So I'm normally pretty low-maintenance when it comes to cleaning my diva cup. My usual regime is rinsing it in hot water after emptying it, then boiling it when I'm done with my period. I'll be working at a summer camp soon, where I won't be able to boil my diva cup after my periods. Do people find that this is absolutely necessary, or is there another solution to this?

I know a bunch of people have had lovely experiences with their cup while traveling or doing any sort of activity that might be a little uncomfortable if you were wearing a pad. So I just thought ya'll might find it neat that the DivaCup has a banner on JourneyWoman.com, a travel website aimed at the solo traveling woman. I gotta say, as someone who's planning to go backpacking in Europe over spring break, I am SO HAPPY I have my cup because I would not want to be messing disposable icky products while traveling.

Know of any other places where the Diva or other menstrual cup is being advertised? Ever spread the word while traveling/camping with other women?

I went into one of the bathrooms on my campus (I'm studying in Scotland for the spring semester) and I was so freaking delighted to see someone had a MoonCup sticker pasted on the inside of the stall -- and people had even added their own praises for the cup by writing "best thing ever!" and "it's saved my life!" on the sticker itself. I added a big smiley face to the sticker.

cup love! <3

if your daughter or you (as a teen or young adult) were going to an all girls outdoor adventure camp, how would you feel if the company suggested that if she will possibly be on her period during the trip that she use a menstrual cup, and suggest brands for younger girls?
EDIT
I am an outdoor recreation major. I am developing four comprehensive outdoor adventure programs for girls and women. (one for girls + their moms, one for women 35-50), one for young adult women who want more in depth knowledge/skills of outdoor activities and one for girls who are having trouble managing their weight) Because the entire program is designed specifically for women, there would be a page in the program info packet (what you recieve to help you pick what program you want to participate in) with information on being a woman living in the outdoors. Dealing with menstruation is obviously a big part of that. they would be given the info right off the bat and wouldn't be pressured into opting for a cup.

I've read the camping/backpacking archives, but need help deciding how to clean my Lunette when in the wild.  I know to dispose of the blood like my solid waste and toilet paper--away from water, camp sites and trails, in a hole six inches deep and covered with soil.  My concern is washing it.  The best I have come up with so far is carrying a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol.  Can anyone think of anything better?  Thanks.

I just had my first cycle with my Diva Cup and it was AMAZING! I've never enjoyed a period that much! I couldn't get over how clean I felt. At times I forgot that I was even having my period. I got my period while I was at my cabin in the middle of a remote area, and it was wonderful not having to worry about discreetly disposing of pads 3-4 times a day. I could go swimming without having to make an excuse! And I didn't have one leak. Is this just beginner's luck?

I was surprised at how light my period was. And, this may be TMI, but the blood wasn't how I expected it to be. It was kind of...sticky, if that makes sense. Also, amazingly, my period only lasted for 3 days, where usually it lasts for 5-6. AMAZING, I TELL YA.

So, enough of me gushing over my cup. I do have two questions.

1.) I find that it sits a bit low. I cut the entire stem off, and I have the smaller cup. I think my vagina is just small. It doesn't bother me too much, but it gets so low that I can feel it sometimes. Do I need a different cup? I don't plan on getting a new one right now, but for future reference.

2.) I was wondering what the best way to clean it is after a cycle. I don't really want to go out and buy any special soaps, and I've read that boiling it doesn't achieve much. If anyone can share a simple way to clean it I'd be extremely grateful.
Thanks in advance!

Okay, so I've used my brand-new Divacup for... a period and a half now. The first time was pretty much problem free after I worked out the kinks of insertion, etc. Three days ago I got another period [*grumbles* Not supposed to start for another week and a half] just before I was to go to a friend's cabin for a few nights. They have one tap in the kitchen, and otherwise no running water. The fairly small, two bedroom cabin had about ten people sleeping there so there were sleeping bags everywhere and no privacy.
I brought a handful of leftover pads, but was hoping of course to just be using the Diva. It worked fine all morning, but [and I didn't have a waterbottle to be bringing with me into the outhouse... which was poor planning] after being cleaned with nothing but toilet paper a few times, it started leaking badly. I was going doubled up with the cup and a regular pad. The cup slowed my flow a little but when I took it out, it was pretty much empty and coated in gunk on the outside. After three days of that, I got home, boiled it and cleaned it properly, and reinserted it. So far it's been working fine all by itself.
Any ideas for why that would be? I'd kind of like to avoid having it happen again. Would having a waterbottle to rince it with have helped? Or is it just not something to be bringing camping?

