menstrual cup

I Spent My Whole Period Using a Menstrual Cup for the First Time, And Here Are All the Gory Details
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An Ode Of Hatred To My Diva Cup

after learning about menstrual cups a couple years ago i finally got one. what took so long? i like to stock up on tampons when they go on sale. i still have a fucking hundo of them, in assorted sizes, sheesh. so why finally switch? i was going to china. i didn't feel like bringing a couple dozen tampons and i know they're more difficult to buy in china. (plus, i generally insist on using cardboard applicators, which are harder to buy even in america). so anyway, i got one before i left, looked up how-tos, and even solicited advice from friends i knew who used it (turns out there are a lot).

improperly wearing my diva cup

i didn't actually try the thing out till sf tho. the morning before heading off to the airport, annie pressed up against the frosted glass window of her bathroom and read me directions as i struggled to push a silicone cup up my cooter. annie was the absolute best tho, even offering to come and personally help me, lol. luckily, it didn't come to that.

i practiced it a couple more times before actually starting my period tho i never left it in for long. come period time tho, i finally committed.

the issue i have with the cup is that it's big. i even got the smaller size! (diva cup recommends women over 30 or those who have given vaginal birth to use size 2. i bought size 1 anyway [why? honestly, because i'm asian. and we generally have have smaller coochies, lol]) so you fold the thing then shove it up your vag. which isn't easy. (tip, moisten with water [or whatever] before inserting) then after you get it in, you're supposed to turn it a full 360 degrees, which i still haven't ever managed to do. partly because 1 there just isn't much to hold onto to get a firm enough grip and 2 i'm not used to putting fingers up my snatch.

once in, it feels fine. like a tampon. like nothing. i didn't have any major problems with leakage tho i never did fully rotate the thing. getting it out tho, ugh. did NOT like that. firstly, the cup has who knosw how much liquid, so you have to be careful how you angle it out. second, the thing is open, so like, it feels fucking weird when you take it out. like, really fucking weird and uncomfortable. blegh.

all in all, i'm ready to give it a second go. but i don't think i'll ever feel comfortable taking it out when i'm not able to immediately rinse it off. i wouldn't want to wipe it off then put it back in. it's pretty interesting tho. i've never had such a good look at my menstrual blood. it's actually quite different that i thought. hahaha, which is fucking embarrassing, really, having had a period now for over half my life and not ever really paying attention to it. but i feel like that's in direct correlation to how our society is hush hush about menstruation, except to use it as a put down when women are expressing their emotions.

anyway, final final thoughts. i don't love it so much that i've fully switched over. i think i'll likely alternate between the cup and tampons