Seriously, gentleman, I’m more than thrilled to have you on this journey with me [read: I hope you don’t go away after this post!], but this giveaway is for the Divas in my life. I’m giving you the heads up now, I am about to talk about that time of the month.

As women, we all have to deal with our menstrual cycles. If you’re like me, you probably hate it. I get cramps, a backache, headaches, stomach issues and nausea, not to mention irritable, crabby, emotional and sometimes downright mean [mostly to my husband who is actually pretty understanding; I’m sorry, honey]. As athletes, getting your period can pretty much ruin any training plans you might have had for that particular week – especially for me.

I literally dread working out and running on my period. Not just because I am already uncomfortable with things I can’t control, but because I can’t find a pliable solution to the issue to make it any less painful. Pads are messy, uncomfortable, bulky, leaky, feel like a diaper and cause massive chaffing if I even so much think about sweating. Tampons? I have never really had success with those. They don’t seem to fit well with my body and I can feel them when I am moving. Not to mention, my flow is usually heavy enough that I end up wearing a pad anyway. So, over the years, I went strictly to wearing pads, but I’m uncomfortable no matter what I do. Just getting up and going to work is a chore because I am afraid of leaking or having to change my pad every half hour. Exercise? Running in public? You can pretty much forget about it for one week out of the month. I go into hibernation mode and I will – sometimes even gladly – sacrifice my training plan to stay in bed where less horrible things are bound to happen. I have “period” pants, “period” underwear and “period” pajamas. P.S. Am I the only one who does that? Because if so, please don’t tell me!

Through all of this and as running became a regular part of my life I started to think, “There hasto be a better way.” After a new runner asked me what I did while training on my period, which nearly resulted in tears on my end, I started asking other girls in my group what they did.

Enter the DivaCup. What’s that, right? That’s what I said, at least. The DivaCup is a non-absorbent menstrual cup that simply collects menstrual flow. Clean. Convenient. Reusable. Perfect for the active woman. I’m never going back.

Now before you freak out on me with That’s gross or I could never do that or I don’t want that stuff inside of me! hear me out. I was surprised with what I found. 

The idea of a menstrual cup is not new – it was actually developed in the 1930’s – but in 2003, the DivaCup Team developed a modern redesign, made from soft, top-quality silicone, to meet the needs of women today. The DivaCup is latex free and is made from top quality silicone, a material that has been used in healthcare applications for over 50 years. No chlorine, dyes, colorings or additives of any kind are used and it is BPA free. The soft, flexible material and design makes it so you can’t even feel it when you are wearing it. Not to mention, most pads and tampons are full of surfactants, adhesives and additives – do we really want that stuff inside of us?  

The DivaCup comes in two sizes. Model 1 is for women under 30 years old who have never delivered vaginally or by caesarean section and Model 2 is for women over 30 years old and/or for women who have delivered vaginally or by caesarean section. You can find out the specifics here. I have a Model 1, and I trimmed down the stem so it fits my body better.

  

The DivaCup can be worn for up to 12 hours before emptying, washing (with the DivaWash or a scent-free, all natural soap) and reinserting for use for another 12 hours. It can be used for light or moderate flows and is emptied more often to accommodate heavy flows. It is perfect for overnight use. I empty mine twice a day, and it has never been full, leaked, got on my fingers or spilled due to the cup-like design.

I’ve had my DivaCup for about four months now and I love it. However, after I first received it, I was not too sure it would work for me. It does take some practice learning how to insert it. Because it sits lowin the vaginal canal, it is not inserted like a tampon, yet, if you have ever worn a tampon, your natural tendency is to insert it that way. It should be inserted as if you are pushing it straight back towards your tail bone, not up like a tampon. If The DivaCup is uncomfortable or leaking, then it is not positioned properly. For the first month, I was thinking tampon and this just does not work – it is very uncomfortable. Once I figured it out, the DivaCup is super-easy to insert and take out and I don’t have any problems now, but it did take me a few months so if you try this product, don’t give up right away! The DivaCup Team was very helpful in personally answering my questions and I found a wealth of information on the FAQs Page. The customer service was second to none! 

The. DivaCup. Is. Amazing. I save time, money, hassle and stress when I wear it. I boil it for ten minutes after my cycle and store it in the little cotton bag until next time. I don’t think about it any more than that. I don’t feel it at all when I am running, which is what originally attracted me to it. I can run for miles and not even notice where a pad would become extremely uncomfortable. I have worn Khakis, skirts, and shorts without worrying since I got the DivaCup – no more “period” days! Plus, for $32 – $40 (you can purchase it here) it saves what I personally would spend on menstrual products and creates less waste for the environment. It’s reusable for about a year so you don’t have to continually buy pads and/or tampons. Multiply that over a lifetime and the cost covers itself in money saved.  

Extra entries: