Truly Divine
:: Mar 9, 12:29 PM

If you are squeamish about the most basic and magical cycle that we all owe our lives to, please stop reading now.

Yes, I am referring to the menstrual cycle.

Last year, upon a fervent recommendation from a close friend, I decided that I should try out the menstrual cup. This is an alternative to disposable pads and tampons that contain bleaches, leave chemically treated fibers in your body and create piles of waste. There are several brands, the most well-known being the Keeper, which is made out of latex rubber. There is also the Diva Cup, made out of silicone, which my dear sister mailed me (this is is NOT available in Japan). It looks like what it sounds like, a flexible cup – with a pointed tip at the end for application and removal. (Feel free tor read the wikipedia entry on the menstrual cup: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cup)

Anyhow, I must admit, even I, despite being quite experimental and earthy, was pretty afraid to use this thing. So, I let it sit above my medicine cabinet for nearly a year.

Fast forward to yesterday, the second day of my cycle this month, 20 minutes before I was leaving for work, I had this renewed excitement for it and in a flurry opened the box, read the instructions and next thing I know, I’m with Diva Cup. Not sure if I’d applied it right, I strode confidently to work.

After my 50-minute commute of sitting and standing several times on the subway, I arrive to work and go to the bathroom to check its positioning. PANIC! I could barely reach the applicator. And panic I did, so, I’ll spare you the details, but I was eventually able to get it out.

Meanwhile another person enters the stall beside me. So I rush out and rinse the cup in the sink. As I quickly wrap a paper towel around the cup, my fellow toilet user comes out of the stall and starts a conversation with me, while I discreetly shove the cup in my back pocket. I must have been red and looking really suspicious.

Anyway, having the rest of the day to recover from my panic, I consulted with my friend who recommended the cup to me via email. She assured me that sometimes the cup stays folded inside of you making the cup susceptible to shifting. And after some thought, that it is actually IMPOSSIBLE for the cup to get lost, I renewed my excitement to try it again when I got home in the evening. With the instructions in hand (this was key! There is a method to removing the thing which makes it much easier) I practiced application and removal several times.

I am not a pro yet, but, I am very, very proud to say that I had an extremely successful day today with my Diva Cup. And there is something beautiful about:
1) not throwing anything away
2) not having to deal with that dampness with a pad
3) seeing the “contents” for that day
4) forgetting about changing anything for 12 hours!!!! (fucking awesome)
5) being closer to your body
6) not feeling ANYTHING!

I can’t sing, dance or host a talk show, but I think using a menstrual cup has taken me a step closer to feeling like a Diva. And reaffirmed that we women are really, truly awesome and powerful.

1. Oooh, love the name. I, too, once ventured out and bought “Instead” but never got around to trying it. Your entry inspired me to take the leap. (Demo, where’d I put it?? Hmm.)

   ps, I’ve been using washable cloth pads for the same reasons you’ve mentioned but needless to say, they’re quite the pain.

   — et    Mar 20, 06:34