I was expecting the red tide while on a canoeing trip last week, so I learned all about camping with the Diva from our Wild Woman guide.  I thought I'd share:

The real key is to empty the cup into the water so that the blood flows away from the camp.  Wash with drinking water.  Use hand sanitizer to wash your hands, but be sure to rinse well.

After the camping experience, I have a few more suggestions to add:  Bring a nail brush and bio soap so you can clean your hands well before removing the cup.  I couldnt' BELIEVE how long it took me to get my nails clean after that trip!  I'd even suggest bringing gloves or finger cots to combat the dirt or hang-nail factor. 

The cup is FAR superior to tampons and pads when camping.  Tampons you have to stop and change too often, and you have to carry then with you until you can burn them in the campfire.  Pads you have to triple baggie and pack out with you.  

If you're camping with Aunt flo, bring your cup!

 Okay, so I had the backcountry tampon/pad routine pretty well dialed in, but now I have a cup.

Next week I'm leaving to go backpacking for 12 days out west.  Of course, I'll have my period right in the middle of it.  I've had a keeper for a couple of months now, but after my last run with it I got a yeast infection, although I think it was soap related.  Anyway, I freaked and got a divacup just in case it had anything to do with the rubber.  I've done a couple of dry runs with the diva and like it just fine.  I'm a little concerned about reoccurring yeast infections as they've been an ongoing problem for me for several years.  I picked up some acidophilus today to take with me as a precaution.  I've also got a little bottle of Dr.B's peppermint for cleaning the cup (I've learned my lesson about washing it too frequently and the ugly on deoderant soap).  So I think I've got all of my bases covered.

My real question pertains to clean water.  It seems that has been discussed here previously and the upshot was always to use some sort of "treated" water.  I'll be using iodine on this trip to treat my water.  How's iodine (obviously extremely diluted) on/in female parts?  I'm using it to treat water that I suspect would most likely carry Giardia or Cyptosporidium which both mostly cause digestive problems.  If water contaminated with those was entering your body in other ways (like via a cup) are you going to get sick from it?  It's a pretty small amount anyway, probably less than most people drink while swimming in water that may or may not be contaminated.  If you swam in that water too, wouldn't it get up inside as well?  Or, at least have the potential to?  Could we assume that any water you would swim in would be safe to rinse your cup with? (away from the source of course).

What have others done on extended backcountry trips?  This is a wilderness trip and there will be no access to running water, outhouses or pit toilets for 12 days.

Edit: Thanks everyone for some helpful and encouraging replies! I'm now much more inclined to use diva while away, which is great! I'm gonna bring some tampons with me just in case, and give them to a friend if I don't use them all. Of course, if anyone has anything different to add, then I'd still love to hear it!

Hey everyone!

Anyone here been to China with their cup before? Any advice? I''m gonna have to deal with polluted  water and squat toilets!

I'm going in September for a class trip for 5 weeks. I will bring along my diva if I have any chances of using it, but unfortunately I don't think I will be able to due to the water quality over there. Of course there are things I could do to get around this. For example carry a water bottle around everywhere which sounds simple, but I think is a real inconvenience, especially when I'm just trying to enjoy myself in a foreign country (btw I'm Aussie).

I also have a bit of trouble with leaking sometimes (I'm slowing getting better) so I'll wear backup lunaliners, and as I say later on washable products may not be suitable.

Because I've been using the diva since feb 06 I know I can't go back to normal pads, and reusable would be an option if I wasn't traveling around everywhere, having to use public washing machines etc. So I would be using tampons. I was 16 when I got my diva and previous to that I had only used pads, so there was really no point in using tampons, but I tried one a month or two ago just to see what they were like, and anticipating China.

So for my circumstances I think using tampons is the best option. It's only one period anyway (maybe two, or maybe even none cauce I'm a little effed up sometimes!)

So yeah.. just wondering if anyone had any advice and or suggestions. Another thing I'm thinking is.. The water is unsuitable to drink, but would it be suitable for washing my diva? I must admit I don't know exactly what is the problem with China's water..

