit is that I'm much more aware of what each day of my period is typically like.
For people who don't want something insertable, cloth pads are available from a number of sellers, the most familiar of which are LunaPads and GladRags. They're much more comfortable than disposable pads, smell less, and you just toss 'em in the wash. I use cloth for backup on heavy days or on very light days (without the Diva). I also used cloth after son #2's birth after the first couple of super-heavy days, and nothing but cloth with son #3. So much more comfortable than the huge disposable pads. And nothing to buy, I just have a little bin in my closet and I'm ready any time. :o)
Thank you, grow and loushe, for your comments about the Diva Cup. You've now convinced me completely!
ReplyDeleteOver the last six months I've been trying out a number of "green" options for a piece I'll be writing on natural menstruation care. The Diva Cup was one of the items I've already tried, and I have to admit, it was not one of my preferred options. So far, I've definitely preferred the "sea pearls" brand of sponges. The publication where you'll eventually find this article is waiting to undergo a major revamp and relaunch... but once that's done it will be available online at http://www.puregreenius.ca/
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