I love to try new things and I’m always looking for something innovative to do. When Her Campus Brenau presented me with the opportunity to try the Diva Cup from their Back to School Survival Kit, I was beyond excited! I had been researching the product for months, eager to try it. The Diva Cup is a menstrual cup, which is an alternative to tampons and pads. The cup is designed to insert into the vaginal canal where it collects your menstrual flow. It can then be emptied, cleaned, and reinserted for more uses (up to 5 years depending on the condition). When I first proposed the idea to my family and close friends they couldn’t fathom why I would put more work into the hassle of periods than I had to. But I was determined to try something better for my body and my pockets.
Before my first attempt I did lots of research. I read blog posts and discussion forums, watched videos, and further discussed the situation with my friends. Although they were apprehensive about trying a menstrual cup for themselves, they were excited for the possibilities, or at least found it humoring that I was really going to try this crazy new thing. While looking for videos to watch, I decided to go with the scariest videos first—I’m not easily moved so I knew it wouldn’t scare me away, I just needed to know the truth before I tried it out myself. One video I found featured Youtuber, Precious Stars Pads, who is an expert at everything period related. “I felt this kind of popping sensation,” she said in the video, “I immediately felt a slight gush in between my legs.” She said when she felt the gush, she figured the cup had broken so she went to the bathroom to take it out. “The menstrual cup had gone past my cervix, and suctioned itself at an angle to it.” When the video was done, I was freaked out but not turned off from the cup.
After I was satisfied with those videos, I moved on to positive videos. As I said before, I’m not easily moved so I went into these videos with a neutral mind, ready to take in the information but not expecting great results because of it. One video I watched was a BuzzFeed video titled, “Women Try Menstrual Cups”. The video showed the usual Buzzfeed crew of women who tried the menstrual cup on video and then used it for the rest of their period and then gave a review afterwards. I loved the video, I laughed with them, and after trying the DivaCup I felt some of their pain. They talked about the difficulty of trying to insert the cup as well as the difficulty of removing the cup. Overall, they all had an appreciation for the DivaCup which they did not previously have, once women even commented about how she would be using the DivaCup every month. I watched a few more videos, but I was satisfied after watching this one, it was time to try the DivaCup.
I left my friends and prepared for the first attempt. I looked up lots of folding techniques for the cup and settled on the one which guaranteed the easiest insertion as well as the least amount of discomfort. Because I have a commitment to try anything twice, I tried to properly insert the Diva Cup three times. The first attempt, was a fail because I was not sure if it was inserted correctly. Had it suctioned correctly? Why didn’t I hear the infamous pop that was supposed to come along with the suction?
My second attempt failed because although I thought the cup had suctioned (even though I still had not heard the pop), I was not sure if I had inserted the cup deep enough. It is difficult (if not impossible) to move the cup once it has suctioned and therefore in order to get it in the correct place, it needs to be removed again. Removal is a whole other issue of its own and therefore added to the difficulty of using the cup.
On the third attempt I faced the same issue I had faced on the on attempt two and that’s when I realized that the Diva Cup was not going to work for me. After this 20-30 minute ordeal, I washed and placed my DivaCup in the cute little bag provided for storage and placed it in its original package. A few minutes later I was met by my friends, eager to know how it went and what took so long. I explained to them that it “just didn’t work,” not really knowing how to explain the struggle of the Diva Cup, or what went wrong, other than the fact that I just knew it just hadn’t worked. I went to bed sore and slightly disappointed from the experience.
I vowed that it would not be my last time trying, because I genuinely believe in the amazing possibilities of the Diva Cup. As my period passed, I looked at the DivaCup sitting inside my closet, knowing that although I wanted to try it again, I wouldn’t. As the month passed and my period arrived, I once again looked to my DivaCup, longing to try it, thinking about all the good that could come from the cup. As the days passed I thought about how my last attempt had left me sore and discouraged. I realized that at this time the Diva Cup just isn’t for me.
I’ve learned over the years that awareness of your body and your menstrual health is a process of growth which has taken me years to become comfortable with, which is why I was so impressed by the young girl in the first video. After years of using pads as my primary menstrual tool, I’ve only recently discovered the carefree freedom I’ve found with tampons. Although they are not the healthiest for your body or the environment, and they are not ideal for everyone, tampons have taken my period to another level, a level that has required me to know my body and myself more than I ever have before. Personally, the Diva Cup is the next level of comfort and knowledge about my body. In order for me to feel as comfortable with the Diva Cup as I do with tampons, I need to have accuracy and precision with every use. Right now the Diva Cup is more trouble than it’s worth. Even if I had inserted the Diva Cup correctly on that first attempt, it is not something that I can depend on daily. As a student who is constantly on the go, it is important to me to know that my method will not fail me every time. I recommend anyone to try the Diva Cup, because although it hasn’t worked for me yet, I know it will. One day I will become a Diva Cup pro, but for now I’ll stick to what I know!