Looking forward to your thoughts!

ps. sorry bout the lack of tags, have no idea where this would fit. cup use and.. travel?? cleaning?

(First post!)
This July I am going on a group canoeing and hiking trip in Ontario's Quetico Park. I was quite relaxed about the possibility of getting my period on the trip--"I'll just use my DivaCup," I thought. I've used it for about nine months now with no issues, so I'm not worried about it acting up in the woods. But the park has very strict rules about leaving waste behind: you bury everything in a latrine, which you dig yourself, except toilet paper, which has to be carried out of the park after it's used. I believe you have to carry out or burn pads and tampons when you use them. And I spoke to a friend who used to backpack a lot, and she told me that bears tend to come more often to campsites with menstruating women.
So my problem is, can I just empty my blood into the ground in the woods and bury it? Will it attract bears? Quetico is one of the least polluted places in the world--you can drink the water right from the rivers--so I don't think emptying my cup into the water is an option. There are absolutely no bathrooms in the park besides at the ranger station, which I'll be away from for eight days. My group is all-female, but I doubt anyone's got a menstrual cup and I don't know most of them too well.
Any ideas? Has anyone ever gone camping in a place like this? I've done the math: if my period stays regular for the next few months, it will be in full swing for most of the trip.

I know there are frequently questions about taking the cup backpacking. I haven't had the opportunity to use it on a camping trip yet, but today I ended up emptying the cup in the woods.

I chose my location as if I were urinating: a secluded spot away from a water source. I didn't take any measures to hide or cover my mess. Should I have done so in the ecology of the Pacific Northwest forest lowlands?

( messy, bloody and still, well-received. )

We're going backpacking this summer. It will be nice to not have to worry about scheduling around my period or packing (out) supplies!

But next time, I'm bringing wet-naps at the very least.

As I was preparing to head to a camp event for the week, my moontime started.

I thought, well this will be an interesting experience!

Mind you, this camp has cabins and showers and toilets, but not much privacy. I took soap with me to be sure I could wash my cup properly.

It was great!

I was working 6 hour shifts on check-in for the event, and it was SO nice not to have to worry about my moontime when things got crazy!

And when I did change it, nobody noticed I was washing the cup along with my hands.

I'm definitely sticking with the cup!

hey this is my first post! so i am going camping in the next week or so, and of course the period is a comin'!!!!! i have just started using the diva cup, and so far easy as pie.  i just wanted to know what kind of tips you ladies have for camping with the diva cup. also how to dispose of the contents of the cups while out in the middle of no where. is it kosher to dump menstruation in the woods? (i don't think it is, but i would like to know for sure).  also i will be camping with all boys. although i am comfortable telling everyone about my bleeding every month,  the guys on the other hand are a bit grossed out. being guys i just don't think they would understand the complications that go along with period and camping. so any tricks that are fairly uncomplicated would be great. thanks so much.

I've travelled with my period before, and with the addition of my awesome DivaCup, it's been pretty easy. However, next month I'm heading to Japan, and if by some miracle my period comes when it's supposed to (it's always been really irregular), I'll have it while I'm there. With my cup, it probably won't be too much of a problem, but I've heard bad things about the bathrooms in Japan-- either there's just a hole in the ground, or the toilets are bizarre and complicated, plus the fact that some bathrooms don't have sinks or even toilet paper. I've never been to Japan so I have no idea if any of this is true, but if it is, well, it's going to make my life kind of difficult. Does anyone have any experience with this? Also, what about the 14-hour plane ride? I really, really don't want to risk cleaning my cup while we're in flight. All advice appreciated!

Hi everyone. :)

I've been checking out this community for a little while now and reading a bunch of the posts. I finally joined, so here I am (in the US).

So... I was convinced to order a divacup (smaller size - I'm 30 & never had kids) and give it a shot since I despise pads, tampons, and that "smell".

I'll probably have more questions at a later date, but here's my first one.

The thing that concerns me is how I keep hearing that the holes are small and hard to clean. I'm also afraid of the super suction I've read about (especially since I'm considering an IUD).

