It seems that I sparked some interest in the DivaCup with an earlier entry. Let me begin by saying that I don't know much about it. Don't use it. Never have. Probably never will.
But like you, I am curious about this ancient, and yet so very new, method of, shall we say, monthly collection. The whole idea was introduced to me while sitting around drinking wine with some gal pals in the spirit of a good Sex and the City episode. We decided to learn more about this fascinating tool by making use of the wireless internet access of which I have grown so fond.
We had many, many questions about this device. How does one clean it? How often does one change it? How much can it hold? What does one do in a public bathroom? Does it leak? And so on and so on. To our surprise, the questions on the website were phrased almost exactly as our own and the answers were, well, sufficient.
Until we reached this one: What happens if the DivaCup gets stuck? Yes. Stuck.
Here was the response, straight up and to the point:
It is highly unlikely that The DivaCup™ will get stuck since the vagina is only around 4 or 5 inches long. If your DivaCup™ rides up and becomes harder to reach, simply push down (or bear down) on your stomach muscles (similar to having a bowel movement) and reach inside the vagina and pull on the stem until you can reach the base of the cup and squeeze it. Make sure that you are relaxed while doing this so that your vaginal muscles do not become tense. Once you have squeezed the base to release the air, pull the cup out on a sideways angle to allow more air to enter the vagina and it will come out no problem. If you still cannot reach The DivaCup squat on the floor and this will automatically lower the cup because this position pushes everything down lower.
The important thing to remember is not to panic, as this will make the vaginal muscles very tense and it will be harder to remove. If it feels too slippery to get a hold of the stem, wait a bit, relax, and try again by bearing down on the muscles, which will push it down to be able to pinch the base and remove. By following the instructions: making the cup rotate 360 degrees to make sure it has opened up and made the seal, and by wearing it low in the canal(not pushing it up high like a tampon), the cup should be very easy to remove. If it does ride up too high to reach, please call our toll free customer service line as our experienced staff can help.
I'm sorry, but I'm just not okay with that possibility. Plus, I am sure to panic and the image of my squatting self in the bathroom with laptop in one hand and phone in the other, makes me swear off the whole thing. Forgive me, landfills, but I won't be making the switch.
8 comments:
Ha! This entry was totally worth the wait! What if it got stuck while you were on a plane? No room to squat!
the diva cup grosses me out. i wish i could be hip and use a diva cup, but it's just not for me. i did read their website tho. so thanks for the link and the lead.
i think they went wrong with the naming as well.
A very earthy friend of mine uses the diva cup. It seems to work for her, but I can think of a million other environmentally conscious practices I'd rather adopt first.
Is it a cup or more like a shot glass? (I haven't been to the website. . .not sure I'm ready for it).
Just the thought of calling it a shot glass makes me want to vomit!!!!
Seriously, how can you bear down like you are having a bowel movement, relax your vagina, squeeze a cup and not panic, all at the same time? Am I a cavewoman, or is this just NOT possible?
I heard of this years ago... but it was called "The Keeper."
That name is kinda creepy, too.
Lisa
"The Keeper" is very creepy. I saw a brand of it in the store called "Instead."
i think maybe we should all just switch to ob tampons. no applicator, less guilt?!
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