DivaCup - BPA-Free Reusable Menstrual Cup - Leak-Free Feminine Hygiene - Tampon and Pad Alternative - Up To 12 Hours Of Protection - Model 1

Genuinely a miracle (for the most part), in the form of a medical grade silicone cup! For reference, I'm 16 and haven't given birth (thankfully). Overall, I get on really well with the Diva Cup. Soft, smooth silicone means you can barely feel it once its inside and the thickness of the material means its very easy to open it once you know how. It takes some practice to figure out how to insert and stop leaks (cover your WHOLE cervix with the cup!!!) but once you get this sorted in 1 or 2 cycles, it's wonderful to just forget about your period for 12 hours!My only problems were that when I initially cleaned it with soap, as suggested, I got a painful bacterial imbalance (the leaflet DOESN'T tell you you can boil it!) and even now, the cup can sometimes make me feel a bit like I need a wee when I'm standing up, but this is most likely a personal problem than a problem with the product itself!The few problems I have with the Diva Cup don't take away from its exceptional quality and performance and so it definitely deserves 5 stars. A comfortable, reliable and environmentally friendly menstrual product.-=-=-=-=-=-=-When it first arrived my box was a bit banged up but the cup itself (and the carry bag) were in perfect condition. The instructional leaflet provided tells you virtually everything you need to know including how to insert and care for the cup, but it does leave out a few bits and pieces.My biggest criticism is that the leaflet implies that you must clean the cup with either Diva-Wash (which is rather overpriced imo) or anti-bacterial soap. I actually got a bacterial imbalance (very painful...) from using soap at all! It wasn't until after, that I discovered you dont need to use anything. It's more than enough to boil the cup in a pan of fresh water for 2 minutes, since it wont burn or melt (see: silicone cupcake cases!) and takes away all risk of rashes or irritation. I personally feel its a shame this information was left out as it could save a lot of money and, in my personal case, pain!The cup itself is made of really nice silicone. A friend of mine has a few different cups, not including the Diva, and this one definitely has the smoothest, softest silicone. It's quite a long cup and so would probably be better suited to people with a high(er) cervix, but could still be used successfully by most! The stem isn't stretchy and isn't too flexible, which is really good for pulling/pushing when need be. The grip rings that run up onto the base of the cup, again, aren't flexible so it's much much harder to slip/lose your grip. On the inside of the cup, the DivaCup logo and "Made in Canada" is printed nearer the top, and measurements (in both metric and imperial) run down the inside for monitoring your cycle, if desired. The four teeny tiny holes punched through the top rim all go through the silicone fully (compared to cheaper cups) but, as with ALL cups, can become blocked with use. This is easily fixed if the cup is filled with water, held against your hand, turned upsidedown and squeezed to force water through the holes.However, the silicone is quite thick. This means the cup is a bit more resistant to folds and pops open with a little bit more force (it shouldn't hurt, though!) once inserted, compared to cups with thinner silicone. Some may desire this and others may not!From what i've heard, a softer and/or smaller cup (like the Meluna S or M) might typically be better suited for a teenager or someone with a small hymen (more easily inserted, less "pop" feeling) but it's purely personal preference and, considering my own age, I got on with the thick silicone really well! An advantage of this is that it's much easier to pop open the cup once inserted.If you've never used a menstrual cup before (like me before I purchased it!) I would say it's a definitely fine to start with as I found out, but there may be better options for a beginner. As I said above, the thick silicone can be a bit difficult to handle initially.A few words of advice - do some googling! Have a look at some other cups on the market and their reviews to see if the Diva is your best first choice. (PreciousStarsPads on youtube is a wonderful resource!!).And don't give up right away. It took me about 1-2 cycles before I figured out how to properly (and comfortably) insert and open the cup, so I would urge anyone to try and stick with it for a bit, maybe wear pads as backups, and just see if you can get on with it!Overall, the few problems I have with the Diva Cup don't take away from its exceptional quality and performance and so it definitely deserves 5 stars. I would recommend this to everyone I know (that can use one!), if I had the guts to shout about my period!

At the point of writing, I have been using the Divacup for almost 3 years. I rarely encounter a product that almost changes the entire way I live my life; this is one of those products. Since I bought it, I've flown on 10+ hour flights with it, countless hours of exercising/swimming with it, had it in for hours whilst working and at home and not once has it ever caused me any issues. I am nothing but a pure fan of this product. Gone are the smells, the hassle of carrying around extra products and concerns about leaking at night. Gone are the worries when swimming or travelling. I am a true convert and will never use tampons or pads again.There was very little learning curve; by the end of my first cycle with it, I had (mostly) mastered the art and, over time, one can figure out the best way of inserting it for you. The bag it comes in is cute and extremely useful; it's very compact and takes up almost no room in a handbag or suitcase, as well as being very light. Whilst easy to clean overall (in between uses and between cycles), the main issue is staining; after years of use, the silicone has stained a dark colour which only slightly lightens after boiling (not an essential step). Whilst the cup is clean and safe to use when it is stained, it's a bit unsightly, so if you don't mind the staining then you'll be fine; but if the colour makes you squick, that may be a negative for you. I do not think that the special Divacup cleaning fluid is necessary and soap/water and boiling clean the cup just fine. I would not recommend removing the stem (as some people do) as it can help with removal sometimes; I suppose if it REALLY annoys you you can consider removal, but after you master the craft of insertion this should't be necessary.We really don't need thousands of menstrual products, ladies. You only need one, and this is it. You won't regret it!

Reviewing this probably about 6 years later - still going very well, sturdy, just give it a boil every so often to sanitise, good as new!I love thinking how much plastic and waste I’ve saved over the years by switching to this!I’ve swam, been in lakes, water parks, worn white trousers, don’t let tampon adverts lie to you, buy one of these, it’ll save you so much money and you’ll go great for the environment. I also feel a lot cleaner throughout the day.