So my question is... Is there a way to make the holes bigger? (For example, I own a dremel with very small jewelry making size drill bits). I ask because I go camping/gaming on some weekends and cleaning my cup properly could be problematic. (The sinks are on the outside of the building in full public view even though the toilet stalls are inside, and I may not have a chance to grab a bottle of water to take in with me either). So I'm concerned with the holes getting clogged and not being able to clean them efficiently/quickly and thus leading to leaks/seal/suction problems while out in the middle of the woods. I'd also like to not kill my insides trying to remove the cup and suction since I tend to be on the small side.

I'm also now wondering if I should have gotten a Mooncup (UK) instead? I ultimately chose the Diva because of the 1 year guarantee though I was leaning towards the Mooncup. I've never even heard of anything like this before several weeks ago.

Thoughts?

p.s. This community is wonderful with the amount of information here! :) Thanks much!

Hi ! I had few problems washing the holes and letters, and mesuring lines inside the cups (with all my cups, except Lunette). Lately, I bought lingettes of intimate toilet (for skins sensitive, without soap, neutral Ph), of the brand Rogés Cavaillès. You know, we do not need to rinse after their use. They are useful when you're on your periods, before having sex, or I guess maybe when camping...

I though : why not try to do a better cleaning of the residues (that stays despite the sterilisation in the boiling water or that with some water + vinegar) upon my Divacup and my Mooncup UK ? So, I covered my index with a lingette, and I used my nail so covered to scratch with accuracy the tracks of blood. The lingette is rather wet not to be afraid of damaging the cup, and it allows exactly to clean. For the holes, first, I returned the thick part of the cup towards the outside (then, towards the inside) to push aside holes in order to remove the remaining blood. I also tangled up very finely a corner of the lingette to cross it boorishly in every hole. That works well, it's even very effective. Then, I rinced carefully the cups, (I don't remember any more if I washed them with some soap before rincing).


I'd like to ask you something. Well, I never had to empty a cup outside, but I think I will have to for my next period and that makes me nervous. I'll take some antibacterian gel without rincage for hands. I said to myself that I would use it in case there is no soap in toilet, and for which I would wait that the gel is very dry before manipulating my cup.
I think I can simply wipe it or rince it with water from a bottle, but it does not allow to wash the holes where some blood or..well other thicker things are blocked. Now holes are important for the suction of the cup, especially on heavy days..
So, I think I could empty the cup, then maybe wipe it (better with damped tissue ?), then use a lingette. But do you think I should still rince after with water from my bottle, or even rince before and after using lingette) ? These lingettes are suited to respect the vaginal balance. But I guess they're rather reserved for a use external, that is for the vulva.. In this case, rince the cup with water would be more careful ? In advance, thanks for your advises !

Inspired by the posts of those who had zero leaks after going from a Diva to a Mooncup, I decided to give it a try. I love the Mooncup's huge holes and the thick rim.

Except I still got skidmarks on my Lunapads on my first three days. I think less than my Diva. The mooncup leaks too. However, it was the first time that I have had a stain free period (the Lunapads don't really count). Ever. Or since May 15, 1999. So the Mooncup sort of works.

Meanwhile, I fly to Arizona in one week. I stay there for three weeks and will be getting my period while I am there. I won't quite be camping, but I will be in a hostel like situation: sharing a bathroom and living out of a suitcase with strangers. We do laundry once a week. My cups are great for this sort of thing (I'm bringing both in case I drop one in a toilet and can't boil it), but I would rather not deal with disposables, using my last disposable last January.

I know people take divas camping all the time, but what you you do when they leak? Any tricks for cloth pads?

I am on my fifth or so cycle with the Diva and so far, amazing as it is, I have not had to empty the cup in a public bathroom. The closest I come to this is at work, but there we have bathrooms with one toilet and one sink and no one else can get in, so I'm free to do what I want in there! I don't know if the fact I've never had to empty the cup in a public bathroom is a really sad commentary on my social life, or a reminder that I'm a mom of three, 9, 7, and 5, a full-time night charge RN, a student, oh, and a wife, too! ;-)

Anyway, tonight my husband and I are going to see a concert and will be gone for probably six or more hours which, may not seem like long to most of you, but I have incredibly heavy, long periods (I've lost 96ml so far and I've only been actively bleeding for five days and have 9 more minimum to go) and I empty my cup quite often out of both necessity and paranoia.

So, what do you do in a crowded or uncrowded public restroom set up with stalls and a line up of sinks? Do you just dump the cup contents in the toilet, reinsert and hope for the best? I'm so used to having a clean, fresh cup to re-insert. I don't see what other way there is of doing it, actually, unless you have an invisibility cloak borrowed from Harry Potter or something.

I was wondering how all of you did it, but then wondered if you all just can go the entire work day and then some without checking yours.

But then I was wondering, too, about things like next summer and our new camper and how we'd be staying in places with pit toilets and places with bathrooms without any privacy or way to wash out a bloody cup without ending up with people complaining to the campground managers!

How do you do these sort of things? I guess I could kick the kids out of the camper for a moment or two and clean the cup with some water in the camper. Any thoughts are appreciated. I know I thought about this over the summer. We didn't have our camper yet, but stayed in many cabins with shared bathrooms and used many a pit toilet in the national parks and 18hour days on the road got me thinking about when I would have a chance to clean out my cup.

I also have an intense fear of dropping the cup in the toilet. Trust me, I'm the type of person who would do that, too!

Thanks for all your help in advance! This community is SO wonderful!

Noelle

Hi Guys,

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with a menstrual cup (I have a Mooncup) and long term travel throuhg third world countries? I'm planning on backpacking through India, Nepal, Tibet, China, and South East Asia. I'm obviously planning on taking a Mooncup. How did you go for sterility issues? Should I still try to find boiling water to boil after every cycle? How about insertion and tkaing out a Mooncup on squat toilet?

Cheers

so, i recently spent a week camping out on Calf Island in CT doing some rehab work...just in time for my period to come trotting merrily along. pre-cup, i might have just avoided it altogether, more because heavy labor and tampons don't really make comfy bedfellows (oh shit i need to change my tampon...but i'm on this twelve foot ladder holding something really heavy...damn). but i figured with the keeper i could make it work- and i did. for times when it was really dark and i had to empty/rinse the thing and didn't feel like dealing with the community trench we'd dug back in the woods a ways, i had a couple little round tupperwares and a squirt water bottle. i found that i could crouch or kneel pretty comfortably over the tupperware to remove my keeper, then use the squirt bottle for an effective rinse off. Then I just put the tupp outside my tent in the vestibule until there was a convenient time to empty and rinse it. The only caution I would put out there is that there was no wildlife where I was camping (other than birds), and I wonder if raccoons or other critters might be attracted to a little tupperware full of blood. You could avoid this concern just by emptying it right away though.

also, a couple things. i noticed my keeper was starting to degrade a little at the end of the stem- cracking and getting sort of hard just at the tip. has anyone else noticed this? i also can't find my keeper, so i went out and purchased a Divacup yesterday, which I've been wanting to do for a while anyhow. it's a lot softer and sort of more appealing in general than the keeper, but i'm having way more trouble getting it to pop. i read about the cold water method in the memories, which seems brilliant, but, well, cold. is this the best method? any other tricks?

Hello there ladies! I have another camping conundrum. At the beginning of next month, I will be out for about a week canoeing in somewhat remote places. As it so happens, I will also likely be on my period during this time. Now, I love my Diva to death, and would absolutely love to use her for this occasion (so much easier when doing active things). However, it's very likely that I will not have access to a bathroom, or indeed any place where I could sufficiently rise my cup out during this time. I've used the strategy of wiping it out with toilet paper before, but it's usually once once during the day and never for such an extended period of time.

I've considered buying some organic cotton tampons to use for the trip, but a.) I don't like being dried out (which happens a lot for me with tampons), and b.) leaving those about would likely attract some animal visitors near our campsites. I've thought of carting an extra bottle of water around to rinse it out with at intervals, but I don't know if there will be any water to use that isn't straight from the lake, let alone enough to spare for that. Also, I will be with a group, so timing bathroom breaks correctly and not having to empty it in direct view of people will be issues.

