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Is the diva cup that much different than Instead? What is it about the Diva that is preferable over Instead? I had heard about it, but only in regards to it being popular in Europe. I have never seen it in the store.

The Diva Cup is a lot more durable and is designed to be reused while Instead is supposed to be single use. I've had the same Diva Cup for years and its still growing strong.

There's a stem on the bottom of the cup that helps you grab/reach the cup to remove it. You can trim it if you find it too long.

ETA: I bought mine online.

[This message edited by GabyBaby at 9:16 PM, March 16th (Sunday)]

Thanks to a Seventeen magazine or the like, I had a mail-away postcard to get my "some-flowery-name kit" from Playtex...I'm pretty sure it was Playtex but something makes me hesitate (maybe it had a different name then?) ...but anyway, you mailed this postcard off and you got your marvelous box of freebies.

I *do* remember the belted marvels, only because our elementary school (K-8) hadn't updated the machine in the girls' bathroom. What a ghastly concept...though I recognize they were an improvement over what went before.

Oddly enough, I was talking about thongs today w/DD17...well, talking about 'butt floss'. A high price to pay for no panty lines, but I get that some people don't mind thongs. I think I'd go commando first...

Diva Cups, Moon Cups and other cups of this type are usually made of a medical grade silicone and are designed to be used and reused for a long time. My current cup is 3+ years old and I don't see any reason to change it.

As a tampon wearer I found that even the smallest ones would dry me out... and it took like a week for the moisture to return following my period... but you just don't have that issue with a cup.

Do a little googling as there are lots of brands and styles out there.

I tried the Diva cup first but it didn't work for me... Tried the Moon cup next and it was perfect. They have different sizes depending on if you've had a baby or not and if you delivered vaginally or via C-Section.

Although adhesive pads had been out awhile my mother bought me the dreaded belt and boat pads. What crap. After about a year of that I personally bought the adhesive pads and introduced my mother to them. Unfortunately that reversed role continued in other areas.

Even better is NOT having a period at all. Yeah continuos OCPs!

I remember having to sit cross-legged in gym with one of those monstrosity belted pads and that thing looked like you had a freakin' monster erection. UGH.

And yeah, when I asked, Mom talked to the family doctor and came back with the verdict: no to tampons. No explanation. (That's why kids nowadays don't work: they have it too easy. Parents are so sympathetic they don't have to earn their own strollin' cash for important things!! :_)

Joke I heard years ago:

Mom: Johnny, it's almost your 7th birthday -- what do you think you might like as a gift?

Johnny: I want Tampax!!

Mom (freaking out *hard*): What are you talking about?? Why in the world would you want Tampax?!?

Johnny: So I can go swimming and horseback riding and play tennis.....

The original Judy Blume "Are you There God it's me Margaret" was my introduction to the "belt" and womanhood. Fortunately I was a late starter. I spent years preparing myself, only be saved by the adhesive.

The new editions have been edited from the old belts to modern day adhesive maxi pads. My old edition is a historical document now.

I was almost 15 and was taking a shortcut through the bush on my way home and stopped for a bush wee. Later I saw a smear on my undies and thought I must have scratched myself on a branch.

Later that night it got worse - I can still hear my mum laughing when I woke her to say I'd hurt myself. I can still hear her laughing when she told everyone the story.

Mortified. Mum had terribly heavy bleeds so gave me this giant super maxi that made me walk like a cowboy. I bought panty liners myself which were terribly inadequate. Finally a friends mum sorted me out. We had a toxic shock death from tampons in Australia around that time so I've always hated them. A few mummy friends of mine use the diva cup and swear by it. I'm not sold.

My 'talk' happened hat first night too - you can get pregnant now. Don't bother coming home if you do. I was 15 - it was 1990. I had heard stuff but didn't make sense of it for years. My friends and I didn't discuss that stuff.

I'll be handling it all much better with my girls and sooner. They've seen my pads and ask me and I've answered them directly.

Unfortunately they still think they came out of my belly button - Miss 6 quizzed me on it, she thinks they came out of my boobs. I have a few years before I have to buy the book and explain it to them. Aaarrgghhhh.

Diva Cups, Moon Cups and other cups of this type are usually made of a medical grade silicone and are designed to be used and reused for a long time. My current cup is 3+ years old and I don't see any reason to change it.

Sounds like a diaphragm?

This is what my Moon Cup looks like...

I never had the displeasure of using a non adhesive pad, but my mom was a huge fan of carefree pads, not why, but those suckers where so thick it was like wearing a twin mattress between your legs. I swam a LOT as kid, and teen, and BEGGED my mom to let us (my sister 31/2 years older than me) use tampons, and she was very hesitant because there was the whole Toxic Shock Syndrome scare. (My mom also didn't let us eat pop rocks, because she was afraid whatever was in them would cause cancer, not a science based mind).

Anyway after having her with me at a Dr appointment I asked my Pediatrician who specialized in teens what her take on it was, and she totally blew mom's theory out of the water, and we were finally allowed to use tampons.

I remember when Always brand came out, and they were so thin we again had to beg mom to let us try them. She was amazed when they worked just as well as the twin mattress's we were previously forced to use.

I had a hysterectomy for my 31st birthday, and when it came time for my DD I started buying one of every product. I was shocked to see they were making pads that were made to wear with thongs. I was just like ewww. Yucky, yucky yucky.

Anyway, I thing those cup thingy do bobs would work really well. I may have to show those to DD. They look soft and pliable probably even more comfortable than a tampon.

The Movie was called The Story of Menstruation. It was made by Disney! Whoa, it sure is dated now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLhld_PI2zg

I remember reading the instructions for using Tampax tampons from the 60s and 70s. It had a list of questions and answers. One of them was "Can an unmarried woman use Tampax tampons?" It took me YEARS to figure out that one. How would a tampon know if you were married or not???

I think in the 90s the question was changed to "Can a virgin use Tampax tampons?" I don't know what it says now.