Girls Only Club - Pros and Cons of a Diva Cup

Not JUST for the girls...technically this post could also be for the boys who think they might like to convince their girls to use a menstrual cup.  I don't recommend recommending ANYTHING to do with menstruation to ANY woman though.  That is, if you're a guy.  I'm not, and I'm speaking from experience, so I'll have my say.

Why are we talking about this?
First of all, let's just state why this is even on a green blog to begin with.  Hugely on the "Pros" side of the argument, menstrual cups are reusable, taking years to end up in a land fill.  Take a look at it this way:  The average cycle is seven days.  Assume that you're using a combination of at least two tampons and two pads per day, that's 4 x 7 = 28 things to end up in a landfill.  Now multiply that by all the women on your block.  Or all the women you know.  Or hey, all the women in Canada.  Yikes. 

Next, take a look at a menstrual cup.

The instructions say that they should be replaced every twelve months, but I have a feeling that's got something to do with Health Canada requirements, because in many places on the internet you can read that they're good up to TEN YEARS.  Yep, 10 years.  And even if you do change it every 12 months, you've saved the planet from at LEAST 336 items in the landfill, assuming our two tampons, two pads estimate.  Playtex, with their plastic applicators, can bite me. 

Speaking of plastic, the Diva Cup in particular, isn't.  It's silicone, which makes it hypoallergenic.  It also makes it comfortable to wear, as the silicone softens with body heat as you wear it, making it contour to your shape.

Let's do this in a simple way:


PROS 

• Reusable, for a long, long time.
• Since they are not up near the cervix like tampons, no risk of toxic shock syndrome.
• Comfort like a tampon.
• Easy to care for.
• NO LEAKS.  This one is huge with me, so I'll say it again:  NO LEAKS.
• Can be worn up to 12 hours.  After twelve hours, remove, dump, rinse, and repeat.
  
• Cheaper in the long run.
• Now easier to find locally, which saves on shipping.  (Store Finder)
• Husband is much happier taking that garbage out at that time of the month.
  

CONS

• A little tricky to get the hang of at first.
• Initial expense might be prohibitive for some.  (Approx. four months budget in one shot.)

That's it.  All the cons I can think of.  Give me time, and I might come up with some more pros.

In case you hadn't noticed, I didn't go into a lot of detail about how the Diva Cup works or anything.  For that, I suggest you head over to their website, where they have a fantastic FAQ that will answer all of your questions from "Ew..isn't that..." to "How do I...?"


I do hope this starts to catch on.  Take some time and think about it, and remember that the small steps we take have a big impact.  In this case, what we teach our daughters today can make for a better world for their own children.