Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The Diva Cup: My Personal Voyage

  
   
     Let's face it, if you have heard of the Diva Cup, you probably did through one of your tree hugging friends who have dreadlocks.  If you were like me, you would have nodded your head politely, said you would look into it; but, ultimately, if you were going to do something like that you would have turned to O.B. Tampons.  Before I get much further into this personal post, and if you have not heard of the Diva Cup, the Diva Cup is an alternative to conventional tampons.  The Diva Cup is made of medical grade silicone, free from BPA's, phthalates and fragrances, colours, and chemicals which your vagina can absorb. It can hold up to 2.oz of fluid before it needs to be emptied, washed, and yes, reused; and it can be worn for up to 12 hours before emptying.  Before you get turned off by this product's lack of "chord" or applicator; it would be prudent to take a look at the conventional alternatives.  This is where my story begins....




History


     I was an early bloomer.  At the age of seven I started getting, "hair where only mommy had it"; and at the age of 10, I began to menstruate.  One of the first things that my Mother gave me was a TAMPAX "Regular" size tampon to use.  It was a little painful the first time I used them, but after that, it got a little easier.  I will never forget that feeling, the painful burning sensation as you insert that dry wad of cotton/rayon blend up your vagina.  Not to mention, the occasional stabbing with the applicator (this was way before they started making the applicators out of plastic).  You see, my Mother grew up in the 50's and 60's, a time when the invention of the tampon was a revelation!.  The alternative to the tampon was wearing some sort of contraption which looked like a cross between a chastity belt and a diaper.  Not very appealing; and so, that was the best information which my Mother could have provided me with.  Especially, when confronted with a young girl at the age of 10 who started her period, when she, my Mother, started at the age of 15.  I may have been a little too young for the tampon; but, they had served me for almost 20 years.  That is, until I discovered the Diva Cup.

The Change


     What made me stray from the trusty tampon?.  The appropriate answer would be something like: "I was concerned with the amount of chemicals they put into sanitary napkin and other menstrual care products"; however, it wasn't.  The truth is that I was more concerned with the garbage and waste that period products produce rather than the chemicals.  If you think about it, for an average of five days out of the month, all women who menstruate produce a tidy amount of garbage.  Disposable pads are just like diapers, they do not break down in the garbage, and tampons are the same.  My Mother taught me to flush the tampons; but, recently I have discovered that this is not the thing to do.  When I was on a grade eight field trip to the Greenway Pollution plant in my home town of London, Ontario, we were shown what happens to our human waste.  The poop, toilet paper, tampons, and water are all separated from each other.  At this particular plant, the poop is mixed with the toilet paper and other toilet paper like substances, and are incinerated.  I recently discovered that most disposable tampons are not made of 100% cotton, thus, it is like burning plastic when all of those synthetic fibers are ignited.  Not all sewage treatment plants are the same.  Some separate the toilet paper and then ship off to the landfill, never again to see the light of day.  In either case, tampons, like pads are a huge polluter.  Aside from that, there are also the chemicals....

     Yes, it is true, my beloved tampons, pads, and panty liners are laden with BPA's, phthalates and fragrances, bleach, synthetic fibers, waxes, and even pesticides.  Naturally, these are only in small amounts; however, because feminine hygiene products are considered "medical devices" in most countries, companies do not have to disclose anything, and what amounts of anything they contain.  Personally, I feel that this is complete nonsense and as consumers we have the right to know what the products we consume contain.  This is the second reason why I decided to say goodbye to tampons.

Price

  
     I have a friend who told me about the Diva Cup over a year ago.  She started using it as an alternative to tampons and could not say enough good things about it.  Unfortunately, I was not a fan of getting my hands anywhere near that area during my period.  If I was going to get messy, I would have purchased the less expensive O.B. Tampons and be done with it years ago.  A few months passed, and I met another friend who told me about the Diva Cup, how much her friends loved it, and she sent me lots of information about it.  I read hilarious and inspirational blogs written by women about their Diva Cup maiden voyage and I started to wonder if this would be the right choice for me.  I have already made the commitment to using chemical free soaps and shampoos, why not take this journey a step further into reusable tampon territory?.  The first step was to exhaust the rather large amount of tampons I had just purchased at Costco.  Feminine hygiene products are expensive and I would occasionally purchase a box of 100 TAMPAX tampons on sale at Costco for $14.  Not bad when a box would last me 4-6 months.  Switching to the Diva Cup was an investment in my future.  Do not get me wrong, it is not as expensive as you might think.  Thankfully, the day I went to my local ReXall to purchase it, they were on sale for $5 off.  The purchase came out to $28 with taxes and the cup lasts....10 years!?.  The insert describes that if you wash and maintain your cup before and after every use, the product can last between eight and ten years before replacing.  Not a bad return on the investment of one years worth of Costco tampons.


