The Best Alternative Products for Your Period: DivaCup, Thinx, DearKates and More!
So here's a topic that is not going to be for everyone (I totally get it if you want to skip this post!), but something that I'm always interested to read about are the best alternative products for your period.
Over the lifetime of this blog, you guys have heard a LOT about my life and my thoughts on various products and tips for optimizing your life — but hearing about me and Aunt Flo may be too far even for me, so this post is mostly going to be referring you to threadjacks where the readers discuss the various products.
I will note that I've tried a variety of products (I've had my Dear Kates for the longest) and for my lifestyle they work really well. I like them from an environmental perspective, I'm not grossed out by them from a wearing or cleaning perspective, and they've held up well even after three years of use.
I particularly want to recommend alternative period products like reusable pads and period underwear when I hear people talking about situations where they are waiting for a period for a long time, either because they don't know if/when a period is coming because they're trying to conceive, they're several months postpartum, suffering from missed periods due to PCOS or another medical reason — or even if they're just entering perimenopause or otherwise finding that periods may not be as reliably timed as they were in the past.
SO: we've rounded up some of the most noteworthy reader threadjacks on this topic — and I'd love to open this post up to more discussion! Readers, have you tried alternative products for your period like DivaCup, Thinx, DearKates, or more? What have been your experiences with them — do you still use them — and who would you recommend them for?
I particularly want to recommend alternative period products like reusable pads and period underwear when I hear people talking about situations where they are waiting for a period for a long time.
Pictured at top: Diva Cup / Reusable Cloth Liners / Dear Kate
DivaCup: Good & Bad Experiences
Positive DivaCup Reviews:
- The DivaCup is a life-changer.
- I started using the DivaCup on a very swimming-heavy weekend!
- I highly, highly recommend the DivaCup.
- I use the DivaCup. They are good for 10 years.
- I just finished my second month with a DivaCup, and I love it.
- I will encourage my daughter to use a DivaCup because they are they amazing!
- I totally love the DivaCup and would never, ever go back to tampons.
- I have slightly heavier periods, but with a DivaCup it doesn’t really matter. It’s perfect.
- I’ve had two IUDs over 10 years and used a DivaCup that entire time.
Less Positive DivaCup Reviews:
- I never got the hang of the DivaCup and always had some days where a seal hadn’t formed.
- If tampons don't work for you, a DivaCup may not either.
- I used to be a DivaCup fan, but our public-ish restrooms and the discomfort make it unappealing.
- I am pretty sure the possibility for negative IUD interactions was mentioned on the warning materials.
Period Panties: Thinx vs. Dear Kate
- I love Thinx, but they are a lot thicker than even cotton underwear.
- Has anyone tried Thinx? Do they work?
- I have Thinx, and I love them.
- I really like my Dear Kates. I have three pairs.
- They really worked and were wonderful with wicking moisture away.
- Dear Kates are awesome, and so comfy and cute.
- I discovered Dear Kate and Vv Skivvys a couple years ago and wish I'd known about them sooner.
- Anyone tried those cool new period panties?
Mini-review from Kat: I've had a few pairs of Dear Kates for several years now and like them; I only use them a few days a month but they've held up really well. They're the most comfortable and elegant solution I've tried, much more so than the reusable liners I've tried (I find the snaps a bit uncomfortable on both sets, and this liner was crazy thick). I've only tried one other brand of period panties (the Innersy brand, bought on a flash sale) and vastly prefer the Dear Kates — the other product feels a bit stiff and crinkly, and I do not like the light gray lining. From a laundering perspective I rinse them before I throw them in the wash, and air dry them — air drying them in sunlight is supposed to be best if possible. Sometimes I spray them with vinegar after rinsing them (before throwing them in the washer) but I don't think it's necessary.
(2023 update: I'm still wearing the same Dear Kates, although I've also expanded my collection to include period panties from Thinx, Saalt, Aerie, and Uniqlo. Uniqlo's AIRISM ones are some of my latest favorites (but note, they're a super high rise) — next Saalt, next Thinx. The Aerie one I got was really huge and very thick.
Using Period Panties as a Backup for a DivaCup
- I LOVE my DivaCup and have heard great things about pairing it with Thinx.
- I switched to a DivaCup and period underwear for backup and have never been happier.
- I know that so many women like the combo of the special underwear with the DivaCup.
- I use Dear Kates with a DivaCup — no leaks and no mess.
