First day of my second cycle using my diva cup, and so far so good! I had worse cramps this morning than last month, but as usual they only lasted a few hours and the rest of the week should be fine. So I wore a disposable liner while I waited that out, and put in the cup once I stopped feeling awful.

I really do hardly notice I'm on my period: no string, nothing I can feel, and I'm wondering "is it really still in there?" Last month I was reading about folding techniques, and I was all set to go get my cup and practice when I realized I was already wearing it. No news is good news. I even decided to go without backup this time, and I'm getting only a little spotting, nothing the dark blue underwear can't handle. And last month I didn't get any spotting at all after the first day, so I am just so excited you guys, because I've really gotten the thing to work!

I also finally figured out the punch down fold today. Rather than trying to fold it flat, so it's a triangle, I held it a little more loosely, so it looked like some kind of flower (calla lily maybe?) It opened up by itself right before I go to the "corner" but was far enough in that it didn't stretch too much, and I could push it in the rest of the way. Of course it might not just be my technique, there were some things in my, um, personal life that might have changed things in the hymen department. [whispers: I got laid!] Jury's still out on whether that makes a difference for my cup experience.

My sister and I are planning a backpacking trip for later in the summer, and I'm not even worried about scheduling the trip around my cycle. Ok yeah, I'd rather not start while I'm on the trail (especially with cramps), but I think with this it will be so much easier than trying to pack out used tampons and liners. Has anyone here used their's for camping or backpacking? What was your experience like?