The Gory Details


     In order to force myself to use the Diva Cup, I deliberately ran out of tampons so not to tempt myself to fall back into old habits.  There are two types of Diva Cup: Type 1 for women under the age of 30, and/or who have not had children yet; and, Type 2: for people over the age of 30 with larger insides.  After a doctors office visit with a student practitioner, (the poor thing couldn't find my cervix), I was diagnosed with a "tall vagina", and thus having ample room for things to get lost.  Type 2 will fit me fine.  Standing in the bathroom, I felt like I was 10-years-old again, nervous and a little scared.  As information is power, I read though the insert a couple of times before I thought that I had an understanding of how to use the cup.  I waited until after I was done my shower, and since the insert recommended crouching or sitting on the toilet for insertion, I thought the bathtub was an easy clean area.  How do I put this?.  For me, that was a bad choice.  Ample room for things to get lost + Crouching position in bathtub = 1 trip to the Emergency room.  Thank goodness it didn't come to that; but I had pushed it up there a little too far.  In order to expel the Diva Cup device, the insert said to give some gentle pushes to help expose the tab at the base of the cup which will help you grip the base of the actual cup for retrieval.  Easier pushed than gripped.  The pushing part was easy.  Thanks to my weekly spin classes, my lady parts bearing down on the spin saddle for an hour at a time has strengthened my vagina muscles to Ms. Olympia gold standard.  It was the grabbing of the tab which was the hard part....slippery to say the least.  Phew, I retrieved the cup from my vaginal shaft and decided to try the toilet.  The toilet worked for me much better than the tub.  It was at this point where I kind of felt like one of those teams you see on, "The Amazing Race".  You know, the ones who do not read the clue completely before embarking on a task.  When you insert the cup you are supposed to leave the tab flush with the opening of your vagina.  Ooooh!. This made things like gripping so much easier!.   In went the cup, and I gave it the required 360 degree twist for a good seal, and away I go.

     The mess is not as messy as you think.  For cleaning, I use Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, the "Unscented Baby Mild" formula, and I have had no irritation at all.  Believe me, your hands will never in your life be so clean as during your period with your Diva Cup.  For sanitary reasons, you are supposed to wash your hands thoroughly before retrieving the Diva Cup, and naturally, afterwards.  The great news is that Dr. Bronner's comes in a travel size, which you can purchase at Terra 20, if you are in Ottawa.  You can also order them on-line, and they are perfect for public restroom use.  My only advice for using the Diva Cup would be to use in conjunction with a panty liner.  Luna pads are a good alternative to the conventional as they breathe and are made to go in the wash; however, if you have some left over and need to finish them off, use those first.  My experience with leakage has been minimal, and no more than what a panty liner can handle.  I suspect that it will take a couple of cycles before I have no leaks at all.  The Diva Cup is a new device and you really have to get a feel for it.  It does work incredibly well.  My first experience with it was before one of my spin classes and happily, no leaks!.


Message for Hesitant Users


   Like pants, one size does not fit all.  If you ask any gynecologist, they will tell you that not one vagina is the same.  Some woman have purchased the Diva Cup and had no success because the way their bodies are.  That is alright, there are still alternatives like Seventh Generation 100% Cotton Tampons and feminine hygiene products, and Luna Pads.  Just because your cup does not fit you now, does not mean it never will.  The more you grow, the more your body can change.  With having children, you might be able to use the Diva Cup afterward.  I am happy that the Diva Cup fits me well, even though I am not the ideal wearer.  I have had heavy menstrual flows all my life which are accompanied by blood clots; and because of this, I have to empty the Diva Cup religiously every three hours during heaviest flows.  My heavy flows are one of the reasons why I had not switched to the Diva Cup sooner because I was afraid that the cup would not be able to handle them.  During the lighter part of my cycle I can easily get by with leaving the Diva Cup in for up to the 12 hour maximum.  Overall, I am happy I made the change to my Diva Cup and I am sorry that I did not discover it sooner.  For the people reading this blog who have children, I would definitely encourage all the Mom's out there with daughters to give the Diva Cup a go.  There are so many benefits to using it besides the obvious preventing waste and limiting even further your exposure to harmful chemicals.  You will find that the Diva Cup will not dry you out; and it really does encourage you to shuffle off whatever shame or shy feelings you might have towards your own vagina.  If you were like me, you probably looked up to Mom when it comes to just about everything you consume, including the brand of feminine hygiene products you use.  The Diva Cup might not fit every woman, but it is definitely worth a try.  I am a convert, and so happy that I had friends to support me making the switch and a boyfriend who is OK with me telling him about it.

      I love my Diva Cup, and I hope this post will inspire curiosity and liberate your labia from harmful chemicals and promote positive feelings about your body.