Warning: things relating to menstrual cycles and all that jazz.  The word 'vagina' is used twice for people who are sensitive about the naming of body parts.
I mean, guys CAN read it if they want. Actually, it would do the world a whole lot of good if this whole darn thing wasn't so much of a taboo. But I just want to say I am writing this for the women.

To read this journal you have to accept a few things first:

1. Periods are not horrible things.
Inconvenient in OUR SOCIETY? Yes. But Biologically? It means you're healthy. Your body cleans itself out every month. People who take birth control and other methods to stop their periods (except for very extreme medical conditions), are messing with hormones, pheromone detection, and a lot of other chemistry in their bodies.  I mean, you're tricking your body into thinking it's pregnant... If you're the type to look up scientific articles, take a gander; it's all very fascinating stuff!

2. It's okay to talk about it.
It shocks me how many girls today know NOTHING about their bodies.  It's okay to look this stuff up, to ask questions, and to find people who are comfortable answering those questions.

3. You are open to learning new things.

4. You are beautiful.

And if you cannot accept the four facts I'm presenting to you, then this is NOT for you.  If you can, read on.

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The purpose of this journal is to present an item, the DIVA CUP, that changed my life for the better.  I'm not part of their marketing scheme or anything; simply decided to try it out one day and never turned back.  If you don't believe me, google it and you'll find a whole community of confident women who could vouch for this.

Why now? Because I just had my period, and was jumping off docks, sailing, swimming... Basically living life to the fullest and forgetting I was even on my period.  IS THIS FOR REAL?! Read on.

Every woman's body is different so this is NOT a cure-all for whatever might ail you that time of the month.  I'm lucky enough not to suffer from bad cramps or anything, but my body does feel different ('a little off,' I might say) during that time. Pads were annoying. Tampons were only slightly better. I bleed like a stuck pig so I was one of those people who HATED having my period.

I lead a very active lifestyle. In my happiest state I'm somewhere near a body of water I can jump into.  Pads do not work in those circumstances; for example, in the summer there was around a week each month when I could not swim.  Tragic.  Pads are also just irritating, malodorous and inconvenient.  Pads needed to be carried around, they leaked, there was that rushing/draining feeling every time I stood up.  
Tampons were a bit better. But once the string is wet the blood seeps down no matter how light the flow is. When the tampon is full it was very uncomfortable.  Tampons give you that 'dry' feeling because it absorbs EVERYTHING in your vagina, even the natural moisture that's supposed to be there.  The only time I had anything resembling cramps was when I used tampons.  Also, If you have a heavy flow you'll indubitably know of how annoying it is to have to change it every 2-4 hours.  Lastly, there's still the same nuisance of having to carry spares everywhere. I'm not even going to go into TSS because all girls should already know about that at least.

SO. What the Diva cup is, is a menstrual cup inserted into your vagina (sort of like how a tampon works but not at all). You pour out the blood and reinsert. You sterilize it and reuse it every month.  If you're gagging right now, get a hold of yourself and go look at pictures of kittens.  For those who care to hear more, read on.



The PROS.

-You change it every 12 hours. Literally, once in the morning when you wake up, once at night before you go to sleep.  I need to change it once or twice more on my heaviest flow day, but otherwise I've had no problems.  

-It's silicon, so it's durable, comfortable, reusable, and won't give you things like TSS.

-No need to make sure you have pads or tampons in your bags; no need to make sure strings don't get wet and all that jazz when you use the toilet. Just ONE item needed for the duration of your period. Oh, except for liners if you're concerned with spotting.

-When I switched from tampons to the cup, the cramps went away, along with the dryness and all that. But this is a personal thing, as everyone is different.  

-You can keep track of how heavy your flow is because it has a measurement unit on the side.

-In the long run you save money on how much you spend on other 'feminine hygiene products' (what's so unhygienic about all this?)

-Most importantly for me: I could swim, jump, go camping, DO CARTWHEELS IF I WANTED TO, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week... 365 days a year. I am free.

-Also important for me: not being a part of all the plastics and manufacturing chemicals involved with making disposable products.  




The CONS.

-Huge learning curve.  I couldn't get it right for a whole two cycles or more. And sometimes the mistakes hurt, because the cup works partly through suction.  But I never gave up and as I said, once I got used to it I never looked back.

-Messy at first.  This falls under 'huge learning curve', but pouring blood out of a cup is not within everyone's comfort zones, especially when your first tries are not so successful.  But once you get the hang of it there's no fuss about it.  


-It's expensive.  Around $38.  Though I checked Amazon.com right as I was typing this and there are some going for around $25.

-It requires some form of maintenance... Like you have to wash it and stuff. As consumers in this day and age, we're raised with a 'disposable' mindset so this is new for some people.  


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This isn't a new thing. It's been around forever. People like me are just starting to take notice though.  I first heard about it over a year ago from one of my friends.  I've since recommended it to a number of my friends. My MOM has has recommended it to a number of her friends.  I want to widen the circle.  

I apologize if I've made you feel uncomfortable in any way. In my mind, I hope people become more open about this subject.
So that's my spiel.

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For more information visit their official website: [link]
For product reviews check out amazon: [link]


Stay beautiful!

-Canyx