About a year ago I stumbled upon an advertisement for DivaCup in a magazine. Shocked that there was such a thing (I had no idea), I immediately checked it out online. It sounded like just what I had always wanted, but I was skeptical that all the rave reviews I read were authentic. After all, I thought, couldn't the company write what reviews it wanted about its product?
My skepticism drove me away... until I stumbled upon this community. (Yeah, I do a lot of stumbling it seems.) I knew with so many members this couldn't possibly be a promo facade. After reading a number of posts on this site, I decided to take a leap of faith and purchased a MoonCup. It seems the best choice since it had many high reviews of no leakages and superior softness.
My MoonCup arrived in the mail this afternoon. Excited, I read the instructions, jumped in the shower (I needed an excuse to stay in the bathroom for an extended period of time) and went to work. Since I was using the C-fold (I know better now), it was slightly difficult to insert at first, but I had anticipated more trouble than I had. It took me about 2-3 minutes, sitting down in the tub, until it seemed to be in properly and sealed. (Let me note here that this was a dry run - my period isn't due for a couple weeks.)
Great! That wasn't so hard. Now for the extraction... no problem there. Okay, I'll try the whole thing again...
This time I noticed a bit of blood. Not much, barely noticeable, but concern damped my enthusiasm in my initial success. I didn't feel any sharp pain; it just felt very tight going in and coming out (a lot of stretching going on there). Is it most likely that I scratched myself unknowingly? My nails aren't long, but they aren't harmless either. I'll be sure to trim close next try.
So I had it in. It seemed like it was open and in correctly, as far as I, the inexperienced user, could tell. I stood and continued with my shower, leaving it in just to see what it felt like. I could feel it. It wasn't so bad though - just a mild pressure. But the longer I left it in the more it changed from mild pressure to a soreness. My body began to want to push out this foreign object and it tried, but couldn't.
I removed it easily enough, but the soreness lingered and a very slight bleeding continued. My body felt like it does when I start my period each month - like it was still trying to expel something, rather uncomfortable and tense. I don't like that feeling.
I'm not giving up, let me hasten to add. When the soreness goes away I'll try it again, this time with another fold method. I'm just wondering if this sensation is common for new users? Does your body have to slowly adjust? Why the bleeding? What kind of damage can I do through my ignorance?
Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated! To quote dear Mr. Darcy, "I shall conquer this... I shall."