The DivaCup has already done so much for me, and I’ve owned it for less than 24 hrs.
But before I get too carried away with my first-use excitement and astonishment, I’ll share a little background about myself. I’m a 20-year-old full-time college student with a full-time job, and in a committed relationship with the man of my dreams. I love to ride my bike, play video games, read books, play violin, and most of all, get out into the community and help people. I work at a printing company, doing the shipping and fulfillment side of things, so all day long I move boxes, as well as work with hand trucks and skids that weigh up to a ton.
So to say that my period hitting during the middle of work sucks, is an understatement.
I dread it.
Literally, I could be bending over to pick up a 40 lbs box, and all of a sudden it comes rushing out, turning my face beet red and making me sprint to the restroom to clean myself up.
What does that mean for me? I’ve tried everything to prevent this from happening. I’ve tried pads, tampons, panty-liners, disposable cups, heck even toilet paper if I have nothing else on hand. Not only that, but I’m very sensitive to chemicals. Pads, even unscented ones, irritate my skin badly. They’ve given me UTIs before, and made me itch so bad that on more than a few occasions my boyfriend has sped to the drugstore at 2am to buy me all-natural vitamin E feminine sensitivity wipes to remove the traces of chemicals from my skin. I also have to change into a fresh pair of cotton underwear because the residue of those chemicals on the first pair can continue to irritate my skin.
To top it all off, I have heavy periods the first two days of my cycle, with cramps and bloating so bad I double over in pain. I get migraines and nausea so bad I’ve got prescription nausea pills for my worst days. But, because they make me so drowsy I can’t do anything but sleep. Midol is my best friend for the days I don’t have nausea. I’ve learned to treat the symptoms and they’ve gotten better over time. The one thing I couldn’t get rid of was the gushes of blood that continually catch me by surprise, even when I’m armed with a purse full of tampons, pads, etc.
So, the DivaCup has already worked wonders for me. I first heard about it a little over a year ago, right around the time my period started getting consistently heavy and interfering with my everyday activities. I only recently decided to dive deeper into the world of menstrual cups. I read everything I could about menstrual cups before I tried my first one, a disposable cup, that I liked, but it sat too high inside me and would leak every time I went to the bathroom, or if I bent over wrong. I knew I wanted something that was reusable, and a little bit more durable. That’s when I found the DivaCup again. I read the website top to bottom, and finally said I would give it a go. I bought mine this morning, and I haven’t leaked all day.
Normally, I keep a spare pair of underwear in my car just in case. This is the first time ever that I didn’t end up needing them. Also, no irritation whatsoever, and now with the convenient lines to measure my flow, I can much more accurately chart how heavy my flow really is. I don’t turn beet red in the face, nor do I sprint to the bathroom in the middle of my shift, or leave early to go to the doctor because my pad gave me a UTI. I can’t wait to continue using the DivaCup, and save myself a lot of money, embarrassment, and doctors visits.
Thank you, the DivaCup.
Rebecca O.
I am a book-loving language-learning, world traveler, currently majoring in Spanish and building my dreams with the love of my life, Justin. I grew up in a small town, but my big dreams didn’t stop me, and by the time I was seventeen, I left the U.S. for the first time. I’m 20 years old, and I spend my time reading books, playing music, and getting out into my community. My dream is to travel the world, and I have no intention of letting my period stop me
