If you’re squeamish about periods and stuff, grow up um, perhaps skip to the end and I will put a picture of a cat in a cup so you don’t have to think about menses.

But for you ladies that are active and have a period, let’s chat the shedding of your uterine lining.

So, I was on the Mirena for a long, long time, and didn’t have a period.  When I got into discussions with other women about it, a lot of folks were really quick to let me know that they felt that there was no way that this could be healthy, which I internally rolled my eyes out.  I run like a million miles a day, eat rabbit food, and drink kombucha.  I’ll take no period, and hope I work out enough to offset the risk.  That they claim there is none of, but whatevs.

So after 5 years on the Mirena, the clock had run out, and I got the Mirena removed.  It came out about a million times easier than the insertion, and it came out without incident.  I had a little spotting, and then, a few weeks later, I had my first period in nearly half a decade.  It wasn’t fun, and it wasn’t pretty, and I found myself buying a fairly expensive collection of tampons, some scented, for the first time since camp.

I tried something similar to the Diva Cup some years ago, called Instead, with a lot of issue.  My friend Melanie suggested that I try that Diva Cup, as she had been practicing with it in prep for international travel, and tampons aren’t super easy to purchase OR store overseas.

I googled it, and got one from the Harris Teeter, and waited for my next period.

It took like 3 full cycles, and a lot of googling for me to figure out.  But I think I’m a fan of the Diva Cup!

A few women I’ve told about it have been really skeptical, almost to the point of disgust as it pertains to a menstrual cup.  And then this somewhat ignorant article started circulating, and I realized that I needed to set the record straight regarding menstrual cups.

What are they?

They’re pictured above.  Instead of using a pad or a tampon, that absorbs blood, the idea is that the cup collects blood to be disposed of later.

Why?

For me, the menstrual cup was a good option because of a really heavy flow.  I had this issue as a teen, and it reappeared when I got my period again after Mirena.  My period is really heavy.  I’ve combated it with exercise and anti-inflammatories, but I was having a really hard time keeping a tampon in for longer than like 2 or 3 hours.  The Diva holds a bit more than the tampon does, and if you get it in correctly, you don’t get that terrible string leak that has ruined most of my good undies.  They also hold up well with and during exercise, and my tampons just weren’t doing that.

Growing pains. 

For one, you need to be completely comfortable with your vagina.  If you’re not, and you’re grossed out by it, that’s something that needs to change, or you’re in for a really rude awakening.  Vaginas are capable of a lot.  It’s not something to be weirded out by or ashamed of.  For me, that wasn’t hard to get past, but I read that some women are just grossed out by that.

Once you’re passed the vagina bit, you’re looking at this cup, and you’re not sure what to do with it.  You can read the instructions, but that’s just not fun.  Look at a few blogs, look at YouTube, and you will be just fine.

For me, without getting too graphic, I had to relax, like super relax, and sitting with my bum on the floor of my shower seemed to be the easiest and most comfortable.

Getting it out proved to be another area of learning for me.  You don’t just yank it out.  There is a little bit of wiggle involved.

And finally, the disposal of the thing is best done at home (in my experience).  It gives you a chance to remove, wash, and reinsert with little problem.  Of course, you can’t always be at home, and that’s been my largest struggle to date.  But it’s doable, and to me, I feel a little bit better now that I’m not spending tons of money on scented “sport” tampons, and I don’t feel gross and leaky all the time.

My verdict?

As an active woman who has struggled with a heavy period, I really needed a change.  Doing the Mirena again wasn’t really something I was super interested in – though we’re not super trying for kids, I want my body to do its own thing for a time, and go through it’s natural monthly cycle, which I’d love to talk about more in another post.

Hear me loud and clear.  I will never be one of those people who will post repetitive articles about how birth control is the downfall of humanity and blah blah – it did a lot of good for me, but now is not its time for me.

With that, comes my period, and for me, the Diva has been the most sustainable, least messy, and most collective option that there is out there.  If you’re skeptical, but looking for a way to manage each month I would really encourage you to check out Diva.

Questions?  Comments?  Thoughts on the Diva?