First, I really wanted to try this because of the raving review from other people. The convenience sounds nice, especially since I'm horrible about remembering to bring tampons and I leak all the time. I'm super active (avid athlete) so this type of thing fits my life style. Also, the environmental waste! I don't like using and throwing away more stuff than I have to. But, despite all of these potential positives, it just doesn't work.
You should know that I was using the Diva Cup size 1. I'm 25 with no pregnancies, so this size is supposed to fit me. It didn't. It was too wide and too short. The wideness was an issue because it actually tore the skin around my vaginal opening when trying to remove it -- all 5 times. It stretched me out really bad, like I was having sex for the first time again -- except this time I was losing my virginity to a silicone cup. It also made me get uncomfortable cramps while I was using it. I NEVER get cramps, so this was a first for me. The reason I say it was too short was because removal was really hard. I just couldn't reach it. The first time it took me an hour to get it out. I posted on the forum for help and I got a lot of helpful advise. The best advise I got was to squat and pull it out. That method only took me 10 minutes to remove -- the other 4 times I removed it (I also found lube to be really helpful with removal). It was SO hard to reach this thing inside of me!! A big part of the reason why I wanted to use the cup was for convenience. I do not consider a painful 10 minute removal convenient... especially since I had to squat ALLLL the way down and push like I was birthing my little cup to get it out. I don't think I can do that in a public restroom.
If the issue had just been that, I would have been willing to try it again and see if I had improvements during my next cycle. I would have been willing to try other brands besides the Diva Cup, but I developed another issue: A yeast infection.
I've had experience with yeast infections in the past. I've probably averaged about 2 per year ever since I was 14. I know how to recognize them and treat them and not long after I started getting them, I quickly identified the one thing that causes them: hands internally touching me. It does not matter HOW CLEAN my hands are -- I could probably soak them or scrub them for 4 hours before touching myself and still cause a yeast infection. I should have thought about this before trying to use the cup, but I didn't. Every time I inserted or removed the cup I washed the cup and my hands thoroughly. Nothing was missed -- I even scrubbed under my non-existent nails. But still, I developed a yeast infection. I hate yeast infections. Even if I were to find a way to minimize the number I caused from using the cup, I know that the risk is always going to be there for me. So, I decided it is not for me.
I still tell my friends about the cup because everyone should be aware of all options available to them, but I also tell them that it's not for everybody.