A DivaCup, or a menstrual cup, is a hygiene product that anyone with a uterus can use instead of a pad or tampon while on their period. Converting to the DivaCup is initially a gross and scary thought for a lot of people, but trust me: there’s no going back once you’ve gotten the hang of it.
“I love my DivaCup,” said Charla McCluskie, who goes to Algonquin College. “I’m so glad I stuck with it through the adjustment period. It’s so worth everything ‘cause of the money you save and the environmental benefits and also it makes my cramps less completely awful.”
Like all things in life, there are disadvantages to switching over to DivaCups, such as taking a while to learn how to use yours, or causing Always and Tampax to lose business. But, subjectively, the pros shove the cons right on over.
It’s CHEAP!!!!!
I’m not joking when I say you’ll save hundreds of bucks. Who wants to keep coughing up for tampons every couple months when you can buy a $40 DivaCup once that’ll last you like . . . forever?!
“Way worth the initial money for the purchase,” said McCluskie.
Saves the environment BIG TIME
You’ve Got the tAmpon oR pad’s wrapper . . . and then you’ve got the Box they All came in . . . and then you’ve Got the hygiEne product after you’ve used it. I don’t know about you but I see GARBAGE plastered across that sentence. In fact, on Google Earth I think I can almost see the entirety of the continent turning brown. Over 20 billion pads and tampons are added to North American landfills each year. TWENTY BILLION. If we were all to switch to DivaCups, each person would be producing one tiny little cardboard box. That’s it.
You don’t even have to think about it for 12 hours
You don’t have to panic if you forget to change it all day, and sleeping with it in is the least of your problems.
“I can leave it in for 12 hours and not have to worry about TSS [toxic shock syndrome], which is especially nice at night because I like to sleep for more than eight hours,” said Carly Baggs, a fourth-year Laurier Brantford student.
Also, you no longer have to make those awkward wrapper-peeling noises in public bathrooms because you only change it when you wake up and go to bed.
So much comfier
A pad feels like a full on diaper. Call me a baby, but I’ll cry about those things all week. Even a tampon is a little annoying sometimes. Insert a DivaCup, though, and you might as well not even be on your period.
“You literally don’t feel it until it’s full and then you know you have to change it, unlike pads that you can’t ignore,” said University of Windsor’s Katie Cheshire.
“It’s so awesome I almost forget that I have my period!” said Olivia Deresti-Robinson of Concordia University.
Makes you comfortable with your own body
Don’t tell me you’re afraid to get comfortable with your own vagina. Even if you are, let the DivaCup help you explore yourself.
“It helped me feel more comfortable with, and better understand, my own body,” said Deresti-Robinson.
Your body is your home – it’s more than healthy to be familiar with it. It’s definitely scary at first and sometimes you doubt the fact that your parts down south can handle that big rubber cup, but trust me: your vagina is a powerhouse. Heck, it’s capable of birthing a human being.
“I mean, there’s obviously a learning curve, and if you’re not super comfortable with your body or blood I can see why people get sickened out about it the first couple times they use it, but after that it’s such a 10/10 product,” said Cheshire.
But it’s not always bliss
As awesome as the DivaCup is, it’s important to remember that it isn’t for everyone. If that’s you, don’t worry – you’re definitely not alone!
“Personally it didn’t work for me. […] I loved the idea of it though, and I think they’re great, just not for me.” –Katherine Forsyth (Concordia University)
“I had a hard time with my Luna cup. I just couldn’t get to open! I think maybe I needed one that was less flexible. Anyways, after trying many times I’ve given up. But I still wish it worked as I think the concept is great and clearly lots of people love them.” –Emma Pauls (University of Waterloo)
“I think it would be nice for some girls out there to know that the cup might not work right if you haven’t had anything in there before.” –Madison (University of Guelph)
“You can’t use them if you have an IUD — it sucks it out!” –Olivia Deresti-Robinson
But, if you have no obstacles standing in your way, menstrual cups are the way to go. They’re a great way to save your money, the planet, and your comfort. That’s a sick deal. I don’t know what you’re waiting for.