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Diva Cup Tips: All the Advice you Need to Get Started
If you’re looking for some Diva Cup Tips, you’ve come to the right place! A Diva Cup is the most popular brand of menstrual cup in the world, and its name is often synonymous with the product itself, similar to how “Kleenex” now means “tissue.”
However, getting started with DivaCups can be quite intimidating.
They are very different from pads, reusable cloth pads, or tampons. The learning curve is very high for a beginner and leaking is common.
However, please don’t give up! It takes most people a few cycles to get the hang of it. Then you’ll just experience the menstrual cup awesome, minus all the hassle and expense of pads or tampons.
Here are our top 10 Diva Cup Tips to get you started using this amazing product.
Diva Cup Tip #1: Wash your Hands
First up on our list of Diva Cup tips is the most important one! Always wash your hands with soap and water before inserting and removing your Diva Cup.
This will help prevent infections and will make sure you have the best menstrual cup experience possible. In general, people experience fewer things like yeast infections when making the switch from tampons to menstrual cups, but if you don’t wash your hands, this advantage will disappear quickly!
We know that is may look a bit odd to wash your hands before going into the stall in a public bathroom, but don’t worry about it! It really is important in order to prevent any sort of infection in the lady bits.
Diva Cup Tip #2: Insert in the Correct Position
If you try to insert a Diva Cup while lying down, it won’t end up in the correct position.
Instead, insert your period cup while on the toilet, while squatting, or with one leg up on something like a chair or edge of the bathtub. This will give you the best chance for getting your Diva Cup in the right place.
Most people find that insertion if easiest when sitting on the toilet.
Diva Cup Tip #3: Make Sure it “Pops”
You have to fold your Diva Cup in order to insert it. One major cause of menstrual cup leaking is that the folds remains after you insert it. This means that it’s not fully open, nor is it sealed against your vaginal canal. This is the most common reason for Diva Cup leaking.
In order to prevent this, you need to make sure your Diva Cup pops open and is sealed. You can do this one of two ways:
- Run your finger around the outside rim to make sure the Diva Cup is fully open. This is the most common way.
- Twist your menstrual cup a 1/2 turn to the right, and then a 1/2 turn to the left.
Either of these methods will make it very obvious to you if your Diva Cup is sealed to your vaginal canal, or not. If it’s not opened and sealed, grip the base and jiggle it around until it is. Or, do the twist again.
More Menstrual Cup Tips
Diva Cup Tip #4: Let it Breathe
People need to breathe! Your Diva Cup is the same. Nothing will ruin a new (and expensive!) Diva Cup faster than putting it into an airtight container at the end of your period. This encourages some serious bacteria growth, from which it will probably never recover.
The best way to store a Diva Cup between cycles is to keep it in the pink cloth bag it came in. The key is good airflow. Whatever you do, don’t put it into a Tupperware container with the lid on!
If you lose your cloth bag for whatever reason, don’t despair. You can loosely wrap your Diva Cup in a paper towel and put in the drawer until next month.
Check out more details here: Menstrual Cup Cleaning Guide.
Diva Cup Tip #5: Mornings Can be Difficult
Next up on our list of Diva Cup Tips is a tip related to the morning. During the night when you sleep, your menstrual cup can move up the vaginal canal towards your cervix. When you try to remove it in the morning, it can sometimes be difficult to grab the stem because it’s so far up your vaginal canal.
If you find your menstrual cup really difficult to remove when you first get up, don’t panic. You will be able to get your Diva Cup out eventually. You can do any of the following:
- Wait an hour or two and try again. Put a pad (we love the reusable cloth ones) on if it’s full and/or leaking.
- Push with your pelvic muscles. This can sometimes push the cup out a bit further.
- Chill out! Take 10 deep breaths. Try again.
You can easily get the Diva Cup on Amazon today:
Diva Cup Tip #6: Don’t Give up too Soon
A common thing that people do is give up on menstrual cups too soon. It usually leaks a lot for the first couple of cycles. This is because it’s not that easy to insert it correctly.
However, once you get it, you get it.
And you should have many years of leak-free period protection! So, don’t give up after only a few cycles. Keep on trying for at least 5. Then if it’s really not working for you, try a different size or brand, or another form of protection.
A way that you can deal with the leaks at first is to use a pad. We recommend cloth menstrual pads here at Reusable Menstrual Cups.
Diva Cup Tip #7: Online Forums
Coming in at number seven on our list of Diva Cup Tips is some advice about where to go if you need some personalized help. If you’re really having a tough time with using a menstrual cup, there is help!
You can contact the Diva Cup company and you’ll usually get a personalized, useful response. Or, you can check out any of these Menstrual Cup Forums for some great advice from other users.
Diva Cup Tip #8: Cleaning-The Easy Way
Many of the menstrual cup companies recommend using something like the Diva Cup Wash for washing your menstrual cup. We find that the companies who make these products recommend them. Companies who don’t have one just recommend soap and water.
Although these washes work very well, they are expensive. The good news is that you just need a tiny amount, because most of the menstrual cup washes lather up quite well.
If you’re looking to save some money, just use plain soap and hot water. Then at the end of your period, you can boil it for about 5 minutes and put your menstrual cup into the cloth pouch that came with it.
Cheap and effective. We love that here at Reusable Menstrual Cups because we’re all about the frugal awesome.
Diva Cup Tip #9: Cutting the Stem
Although we would never recommend cutting the stem for the first cycle or two that you use the cup, if it’s persistently sticking out and feeling uncomfortable, it’s a great option.
A quick note: the stem isn’t actually used to pull the cup out. You should grip the base instead. The stem is however what gives you access to the base if it’s far up in your vaginal canal.
But, if the stem is too long, don’t throw out the Diva Cup and try another brand. Cut the stem a little bit shorter and see if it works for you. It usually does, as long as the fit is good and it doesn’t leak.
If you haven’t bought a menstrual cup yet, but have a short vaginal canal, then check out these low-cervix menstrual cups. You’ll probably have a better experience than trying to make a cup that is too long work for you.
How Can I Measure my Cervix Height?
Check out our Menstrual Cup Quiz
If you’re considering buying your first menstrual cup, but aren’t sure if you need a short, long or average length one, check out our menstrual cup quiz.
We’ve combined our handy menstrual cup comparison chart, along with our extensive knowledge gleaned from reviewing all the cups and put it to work for you.
5 simple questions, 1 minute of your time. A solid recommendation for the best menstrual cup for your body type. Check it out:
Menstrual Cup Quiz
Diva Cup Tip #10: Using it in Public Bathrooms
Last up on our list of Diva Cup tips is about using it in public bathrooms. Ideally, you’d have a private bathroom with a toilet and then a sink right next to it. You can remove the cup, empty it into the toilet, wash it with soap and water and then reinsert it.
In a public bathroom, you don’t have access to a sink next to the toilet. In this case, you can wash your hands before you go into the stall. Then take out the menstrual cup, and empty it into the toilet.
It’s not such a big deal to wash the Diva Cup before insertion every single time. The key is to just clean it thoroughly once or twice a day when you’re at home. If you can’t rinse the cup with soap and water, don’t worry!
However, you can bring some wet wipes which are useful. You can use one to clean your Diva Cup. You can also clean your hands thoroughly inside the stall. They can sometimes get menstrual fluid on them and you might not want to go outside the bathroom stall to wash them in the sink like this.
Need to Buy a Diva Cup?
If you’re looking to buy a Diva Cup, the best place to get one on is Amazon. Check out the Diva Cup on Amazon today:
