Lunette VS Diva

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02 February 2009 @ 12:42 pm

When I first heard of menstrual cups, I really didn't have any other option BUT the Diva. I wasn't working at the time and so had no credit card to order offline, and being that I'm in Canada, I ended up spending my last (literally...) fourty dollars on a Diva from the one health food store in town that sells them. Now, let's not get me wrong - I loved the Diva, and it was miles ahead of anything I'd tried before - namely, pads and tampons. I was delighted with it in every way. Well... sort of. I mean...

Whether you said yes or not, I've found that amongst cup users, there tends to be three "groups". Group A would be people who hit upon the perfect cup during their first try. Group C are the people who have really bad luck with their first cup and immediately need a new one. Then there's Group B, where I am. Group B would be people who are satisfied with their cups, but who sometimes wonder... could there be something more?

See, the problem was, I was happy with my Diva. Everytime I was on my period, there were just a few tiny issues. The holes were hard to clean. Sometimes it could take a long time to make the Diva open or seal. And during the first two or three days, my cervix came down too darn much. These were all things I could live with for the most part. But sometimes when the end of the Diva poking out of my entrance had irritated me (both physically AND mentally), I'd think, maybe I should get a new cup, a shorter, stiffer one. But I couldn't really justify it to myself, because after all, my Diva worked fine, etc...

Well, when they brought out the Lunette Selene, in spite of my mind pointing out that it was probably an extravagant purchase, I ordered one. And I can honestly say I'm thrilled with myself. The first time I tried it, I left a quarter of the stem on out of paranoia, but soon ended up cutting it all off. It is JUST the right size - it sits just inside of me and I honestly can't feel it no matter how hard I try by squeezing my legs together. It pops open without any problems at all, and I even love the fact that it's a tiny bit wider than the Diva. And yes, the holes are much easier to clean.

So I guess my point is... Just because something works "okay" doesn't mean you shouldn't try to aim for better. I'm going to be using my Selene for like at least five years, so in the long run, it's worth it. A cup is always going to be a hit or miss - you never know which one will be the best one for you. Even if you have to try every cup there is, keep going until you find the one that's perfect!

Edited for LJ HTML fail.

Tags: brand comparisons, cervix position, divacup, lunette

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mutantmint on February 2nd, 2009 05:13 pm (UTC)

That's kinda how I feel. I have the diva I only have used it last month and it was fine but I felt some days it was sitting lower than others. I want to buy a Lunette because I feel like that one would fit me better (it was actually my first choice but I thought I'd try the diva because it was only $15) So I think I'm going to order the Lunette but I just don't know if I should wait another month and keep using my diva. I'm sure that when I need a cup for heavy days my diva will be fine but I feel like the Lunette would sit/feel better.

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tsukichibi on February 3rd, 2009 04:24 pm (UTC)

Some girls will tell you to keep working at it, but I'm of the personal opinion that for something like this, the cup's never going to get any better. It's not really something you can make go away with practice, you know? If you've cut the stem off completely, you could try turning it inside out. Apparently, it can make the diva fit better. I never tried it, though.

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basil80 on February 2nd, 2009 05:17 pm (UTC)

Thanks for posting this! I love my cup, but I keep thinking ... would another cup work better at other times? My partner thinks I'm nuts, but it's always good to have the right tool for the job. I'm going to use some of what you said to convince him I'm not just being silly or wasting money.

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tsukichibi on February 3rd, 2009 04:26 pm (UTC)

Well, it's about personal comfort... If I were going to be using it for like one day, that'd be one thing. But it's a week out of EVERY month, sometimes more. That's a LOT of time to be using something that's only comfortable even 75% of the time. I like comparing it to things that help people understand, like a pair of shoes. You might buy a pair of shoes that only pinches your toes 25% of the time, but some people would buy another pair anyway. Try coming up with something like that for comparison, and then add that because the vagina is such a sensitive part, it's WAY worse than pinched toes!

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basil80 on February 3rd, 2009 05:43 pm (UTC)

Ha! I just started talking about tools and fit and comfort and cervixes and his eyes started to glaze. I'm so getting a new cup!

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tsukichibi on February 3rd, 2009 07:53 pm (UTC)

I'd go for it, haha. I mean really, why not? It's not like it's something silly or frivilous.

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lougolas on February 2nd, 2009 05:29 pm (UTC)

Yeah, I'm firmly in Group B. I love my Mooncup over pads and tampons, but the flared rim usually hurts a little when I'm removing it - I only need to empty it twice a day because I'm on HBC so it's not a major problem but I'd love to try a different shape. Hence taking advantage of the defective coloured cup sale to see how those fit before making a final decision :-)

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tsukichibi on February 3rd, 2009 04:27 pm (UTC)

Yeah, that's when the defective cup sale comes in handy for sure. Do you have the MoonCup or the Mooncup UK? I've always been curious to try the MCUK.

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lougolas on February 3rd, 2009 05:32 pm (UTC)

It's the MCUK :-) I tend to forget there's two with that name! It's easy to pop and I don't even notice it once it's in and I just needed to trim about half of the stem off to make it perfectly comfortable. It's easy to grip to remove and generally perfect in every way, except that it hurts a tiny bit when I'm trying to pull the rim out. I could probably fix that by folding the rim when I'm removing it, but I always forget! The consumer in me wants to try every cup so I want to try the hoop skirt style body and see if that's any better, and if I ever come off HBC and my crazy-heavy periods come back, I'd like a cup with a larger capacity.

