i am day three into my 1st cycle with the DivaCup and thus far i can say: the DivaCup is AMAZING. this is like....the best period i've ever had! i still had cramps, but i took a pill and they went away. usually i have cramps and a mess of other crap that comes along with periods, like bloating and stuff, but i didn't get ANY OF THAT while using the cup! awesome! i did leak a tiny bit so i just used a panty liner for backup. i think one of the reasons that i leaked was that i wasn't comfortable yet with how to get the cup to open and be secure. with only three days into it i'm already pretty comfortable getting it in place. it does involve a lot of touching "inside" your body, which is probably a major turn off to many women....but i don't have a problem with it and i think its important to understand the anatomy of your vagina. i never really felt around up there before, and i think all girls, especially ones who are sexually active, should know what it feels like....you know? i can't believe i've let a guy's penis up there (not to mention bleached tampons!) but i've never felt up there myself.
i do have a question though. was anyone else surprised at how much blood they lost during their cycle? i mean, i filled that cup to the top like 4 times in one day! i didn't think i bled that much. i guess now that i know how much i bleed each day of my cycle, i'll have a better gage for next time for when to empty the cup.
basically, these things are a miracle. wayyyy better than tampons. when using tampons i'd always freak out that i was leaking and i'd take them out, only to find that they hadn't soaked through at all. so basically i wasted dozens of tampons each cycle. i could go ON AND ON about all the benefits i've discovered so far and its only been three days.
this is really long. sorry guys. i just wanted to rave about the DivaCup because periods for me have always been extremely terrible and painful and uncomfortable. i wouldn't leave my house for the entire cycle beacause i'd have to change my pad/tampon so often. everyone's body is different so the DivaCup might not be the perfect cup for you, but if you're at all thinking about buying a menstrual cup DO IT! periods are the most natural thing in the world, and my experience with the cup has helped me embrace it, rather than despise it. i promise it will change how you feel about that time of the month!