Written by Amy Atkins
Diva n. a celebrated female opera singer.
I’m no opera singer but the Model 2 Diva Cup is worth making your flatmates ears bleed. Diva Cup and Crombie and Price sent ‘period.’ some of their multi-award winning menstrual cups including one for me to try! It’s been two months and I’m ready with a review.
Disclaimer: Everyone’s body is a little different! So, before we flow on down to the pros and cons of a Diva Cup Model 2 here’s a wee reminder: your experience will be different to my experience. Period. This is where I am coming from: I have been using menstrual cups for two years, I am in my 20s, I tend to prefer cups that are the size most often suggested for people who are 30 or older and have given birth vaginally (even though I am not over 30 and have DEFINITELY not given birth vaginally… I just prefer the larger cups, they feel more secure), I have a self-diagnosed high cervix, and I have a regular period that is very heavy on the first two days.
Right! Now we’ve cleared that up–here are my PMS’s…
Sorry, I mean PMI’s for the Model 2 Diva Cup!
PLUSES
- This silicone beauty came in well-designed packaging perfect for that shop counter. Inside were the instructions in multiple languages, a colourful pouch, and one bell-shaped eco busting menstrual cup.
- Diva Cup offers three sizes! The chart at the end of this paragraph is courtesy of Put A Cup In It.
- The Model 2 takes well to all my go-to cup folds: ‘C’, punchdown, double seven, origami, labia… etc, which makes it easy to insert while in the shower or on the toilet!
- It makes a satisfying ‘POP’ as it opens inside the vaginal canal! So reassuring!
- The bell-shape and tapered design of the cup means there was ZERO pressure on my bladder and no blocking of my rectum. Yes, some cups can push into the bladder and rectum walls… which makes for very confusing toileting**
- Great suction holds fluid in even if it slips a bit (see ‘Interesting 2.’ for more details!!!)
- Super easy to remove because of great tactile base!
- It was simple to wash and sterilise in my microwave after I used it. Yes, I boil my washed cup in a plastic measuring flask inside the microwave with a bit of white vinegar. No, the microwave is not contaminated now. Yes, my flatmates know I boil my cup in the microwave. If you can defrost your salmonella chicken in my perfectly designed ceramic noodle bowl, I can cook my pussy plug (thank you PACII for this glorious phrase) in the microwave on high for 5 minutes. Mmm, steamy vinegar facial.
- It’s made in Canada! Even though this is a Canadian brand all sizes of the Diva Cup are available in New Zealand thanks to Crombie and Price and can be bought off this website: https://www.menstrualcup.nz/product/divacup/
| Diva Cup | Length | Diameter | Capacity (To Holes) | Capcity (Listed) | Stem | Firmness |
| Model 0 | 57mm | 40mm | N/A | 17 ml | 10mm | 3 |
| Model 1 | 57mm | 43mm | 24 ml | 30 ml | 10mm | 3 |
| Model 2 | 57mm | 46mm | 28 ml | 30 ml | 10mm | 3 |
MINUSES
- The packing–yes, I did say it was gorgeous but there is a small con–it has a plastic peep window, plastic seal, and the package is made of shiny cardboard, which I could not tell if it was plastic lined, waxed lined, or other so it had to go in the bin! If you are trying to be plastic free, or are an eco-warrior buying this product new might not be for you!
- The bell-shape and tapered design, while is great for peeing and pooping… it tended to fall to one side inside my vagina. This meant the cup was sitting diagonally for some time resulting in leakage. This was not blood leaking from the cup itself but blood tip toeing down my vaginal canal and past the cup’s silicone fortress! I consulted Diva Cup’s ‘Tips For Success’ page but no matter how I adjusted it or re-inserted it I couldn’t get a leak-free use. I resorted to wearing reusable cloth liners, which is easy but makes for more washing
- Overflow… I usually use a 40ml capacity cup but this one has a 30ml capacity. Those few mls made all the difference. I was not watching the time and I overflowed my cup a fair few times over the two months I trailed it. If you have a heavy period, this cup and any 30ml cup may only last you 3 hours. By day four/five of my cycle I could have the cup in for 12 hours easy. But, during day one or two I either need a higher capacity cup, a reusable pad in, or to empty the Diva Cup cup every 2-3 hours.
INTERESTING!?!
- The stem is hollow at the bottom and it got blood in it… it washed out okay!
- WHAT?! Am I a witch!? My vaginal muscles managed to flip the ENTIRE cup HORIZONTAL inside my vagina–but wait it gets better–with all the blood still inside!!! No leakage… from the cup, anyway. Blood was slipping past the cup at this stage. Diva Cup, congratulations on creating a cup with phenomenal suction capabilities!
For more information about Diva Cup visit: https://divacup.com/
For help using your Diva Cup check out ‘Tips for Success’ here: https://divacup.com/how-it-works/tips-for-success/
*Please refer to my MyCup Review for details of why I do not use small menstrual cups… bloody, bloody disaster!
**Put A Cup In It have a great video about ‘Pooping While Wearing a Menstrual Cup’
This review was made possible by the in-kind support of Diva Cup and Crombie and Price. The Diva Cup Model 2 I tested to make this review was gifted to me.
amygracelaura.com 