I know it's ridiculous, but when I read that they last for up to 10 years, some little part of my brain screamed "you mean I might have to wait 10 years to buy another one?!". I'm a shopoholic, that's what will keep me in Group B no matter how many cups I buy :-P

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gloriapatch on February 2nd, 2009 07:48 pm (UTC)

I've had great success with my Diva but sometimes, I wonder too! It can be a bit long sometimes, too. I never have leaks or anything, it's pretty problem free. But Lunette would be the next one I try, if I decide to do it!

Thanks for this comparison post!!

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tsukichibi on February 3rd, 2009 04:28 pm (UTC)

You're like me. :P It was fine... MOST of the time. It was that other tiny bit of time that finally caused me to buy the Lunette. I figure... I'm worth it.

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gloriapatch on February 3rd, 2009 09:04 pm (UTC)

Yeah for sure! When I have some extra money, it's something I'll definitely consider.

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crochetaduck on February 2nd, 2009 08:44 pm (UTC)

Yeah, I feel the same way about my small Lunette. It's good for my heavy days, but on my light days it seems like it's not worth using because I don't fill it or come close. I'm going to test a small Ladycup and see if I like it for my lighter days. Also I'm hoping that something softer will be easier to insert.

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elizabby on February 2nd, 2009 08:59 pm (UTC)

I have both the Lunette and the LadyCup, and I find the LadyCup softer, but harder to remove. I use both since I had the Lunette first, but once I got used to it I admit I did like the LadyCup a fraction better (until it split).

Now I'm happily using my Lunette until my replacement LadyCup comes - they both do the job really well for me.

I never tried the Diva as the length measurement scared me off.

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tsukichibi on February 3rd, 2009 04:30 pm (UTC)

Indeed! You never know when a freak accident can happen, like it being flushed down the toilet or something. My cervix tends to hang pretty low during the first few days of my cycle, which means the diva just didn't work. It was okay for last few days most of the time.

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micat on February 2nd, 2009 10:57 pm (UTC)

I have the same feeling regarding those two brands. The Diva works and is a lot better than tampons, but the lunette just seems to be perfect -- and it pops a lot easier than the lunette, but then the lunette is also harder to remove, but never leaked so far.

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melissa569 on February 3rd, 2009 01:01 am (UTC)

I would say I'm in group B. I like my diva so far, but I really wonder what some of the other brands woudl be like.

You know how they sell those tampons, with multiple sizes, all in one box? Well, sometimes I feel that on days with different flows, or days where your cervix is riding in a different positoin-- or just some days when you are feeling more sensitive that others!-- it does feel like a different cup is called for.

I for one, would love to be able to pick and choose, depending on my mood, body condition and style for the day. I know some women who own EVERY kind of cup, and part of me does envy them, lol. I mean, they last for ages, so even if you bought all of them, you would still be spending less than you would if stayed with dispoables your whole life (which would be like 3 to 5 thousand dollars). The moment I leanred there were so many kinds of cups, I made up my mind that, little by little, I was going to collect them all.

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tsukichibi on February 3rd, 2009 04:31 pm (UTC)

This will be me someday, too! I know some people think I'm crazy, but I'd love to be able to give information on every kind of cup... And what it feels like in comparison to each of the other kinds. Plus, I really would like to test them all and see which one is the best for me. I'll have dozens of cups someday LOL.

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gemfyre on February 3rd, 2009 02:23 am (UTC)

I would still be happily using my Diva if I hadn't wrecked it and then bought a UK Mooncup. However, in comparison I certainly DO prefer the Mooncup.

Edited at 2009-02-03 02:25 am (UTC)

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zandperl on February 3rd, 2009 02:31 am (UTC)

I started with the large Diva and it was good, but I also picked up a Keeper for variety. Not sure which I'll like more in the end, but I do like the idea of having more than one option.

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maid_of_milo on February 3rd, 2009 02:48 am (UTC)

I'm in Group A. My first cup was the original size Lunette (large size) and is perfect in every way. I ordered a small Lunette "just to try" and it also is perfect except for capacity. I've since bought and tried a Diva, a Mooncup US, a Keeper and have ordered a large and small Bluecup (tester ones)..not so much for me but cos I tell all my friends about cups all the time and it's good for people to know all their options and see them 'in person', esp as here in Aust you can't buy any of them over-the-counter (Keeper and Lunette are TGA-approved but I'm yet to see a cup in any of my health shops here). They all work fine, wasn't fussed on the big rims on the others versus the Lunette for removal and it's definitely the easiest to clean so far. The Lunette is definitely 'my' cup so I got lucky with my first one, yay!

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tsukichibi on February 3rd, 2009 04:33 pm (UTC)

Lucky! I think if I'd gotten the Lunette first, I'd've been okay, too. Sadly, the circumstances just didn't let things go that way. That's the one thing that annoys me about cups - you're taking a chance on the "best" one each time you buy it.

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