Instead/Divacup

[lisbonlovesjacq.livejournal.com]

So I've read up about all of the various menstrual cups.

While they all seem equally okay for me (I really can't find much reason to favor one over another), the DivaCup seems to be the one most people prefer and the one I would most like to try. However, it's friggin' $32! I don't want to spend $32 + shipping on something that I may or may not like.

Instead cups offer a free 3-cup starter kit for $3. Do you think it would be wise to try out menstrual cups in general with the Instead cups that I can afford, and if I like them move on to the Diva Cup? Or are these two so different when you use them that it wouldn't help?

Comments

[janejellyroll.livejournal.com]

My two cents: I hated Insteads (they leaked and were uncomfortable and I'm pretty sure they were responsible for an awful infection I had), but I LOVE my Diva Cup. A negative experience with the Insteads doesn't mean the Diva Cup isn't for you.

[lisbonlovesjacq.livejournal.com]

Damn.

I just wish there was somewhere I could get it where it didn't cost so much!! I really can't afford to spend $30some on something I may or may not like but I'm getting so sick of tampons.

[janejellyroll.livejournal.com]

I don't know if this will help, but I was also reluctant to spend the money. I finally did it and it was the best things I ever did. The Diva Cup has totally changed the way I feel about my period!

I wish I'd gotten mine years ago.

[gothictiger.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I justified the purchase by calculating how much I'd spend on Tampons and pads over the amount of years the Diva can last.

[gluedupsidedown.livejournal.com]

I totally agree, I just used mine for my whole period successfully and OMG I love it. I didn't realize how 'dirty' pads and tampons made me feel. And, I may be weird, but its cool seeing all the blood... Okay, I'm weird, I know...

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

one year money back guarantee. if you don't like it, you're only out the shipping, which is less than you could spend on a super hopped-up coffee at starbucks.

[vivalust.livejournal.com]

Honestly, they are so different they don't really compare. I agree with janejellyroll, I had the exact same experience.

[sd-nekojin.livejournal.com]

I got the Instead sample and am currently considering getting a Divacup.
One thing to consider is that Insteads fit very differently than other reusable menstrual cups. Usally people actually like the DivaCup better from what I've heard. Instead cups are shoved really far back compared to the others.
All that aside, I think it would be worth giving Insteads a try first if your unsure. ^^

[pupdetofu.livejournal.com]

The DivaCup does have a one-year guarantee -- just return it if you don't like it.

[sd-nekojin.livejournal.com]

Are you sure it covers just not liking it?

[pupdetofu.livejournal.com]

It sure does :)

[sd-nekojin.livejournal.com]

mmm. Very temping.

[boomingvoice.livejournal.com]

eep. beat me to the punch! :)

[boomingvoice.livejournal.com]

If you don't like it, the Divacup's got that year back guarantee, so you'd only be out the price of shipping, which couldn't be that much more than your insteads starter pack.

[snowmentality.livejournal.com]

If you noticed on the Divacup website, Divacup has a one-year money-back guarantee. If you order it and it doesn't work for you after a few months, you can send it back and get your money back, no questions asked. So you're not taking the risk of losing $32 forever.

Plus -- have you checked to see if there is a local seller near you? I got mine at a local store and it was only $25, and no shipping.

Also, Instead cups don't work like Diva cups. The two are pretty different, and just because one may not work for you, that doesn't mean the other won't.

[swiggett.livejournal.com]

I never tried the Insteads, but general concensus seems to say that Instead cups as a precursor to reusable cups is somewhat double edged. Some women find that it is a good way to get used to the intimacy that is required to use a reusable cup... but... they sit differently inside you, so I do think that it would be worth to try out the Insteads... feel out your options.
Concerning the Diva... there is the one year guarantee if you do not like it. Also, 32$ over 10 years is a bargain. I know it can be hard to choke that much up at once... but it is a pretty good investment.

And certainly check the diva cup website for retailers near you who may carry it.

Good luck.

[herefishie.livejournal.com]

ya Instead fit inside like a diagraghm and diva/keeper don't at all... with Instead u can have sex on your period... the other 2 u can't.

i love my Instead

[falnfenix]

i'm with you there - i just started using Instead, and goodgod...to think of all the money i've wasted over the years on tampons AND pads for those heavy flow days.

(i'd have to double up, just to avoid the potential of leaks...even after 3 hours i'd have leaks. dumb body.)

[maria-sputnik.livejournal.com]

The Instead cups are like...two inch diameter rubbery frisbees (or like diaphragms, that's an easier way to describe them). The Divacup is like the top of a champagne glass. Insteads leak more, are disposable, cheaper, and you can have sex with them in. Divas hardly leak at all, and you can't have sex with them in. (I can't imagine how, anyway.)

I love the Divacup -- but Insteads are OK also.

[mangofandango.livejournal.com]

I'm another person who can't use Insteads but loves the reusable menstrual cup. I'd say you should go for it - they'll give you your money back if you don't like it anyway, so what's the risk? Do it! You won't be sorry. :)

[stateofwonder.livejournal.com]

The only thing I really have to say on this issue is that I like the Keeper better than the DivaCup because the Keeper is biodegradable, but the DivaCup isn't. It also seems to me that the Keeper is a smaller, women-run company which produces ethically, whereas I'm not sure about the people who produce the DivaCup. Other than that, they're basically the same product. I totally looooove my Keeper, I'd really highly recommend trying a menstrual cup.

I haven't tried Insteads, but I've heard terrible things about them!

[http://users.livejournal.com/i_get_it_/]

I got the $3 thing of insteads and my diva cup at the same time. I mostly wanted to try insteads because I liked the idea of using it during sex. I tried it on the first day of my period and it hurt so bad trying to get it in that I had to just use a pad because my vagina was angry at me. But my diva cup is pure menstrual heaven. I had a bit of difficulty getting down techniques for insertion but it causes me no pain or problems (I did have to trim the pesky stem though). I guess my vagina is not built for things to be worn near the cervix so it was a totally different experience.

Also remember that the diva cup is reusable. The insteads are going to add up pretty quickly if you really do use two cups a day. Seems like a waste of money to me, and it's awful for the environment. Diva all the way!