I'm just a bit of a worry-wort, it seems :) I suppose what I'm getting at is, do any of you have experience with this sort of thing/suggestions? Is it safe to go that long without fully rinsing my cup? Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I must say, I've been mostly just reading this community for what feels like the longest time.. I have used my Diva Cup for 2 cycles now, and now I have a question. I'm going to be going back to work soon (I'm a student, so going to work for the summer), and I work in a place that's all guys, and outdoors, and very dusty and dirty basically. When I am there working in the summer, work supplies a portapotty for me (the guys have all agreed before that they don't need one, they may or may not use it when I'm there, I'm not sure). Now this wouldn't be a problem at all with my Diva Cup, since I really only need to empty it every 10-12 hours it seems, but I work a minimum of 12 hour days.. So, anyone have any tips or anything in case I need to empty it while at work? Or should I just bring along pads for later in the day incase it starts to overflow? I do have baby/hand wipes in the portapotty, but I'm not sure if these will get my hands clean enough to be reaching around playing with my cup (sometimes my hands are incredibly dirty, dusty, and even sometime grease and oil and who knows what else). Would it be ok to use a pad on the heavy days? Or, once the cup starts overflowing, does it all come out?

Thanks for any help you can provide.. This is a wonderful community, I don't think I would have tried my Diva Cup if it weren't for all the excellent information provided here!

Well, ladies. Camping and diva cup seems like a cool idea, right? And if you're prepared for it, I'm sure it can be a wonderful experience. However I was on the kind of camping trip where all you do is drink and think about the party infront of you. There were bathrooms and to empty the cup I would have preferred to go there, if I had found them and known the geography while sober... but, I didn't. It wasn't a need when we first arrived and were setting up before darkness fell.

It was my second heaviest day which means I can go about 6-8 hours between dumpings, and my fourth or fifth month with the cup, so I'm pretty aware of when it needs to be changed either by feeling it or by knowing how much time had passed. I ended up leaving it too long and as I was ready to pass out I felt the urgent wetness that can only mean the cup is overflowing. It was dark, I was beyond drunk, I went to "my spot", squatted, removed and dumped it, stuck it back in and noticed blood all over my hands. It was a rainy day and the trees were wet (I had lost my toilet paper) so I got water from the leaves and got myself pretty clean, which surprised me.
In the morning, guess what I found? I had dumped the contents of the diva cup onto my pants! Oh yeah, I fell forward when I was squatting there....

So, ladies... don't be like me. Prepare and think ahead. A water bottle would be a good idea for clean-up, don't lose your toilet paper (I'm imagining a tub stopper chain around the neck), and make sure your cup is sufficiently empty to last you through the pass-out stage before you're too drunk to do it properly and neatly. Or... atleast bring and use backup if you think you can't handle it.

Learn from my mistakes. Please drink and menstruate responsibly.

Hey, I don't even have a keeper or a divacup or anything yet but I'm so intrigued! I'm definatly looking into getting one asap. I was wondering if any of y'all have had experiences with it on outdoors trips like backpacking or camping (no toilet or running water for 3 days +). The divacup website says it can be used for backpacking but does not specify anything. It would be really convenient because packing out pads and tampons is not only heavy and stinky and awful, there's the whole enviornmental disaster part too. I'm concerned about keeping the little thing clean, in the woods all you really have is cold iodine water or cold purified water from a water bottle, that goes for keeping your hands clean too.

I'm expecting to have my period on my next backpacking trip in March and that would be the first time using a cup if I got one. Would it be a good idea for a first-timer to try this thing out in the woods with no running water/toilet? Would it be more or less gross than tampons (which I've done before)? Could I get a good idea from practicing with it without having my period?

rock on girls! thanks!

Hi all -
I just joined, so if there's an archive or something where this has been addressed, please direct me (sorry!)

I've been googling for hours, looking for something like this list... ahhhhh! Yes.

OK, so here's my question: does anyone here use their keeper while camping or otherwise away from running water? I'm planning a LONG hiking trip this next summer (Pacific Crest Trail - Mexico to Canada in 5 months!) and I'd like to keep using the keeper... but can't seem to figure out a good method for dealing with it in the absence of a handy sink. Can someone please give me some hints? (Details please! :)

I've thought about bringing baby-wipes for "rinsing" - I'm just worried that I won't be able to keep it clean enough, and DON'T want to make myself sick or something! Tips anyone?

Also (not to be too demanding): would washing "down there" with untreated water have similar potential sickness problems as drinking untreated water? (I feel like I should know this, but...)

Thanks for any help you ladies can offer...
**Amy**