This one's for all the ladies: DIVA CUP!

This morning I had to endure something all women at one point or another have to deal with. It's the embarassing scenario where you get an unexpected visit from Mr. Monthly - and you have no tampons.

Luckily one of my amazing co-workers gave me a tampon, so I was saved. But this is the first tampon I've used for more than a year. Why you may wonder? Because I've made the environmentally-friendly, cost-effective switch from nasty pads and tampons to, wait for it.......menstrual cups!

So ladies, I want you to think about something for a second. There are millions of women in the world, and these millions of women at one point during the month ride "the crimson wave." What most of these women use when dealing with this bloody mess (pun intended) are tampons or pads, basically something that soaks up the blood and makes it easily disposable. But where do all those used bloody pads and tampons go? Can you just IMAGINE how many thousands of tons of used period blood is just sitting in landfills all around the world? Like, GROSS.

As an environmentalist, I thought to myself, "There MUST be a better more earth-freindly way of dealing with this mess!" And girls, THERE IS. Let me introduce to you the DIVA CUP!

What EXACTLY is a diva cup? Well unlike tampons and pads that absorb blood, menstrual cups like the diva cup collect blood. It's simple: you insert your diva cup like any other tampon, and the cup collects the blood. Then you pull the cup out and flush the blood down the toilet. After a quick rinse, you insert the cup back in and go on about your day!

Now I'm sure there are a LOT of questions that come to mind about the diva cup liiiiike "How big is this cup?" " Do you feel it when it's in your poontang??" "Doesn't the removal of the cup result in a BLOODY mess???" Well all I can say is I've been using my diva cup for more than a year, and I've had no complaints. Here are my reasons why I love my diva cup and SHUDDER at the thought of going back to tampons and pads:

1. You can wear your diva cup for up to 12 hours.

This obviously depends on how heavy your flow is, but on my light days I literally insert my cup in in the morning, and forget about it for the rest of the day. (Kind of like the rotisserie grill: "You just set it, and forget it!")

2. It's like there's nothing there!

When you insert your diva cup correctly, it's like you're a free woman. No nasty hanging stringy thingy from the tampon and no feeling like a baby in a diaper with a fat pad.

3. There's virtually NO LEAKS.

I'll admit, in my first few months with the diva cup, I would routinely check down there if I was leaking. But, as the diva cup promises, you do not leak at all. The silicon cup acts like a kind of suction cap and sticks to the walls of your vajayjay, so NOTHING comes through. Of course on my heavy days, I know to change for frequently so to avoid any possible overflow.

4. It's really easy to use.

If you can use a tampon, you can use the diva cup. I know the size of the cup is larger than an ordinary tampon, but once you get an inserting/removing technique, it's a piece of cake. After more than a year of use, I feel totes comfortable with inserting and removing my beloved cup.

5. You save MONEY and the EARTH!

Ever since I got my diva cup, I haven't purchased any tampons or pads. What's the point? I have the greatest invention for all womankind EVER, and I only got it for about 40 bucks! One diva cups lasts a few years (according to the website), but some women have used it for longer. Even if you only use it for one year, you still get your money's worth after about 3 months of use (Too lazy to do the actual math, but trust me on this). Just go to your local Trader Joe's or Whole Foods and get one! There are also many other forms of menstrual cups like the Diva Cup. Just google it!

Not only is the diva cup totally cheap and saves you money in the long run, it's good for the earth. No nasty used pads and tampons sitting in landfills on this earth. No energy and resources wasted on the production of pads and tampons. The blood is simply flushed down the toilet like all other waste). In the end, it's just the more eco-friendly choice.

So I hope I've convinced some of you girls to make the switch to menstrual cups. I've already successfully converted two of my good friends to become diva cup users and they both LOVE IT.

For more information/FAQS/stories/etc go here: http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups