The Diva Team is excited to introduce today’s guest blogger, Shaunna. Shaunna is an extremely active 26 year old nursing student living in Ontario with a passion for the outdoors and a number of sports, all of which can present their own challenges to traditional menstrual cycle products. Which is why she loves the DivaCup!
This past summer, a trip to a local water park was planned the day before my menstrual cycle started. Dismayed, since my current selections of tampons were unreliable under the best of circumstances, I set out to find another brand of tampon which would provide a better fit and protection.
In browsing through the products I found the DivaCup and decided to give it a try despite my reservations as to how effective it would be. I tried it out for the remainder of the day and to my surprise I was leak-free. There was a bit of drama trying to remove it for the first time, I had a heck of a time getting a hold of it and removing it. In the end I was successful, but I was a bit discouraged.
The following day was the trip to the water park so I figured I would give it another try. For the first few hours of the day I was so unsure of the product I would rush to the bathroom between water slides, convinced that it must have become dislodged but every time I was pleased to find that it was still holding strong. My mind was finally put at east and I was able to enjoy the day leak and worry free. It endured the stresses of water slides, swimming, climbing, and swinging to name a few things. My second removal went without any difficulty after reviewing the user guide and realizing that I had not been bearing down to assist in removal.
Aside from trips to the water park I am an extremely active individual; I am on the Canadian Freestyle Kayak team, I ride horses, I rock climb, I ride snowmobiles, and I’m delving into the world of triathlons. This product has enabled me to continue all of those and more without worry of leaks, odours, or frequent changes due to the length of time which it can be left in place.
Thanks to the DivaCup I no longer have to worry about bringing a hefty supply of pads or tampons when I travel nor do I have cause for concern regarding the disposal of traditional products which can be a particular challenge when camping where there are no utilities and all that is brought into the park must be brought out. Not to mention it reduces the amount of waste which I produce as an individual. Given that my leisure activities are those which take place primarily outdoors and rely on the sustainability of the environment, such a reduction of waste allows the peace of mind that I am doing my part to protect the places which enable me to pursue my cherished activities.
As a nurse, I have found the flow measure lines on the side of the product are extremely useful to track my flow. I already follow my cycle with a cycle charting app on my phone and having that additional information allows for me to identify any unusual trends and highlight the potential need for seeking the advice of a healthcare professional.
Having used the DivaCup I now know that it is definitely worthwhile and although the initial cost may see high it will easily pay for itself in a few months.
Shaunna K.
Shaunna is an extremely active 26 year old nursing student living in Ontario with a passion for the outdoors. She is a part of and volunteers with local rock climbing clubs, and white water kayak clubs. She also pursues a variety of sports and activities ranging from triathlons, horseback riding, snowmobiling, hunting, and camping all of which can present their own challenges to traditional menstrual cycle products.
