Diva Cup and all the "bloody" details... a FULL review and giveaway!

First off, let me apologize. I couldn't resist putting my cheesy sense of humor in the title. I hope I didn't offend anyone. However, that being said. I am going to put myself way out of my comfort zone and be completely honest with you so you ladies out there know full well how the DivaCup works and if it is right for you. I know a lot of you are curious out there and hopefully after reading, you won't have any questions.

I was nervous about this review for a couple of reasons. One, I didn't know how candid I would be able to be for sheer shyness... and the other reason is... what if it didn't work? Would I really want to go through all the details and then say it stunk? Luckily, I will not have to stress out about that because after I have fully reviewed this product, I can very honestly say that I will no longer be using tampons! For a very select few, this may not be for them but I will get to that in a bit. For starters let me show you what it looks like and give you a general description, then on to the nitty gritty.

The DivaCup is a medical grade silicone menstrual cup, shaped sort of cone-ish with a stem on the bottom. The cup has measurements. At first,  I laughed at the thought of measuring but then thought maybe it was just for monitoring how often you would need to tend to it during the day. Some ladies are heavier so they would obviously need to do it more often. Now let me take a moment to just let you know that I never got along with my health teacher. I will not get into details on that but I will say that I obviously didn't pay attention! Because I was surprised to read in the DivaCup instructions that, like tampons, you can leave it in during urination. "OK, I was unaware we did that!" Ha ha, I always grew up with the notion that if I left a tampon in during urination that I was essentially peeing all through it. So! Here I am, 27 years old, asking my mother if she leaves them in. Hahaha! Obviously, she never had 'the talk' with me. She simply chuckled and belted out "Completely different channels Crys!" *Feeling pretty dorky* So ladies, the diva cup, as long as it is placed inside correctly should be fine during urination.

Inserting and retrieving the cup will be what makes it or breaks it for you. I assure you though, once you get it down, I can't imagine you won't be a DivaCup fan. The way I found that it was easiest was to fold in half, then in half again. You should have a "U" shape. Keep the cup pinched and relax your muscles like they tell you in a lovely Pap test. Going in is really not that bad. But, you want to do what the instructions suggest. Once you have the cup in, pinch the very bottom of the cup and do one full rotation with it. There are very small holes at the top of the cup and this rotation ensures that your cup with be securely suctioned into place and open inside. (This means no leaks). Once you have it in, make sure that the stem that hangs down is not going to irritate and if it is too long you can actually snip it shorter with nail scissors. Keep some wet naps or wipes handy. Wipe your hands and then when you are done, wash them thoroughly. I just like to have the wipes for in between.

Retrieving is the most not fun part of the whole ordeal. It does not hurt whatsoever but until I realized that I wasn't relaxed enough and the cup wasn't fully open (due to not rotating like mentioned), it came out much easier. But at first I was really worried I would rip the stem off. The other thing I hated was the first couple times trying this, my hands got a little.. um messy. Sorry! I said I would be candid. Again though, as soon as you get used to it... with me it took just a couple inserts and retrievals, it was not a big mess and no big deal!.

Now, because it has been 27 years of habits in the making.. I still refreshed every pee..... but that doesn't mean you have to. You just relax your muscles, pull on the stem and when you can.. lightly pinch the bottom of the cup. This allows you to pull it out much easier. Let me warn you... since the DivaCup is 'suctioned' into place... there will be an 'unsuctioning' of sorts when you pull it out. Don't be alarmed when you are taking it out. The cup isn't folded and it will sorta pop out of you. This won't be enough to make you jump out of your skin and spill all the contents but I just wanted to through it in here.. cause again... I am being completely candid!

Now, do you want to know the best part of the DivaCup? Ever since I had my second child, my cramps seemed to get worse and worse. Midol was my best friend and I had the typical 'pms irritation' reactions that I used to never display. However, I am extremely shocked and happy to say that when I used the cup, I didn't experience ONE cramp throughout the whole period!!! I don't know if this is just coincidence or not but it makes sense to me that if you have something in you that is absorbing and clotting that it would cause cramps... I'm not coming out on my blog and saying that tampons cause cramping but I have my theories especially after using the cup!

Do you want to know if it leaks? I put it through the biggest of tests and wore my white hipster panties all day with the cup in. I didn't even see a slight discoloration. Heck, even tampons aren't completely bomb proof in this department. I couldn't feel the cup at all. In fact again, more comfortable then tampons because you can feel the string with tampons. You don't have that with the cup and you can't feel the stem. If you do, it is either too low or you need to snip it. You can wear the cup up to 12 hours. You can wear it while you sleep, swim or work out. Just time it so you don't need to tend to it while you are out. For cleaning, DivaCup sells a wash, but you can use non perfumed soap and warm water. Then boil it to keep it sterile after each cycle.

Here are my pros and cons for the cup:

Pros:

• It is safe and reusable. This will save you money and you won't need to worry about running out of tampons or not having them when you start!
• It can last a year or more (varies on person) which means you pay just $35 for the year. 
• It is super comfortable... like you can't even feel it (once it is in)
• It is 'green' and you don't need to dispose of anything out in the stores or have it hurt your septic system.
• It's easy to use and clean.

Cons:

• Can be a little messy at first
• If you are one that can't use tampons or insert anything and are too uncomfortable with it, this may not be the best solution for you.

DivaCup comes in 2 different sizes. I got model 2 because I have given birth. Make sure you read about both sizes and get what is best for you. If ever in doubt, email support and ask. You don't want to have the wrong size. Pretty much if  you are younger and have not given birth vaginally.. you get model 1 and if you are older, or have given birth vaginally .. pick model 2.

I think I have covered everything. If I remember something else, I will add it in but hopefully this has made you more confident in your decision. I apologize for the long article but I really wanted to share with you ladies and let you know that this is a great product!! Please read the history of the cup and how it came to be. I just didn't want to make this even longer but it is definitely interesting! I had no idea the idea has been around so long. You thought tampons were great after pads? Then you must try the DivaCup after tampons! Find a store near you with this store locator or simply buy now!

Would you like to try one out for free? DivaCup is letting one reader do just that! Use the rafflecopter below to enter, and as always (especially with this one) thanks for reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
I received this product for the purpose of review. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.