cheerfulI've been lurking in the background of this community since the beginning of the year and reading all your posts, questions and answers, and it's been a wealth of fantastic information and help :)
I decided to purchase my first cup -a Femmecup - back in mid December, but only this month have I had a chance (and the courage!) to use it for real for the first time. I bought it from Amazon online, having looked at all the 5 star reviews on the product and people saying how great it is, I thought why not give it a go. I thought it was a relatively expensive purchase initially, but it's by far cheaper in the long run than buying the usual tampons throughout the year!
When it arrived in the post, I couldn't open it fast enough lol. Admittedly I was shocked at the size of the cup, considering the size of the slender tampons I was used to using. I kind of put off using the cup for a few weeks because of this, but after reading up about it here and how to use it, I finally plucked up the courage to get in some practice 'dry-runs' before using it for real.
It was a bit awkward at first trying to insert it, but I kept practising it and removing and it really does get easier! I also chopped 2/3 of the stem off. I know that some people have chopped theirs off completely, but I feel that it's easier to use the stem to remove the cup, but it also makes it more comfortable to wear now that it's shorter :)
I discovered that during the dry-runs it was also useful for collecting other fluids from the vag in more ways than one! I find it useful to collect fluids post-sexual intercourse with the boyfriend, and beats wearing liners all the time lol.
Anyhow, it was a few days ago that I got to use the cup for real and (touch-wood) I haven't had a dickie of a problem with the cup! No leaks, spills, overflows etc...I probably don't get any leaks because I'm paranoid about it leaking and when I insert it, I make sure it has fully opened by running my finger round the cup checking for any 'dents'. In spite of this, I am wearing liners while using the cup, just in case it does decide to leak lol.
Removing it isn't a problem and I was really surprised at how much blood and tissue comes out in one 'session' :p I'm not put off by the blood in the slightest - in fact I find it quite intriguing looking at my contents in a cup and see what it's all made up of, haha.
The one thing that I started doing alongside emptying the cup, I now use wipes when I remove it. This is because of the gooey stuff that decides it wants to stick to you and the cup when you remove it! I also feel it's more hygienic to clean/ freshen up your bits when you empty the cup (plus it's good for wiping bloody fingers on too) :)
I don't like the thought, or the hassle, of boiling your cup to sterilise it, so I've opted to just submerge it in water with a sterilising tablet which only takes 15 mins to do.
On a final note, even though this is my first period using the cup, I feel confident enough to wear it without worrying about accidents and the like...I would never go back to using tampons, etc ever again.
Okay that's a lie, I will use up my remaining tampons and that will be the end of that :)
Thank you all for your wisdom and info on this site - don't think I could have used the cup so successfully without your help, THANK YOU!
Karen :)