Betty Dodson with Carlin Ross

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I couldn't find a tampon anywhere in the house and had begun digging around in my old handbags hoping to find one to no avail.  Yes, I twittered it and someone replied that I should try the DivaCup.  I had never heard about menstrual cups before...I googled DivaCup, sent them an email through their contact form, and in less than a week I was interviewing Carrine and Susan.  The women behind this product are revolutionaries working to promote women's health in a way that's so necessary.  Most feminine hygiene products are toxic, marketed by corporations driven by profit, and bad for our planet.  I'm making the switch to the DivaCup next month and once you read this interview you will too:

Carlin: Menstrual cups have been on the market since the 1930s. What's new about the DivaCup?

Carinne: The original menstrual cups were made of rubber latex. The menstrual cup concept is over 75 years old. There's a history on mum.org - the museum of menstruation it has a full history of all the menstrual cups. The DivaCup is designed out of silicone.

It's smooth and we came up with the ridges on the outside of the cup for easier removal (that's a proprietary design). And there are measurement marks on the inside of the cup so you can monitor your cycle. The DivaCup is softer, smoother and more comfortable in the body.

Carlin: How can the DivaCup change my relationship to my period?

Susan: Tampons and pads have surfactants, adhesives, additives, and rayon (treated with chlorine) in them. High absorbency tampons containing rayon have been linked to toxic shock. You can look up Dr. Philip Tierno and you can get all the info on that.

The whole thing is that The DivaCup is silicone. You're changing your eco-footprint because the product is reusable. We're not using heavily sprayed crops like cotton. You're using something that is eco-friendly, doesn't interfere with vaginal secretions, and is much more compatible with your body.

The truth is that when people first heard about contacts they were horrified. So it's just an evolution - it's a new category. It's like anything new - anything new has a shock value. We put it in the category of pacemakers, contacts etc. New things are hard to concept especially when they're so forward thinking and revolutionary.

Carlin: Is this another product that was developed by a man for a woman?

Carinne: The menstrual cup was developed in the 1930's by a women Leona Chamers.

Carlin: I know that the DivaCup is a "green" alternative to tampons and pads but I don't like the idea of "touching" my menstrual blood?

Carinne: With tampons and pads you're touching menstrual blood. With The DivaCup, you're not touching the flow. The flow is contained inside the cup. When you remove it you're removing it upright. It shouldn't be messy. It's simply a cleaner situation. You just dump that, rinse it or wipe it and then reinsert. And then once a day when you're home and it's convenient you're going to wash it. Actually, it's cleaner.

Carlin: I work out in the gym several times a week. Can I use my DivaCup without worrying about a "spill"?

Carinne: The DivaCUp is ideal for active women. The muscles of the vaginal wall hold it in place and form a seal. You can be jumping, running on the treadmill, taking a step class or doing yoga it stays in place. You don't have to keep running to the ladies room and changing it all the time like tampons.

Susan: One of the great things is that we have Billie Bierling who just climbed her way to Mt. Everest with the Diva Cup.  According to Billie, "mountaineering is still a very male dominated sport; however, more women are conquering the highest summits in the world. Often, female climbers have to cope with the inconvenience of having their period during a climb. In this situation, women only have two choices when using pads or tampons: either bury them (which is not ideal as they do not biodegrade due to the altitude and the extremely cold temperatures); or carry them out (which is a hassle to say the least)! The DivaCup® solves this serious waste controversy on pristine mountain tops, and notably, in one's own environment!".  If disposable feminine hygiene products are a problem at Mt. Everest, then they're a problem here at home too.

Carlin: Why is the DivaCup more expensive than other feminine hygiene products?

Carinne: Silicone is from sand and so we're not using a disposable fiber that's grown like cotton. Silicone takes millions of years to develop - it's a different material. Plus the costs for production are very different than for a tampon/pad machine. It's very intricate. And the biggest factor is that we're re-launching a whole category. This isn't putting an ad out for another tampon, or another corn chip or another cookie. This isn't anything like that. This is ground breaking. What we're doing no one else in the world is doing or can do as well. Together, we have 42 years of experience in natural female hygiene. We're experts in the field. People aren't just paying for the product. They're supporting the revolution.

We're so thankful for people who see the vision, get the cup and talk about it. You can tell how passionate we are about this product. It's so important for women in many ways: their health and the environment....it's changed the lives of many women. Women that switch to The DivaCup become advocates and tell everyone they know about it. It makes their lives easier. It turned something we normally don't like so much into more of a positive thing. Periods aren't such a big deal. It's a natural part of our lives and we shouldn't have to shun it.

The DivaCup liberates women. With all the chemicals in tampons and pads, you're free from that sort of toxic interaction. Many women who have headaches and feel badly from their period are actually having a reaction to their feminine hygiene choice. We hear it all the time how they feel so much better that they don't think they even have their period. The majority of women are using tampons and pads with adhesives, plastics, and so many additives. It looks white and innocent but it's not and then it ends up in landfills.

Carlin: Who are the women behind the DivaCup?  Why do you have so much passion for this product? Do they use DivaCups?

Susan: Francine, Carrine, Susan - Carrine and our assistants use The DivaCup. Francine and I are past that now. I helped launch cotton tampons into North America for 8 years. I had the passion for change and then when I met Francine and Carrine it couldn't have been more of a coincidence. Francine and I had similar backgrounds in natural feminine hygiene. Carrine was fresh out of college with honors and it all fit together. Why do we have the passion? Because we have the vision for change. Tampons and pads in landfills is a problem. It's especially a problem in developing countries. If you're going to have passion for something let it be something that changes the world and improves lives - The DivaCup does!"