Eco-Friendly Feminine Care
November 10, 2008 by Noel Boehm
Filed under Bath & Body, Beauty Products, Eco-Friendly, Health News
So I know we talked about this already : the issue of greener alternatives to feminine hygiene products. Grist however goes into great detail here. It’s part one of a two part look at disposable and reusable options. I would highly reccomend taking a look at it if you’re still on the fence about these products. I did try the Diva Cup and some reusable pantyliners a few months ago with mixed results. The pantyliners are fantastic and so much more comfortable than standard disposables. I just rinse them out and throw them in the wash and I haven’t had any issues with them. Now the Diva Cup on the other hand was an absolute fail…a very expensive one. I found it to be incredibly uncomfortable and almost impossible to remove without a good deal of effort. I really want to give it another try but after many attempts, I’m sorta traumatized by the experience. Anyway check out the Grist article and pass it along.
Via Diva Cup
There’s a bit of a learning curve. You might try practicing inserting it when you’re not on your period. I found that that helped a lot actually.
Some people recommend trimming the stem and that it feels more comfortable. I’ve never done that because I like the help to remove it. Possibly, if it’s poking you, you don’t have it in far enough. BUT, you don’t want it in too far or it can leak. I have found the suction can make cramps worse if you have a sensitive cervix. I think this has to do with whether you have a tipped uterus or not. So if that’s the discomfort you’re feeling, then there’s not a lot of help for that except painkillers.
I’ve, personally, never had trouble removing it, it helps if you bear down a bit like when, sorry, when you’re doing a number two. I know, overshare. My apologies.
It really does get better. I like it a lot and I don’t get dried out from it like with tampons. There’s a lot less smell, which I love. And if you have it inserted properly, you often don’t have to empty it as often as you have to change tampons. And often, if it does leak a bit, it’s less likely to be tons of blood. USUALLY it’s just average wetness.
i agree. it does take some practice. i hadn’t used my divacup for years (from being pregnant and nursing) and so when i finally got my period back, i was excited to use my divacup again. however, my re-attempt last month was incredibly frustrating and sort of scary: it was impossible to get out! after freaking out, i finally realized i needed to relax, leave it in for an hour, and try again. success! even a seasoned divacup user like myself needed to practice again. i do recommend you email or call lunapads for personal customer service and someone will talk you through it so that it is comfortable and not an exercise in frustration. good luck. (and thanks for the post and using washable pads and pantyliners!)
sweet mother of God!!! Seriously, the divacup does not look appealing!! I mean we can put people on the moon but we can’t figure out a less scary and torturous green feminine hygene product than the divacup???
ps: I have missed this blog dearly and am happy to be back online!!