I saw this post at Lemonlye’s a while ago and debated discussing it here and then “that time of the month” arrived and I realized I would be incredibly selfish if I didn’t share it and my own two cents.

See, men, I told you this wasn’t for you...

***This post will be graphic, you’ve been warned!***

In a nutshell, she provides the link to DivaCup, which is a silicone cup to be used during your period instead of tampons. It’s a cup you insert that collects the fluid rather than (try to) absorb it like a tampon. It’s reusable, you just rinse it out and reinsert it. You can wear it up to 12 hours at a time.

For the past three years, I’ve been using the Instead soft cups, which I love and I never intend to go back to tampons. In this case, the cups are plastic and are disposable. They come in a box of 12 and I usually need about 15 per period.

I love the cup because:

1. It can be worn for longer periods of time with no worries about toxic shock.

2. I can’t feel it - I could always feel the tampon.

3. It is great for sleeping - I never worry about leaks.

4. It cuts down on odor.

5. It doesn’t dry me out.

The drawbacks:

1. It’s messier to change it. When I’m at home or the office it’s not that big a deal, but public restrooms are a bit of a challenge.

Since the Instead cups run about $6/box and the DivaCup is $25ish, I think I’m going to invest in one or two of the DivaCups. I highly recommend that you consider looking into one or both of these options. Oh, and Instead is pretty much only at CVS, but I know I’ve seen it at Walgreens and now at Wal-Mart at times too.