Are menstrual cups keepers?

About a month ago Kim Sedgwick from Toronto’s Red Tent Sisters, a centre dedicated to women’s sexual and reproductive health, told me, with understandable concern, that DivaCup had changed the life span policy of their popular menstrual cup from several years to just one. In doing so, the company also effectively eliminated their one-year, satisfaction guaranteed return policy.

Since I’d been using a DivaCup for over a year, promoting it vociferously here—and since the company had been cannily trumpeting itself as mother-daughter-woman-owned-Canadianmade and environmentally friendly—I felt a little accountability was in order.

After a series of obfuscating statements by company representative Susan Carskadon where she said the company never claimed the DivaCup lasted for more than a year (this simply isn’t true—the DivaCup Web site’s FAQ used to state that “with proper care, the DivaCup should last for many years,” and besides, doesn’t the defunct one-year return policy also suggest it would last longer than 365 days?) In addition, Carskadon said that it was Health Canada, among other regulatory boards, that determined the new life span policy.

Here’s what Paul Spendlove from Health Canada said: “Health Canada has not imposed a one-year restriction on the use of the DivaCup, nor has the department stated that menstrual cups should be replaced annually. Contrary to the company’s press release and letter to customers, Diva International is not in negotiations with Health Canada regarding the life span of the DivaCup. When applying for a Class II licence for the DivaCup, Diva International Inc. claimed that satisfaction is guaranteed for one full year from the date of purchase. Health Canada did not ask the company to provide evidence to support this claim, as it does not address specific safety and effectiveness issues.”

When presented with this information, Carskadon admitted that they hadn’t yet been in negotiations with Health Canada regarding life span per se but that they have evidence that Health Canada had insisted on a one-year policy for menstrual cups and they had proof in a letter from Health Canada. This letter is addressed to the manufacturers of the Keeper, a U.S. company that makes both latex and silicone cups—the Keeper being latex. And how did DivaCup get their hands on this letter? When DivaCup owner Francine Chambers worked in marketing at the Keeper. Meanwhile, in the past week, the Keeper, which never obtained the medical device licence required to sell menstrual cups in Canada, has stopped selling it here, which evidently they were doing illegally for some time.

Procuring all of the certification required to legally sell menstrual cups is financially prohibitive— even if women do replace them more regularly than every 10 years. DivaCup has gone to a lot of trouble and expense procuring this licensing, so you can see why they might be invested in a one year life span policy for their product.

Spendlove says, “Health Canada did have a concern about the life span claimed for the Keeper. The company addressed this concern by placing a one-year life span on the Keeper.” But, actually, they didn’t. If you go their site, you’ll see the Keeper site still claims to last much longer than that.

“Health Canada’s concern is related to lack of evidence for the long-term effectiveness,” Spendlove continues. “Latex degrades over time when exposed to body fluids. Body fluids, such as mucous, speed up the extraction of chemical additives such as stabilizers and antioxidants from latex implants.”

It wouldn’t surprise anyone who has dealt with regulatory bodies and/or feminine health companies and DIY blogger-types that there might be conflicting information in circulation, but when it comes to menstrual and/or reproductive products, conflicting information is disquieting because it potentially means something health-related is afoot.

So then, are menstrual cups safe? In the 75 years that they’ve been used, there hasn’t been one reported case of Toxic Shock Syndrome related to either silicone or latex cups. Proper cleaning is vital to keeping it in sanitary condition. (Boiling silicone is best. Some soaps like Castile will actually stick to it, compromise the silicone and potentially harbour bacteria.) You can read the most current information about the DivaCup at divacup.com. Carskadon says in the end, it’s up to each woman when she replaces her menstrual cup but that DivaCup is fulfilling what they claim is their legal responsibility (though Health Canada does not). Bottom line? At least some of their efforts have gained them an enviable monopoly in Canada.

If you are a menstrual cup user, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter.

Got any questions for Sasha? E-MAIL: POULEDELUXE@YAHOO.COM