- I use Thinx in combination with tampons because I find they’re not reliable enough.
Readers, do tell: what do you think are the best alternative products for your period? Have you used period panties and/or a menstrual cup during your period? What have you found to be the best brands or products? Which ones haven't worked well for you?
Advice needed please for first week in new job….I am very fortunate to have landed a very good and coveted position with leading company that has major market opportunity over next 3-5 years – earning potential is extremely good. At previous firm, I was the ‘underdog’, having worked my way up to a good position over 9+ years and was perceived as solid and reliable. How do you transition and shed previous mindset and perceptions from old job/colleagues and accept you are where you should be…how do you change an I’m really not good enough for this mindset?
Definitely following this thread… baby #2 did a number on my pelvic floor muscles and, even after PF therapy, I can no longer use tampons or any kind of cups. I’ve tried Thinx which are ok but I don’t like the thickness… may have to try Dear Kates!
I’m a fan of disposable Soft Cups. They sit higher up on your cervix. You don’t have to clean them, just discard them. They can be in longer than pads/tampons and are much more comfortable.
Ditto! I discovered them when Target started carrying them and they are by far my fave. I used to leak with tampons no matter the brand but I have zero leakage with the Soft Cups.
Thinx gets a hard-pass from me. In the 12 years I’ve had him, my dog has only humped one person – she was wearing Thinx.
I’m gagging.
I tried a cup for several cycles and couldn’t consistently get the hang of putting it in the right spot. I also found it very unwieldy and messy to handle when full. After a terrible incident involving a leaking cup and my office chair (which is not a dark color, btw), I said no more to the cup. I guess I’ve survived with toxic tampons for this long.
I am a DivaCup superfan. It had a learning curve of a month or two to get the hang of it, and I’ve had one or two “cup runneth over” moments, but if you’re good about changing it every 12 hours (maybe less on Day 2 if you’re me), it’s really not ever a problem. I love not EVER having to go to the store for tampons, finding myself without supplies, not producing extra waste, and not putting bleached chemicals inside myself. It’s amazing. You should try it.
ETA: I have been using a DivaCup for 5 years, including the entire time I had an IUD.
I use the xo flo, it was user friendly for a first timer. I also use icon undies as backup and for day to day postpartum sneeze leakage. http://ref.peeproof.me/ldwOB
I’ve been using the DivaCup for…10 years now (wow, just realized that) and it’s fantastic. I definitely had a learning curve, and I’ll still wear a pad overnight on the heaviest flow day of my cycle in case of a leak, but other than that it’s been fantastic. I can go long enough between emptying it that I can wait to do it until I’m home/in a private bathroom, and I like not having to remember to buy pads or tampons. I also like not throwing out so much waste. It’s been a good experience for me and I’d recommend it. Give it a few cycles before you decide one way or the other.
Anyone use thinx post partum bleeding? I’ve wanted to get them for years but have been either pregnant or miscarrying the past 4 years.
I use thinx, but they need a backup solution for heavy flow. They are great for light flow/spotting days, so maybe once the post partum bleeding starts to taper off?
I find most reviews of DivaCup are by women who have never tried another menstrual cup and are just comparing them with tampons. I first used a cup in 1997 becauseI was going to South Korea for a year, where tampons are not readily available. I used it for years, until I developed an allergy to the latex. Later they came out with a silicone version and I used that. I tried Diva Cup but found its stem was too short to easily pull it out. Now I use MoonCup, I like it a lot. Silicone and the right length stem. Re period underwear, I use Thinx as a backup and love it, but have not tried DearKate.
I love Thinx! They’ve been so useful for me to use, especially after I had excision surgery last year. I’ve found that they hold up really well in the wash, and they’re super comfortable!
Way late, I know, but I can’t be the only one who checks the archives on this blog years later: if you don’t mind getting period supplies from a company whose main business is “gardening accessories”, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Fun Factory Fun Cup. They come in multiple sizes, and are quite easy to both insert and remove. The suction’s a bit weird but it only took me a couple days to figure out how to get it positioned to avoid leaks. Also they come in blue, which is nice if you, like me, occasionally get sick of the pink-and-floral-ness of the period supplies world. (If you are a pink-lover, have no fear: they also come in pink for the smaller size and purple for the larger one.)
(…the company’s “gardening accessories” are pretty good too, if you’re interested in that.)