Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This thing has a ton of five star ratings everywhere I've seen it. Though it may be fine for some, it was not for me, for a multitude of reasons. First off, for insertion you're supposed to fold it up, insert it with two fingers, and once it's in, you're supposed to take two fingers, presumably a thumb and pointer finger, to turn it one full turn. First problem is that's an incredibly awkward position for my wrist to be in, which actually hurt. Second, I guess it's my anatomy, but I couldn't tell whether the thing was turning or if my fingers were just sliding around. So the only way to figure out whether it wasn't folded anymore was to insert a finger all the way up and feel it. During your bloody period. Little messy. And then having two fingers plus this cumbersome thing in there just felt awful. Next, it leaked. Again, perhaps it's my anatomy, and for the record, I don't have a tilted uterus or anything, my anatomy is "normal." So by anatomy, all I can come up with is that maybe I'm smaller than some...? I don't know, but blood was definitely getting around this thing somehow, thus rendering it pointless. It wasn't inserted too far, you're only supposed to have the end tip right at your vaginal opening, and that's where I left it... if my body sucked it up further, it wasn't something I could prevent. And then I could feel it pushing against my bladder and bowel almost all the time. Just uncomfortable... like the biggest tampon you can get and it's been in for long enough that it's fully expanded and you can tell because you can feel its size. It just wasn't comfortable. I seemed to feel it against my cervix also, kind of a crampy feeling. Now for the good part... removal. What a bloody mess. Best advice here... BE PREPARED!!! Wash hands before attempt. Again, uncomfortably place two fingers up in there and try to grab the thing, fun times. Then you have to put one of those fingers up even further and press against the side to release the suction so you don't pull your uterus out along with the cup (kidding, but that's the potential it felt like it had). So now you have this thing out. You better be ready, and have a lot of privacy... as in do NOT try this at a public restroom (problem here is that hopefully it's inserted correctly and you find out before you reach the grocery store, or you're screwed). So you dump the contents into the toilet. Cool. Yeah, be prepared for the blood that is dangling there, not only out of the cup but out of you. Mind you, one bloody hand that can't help, and probably your dominant hand. So do you throw it to the sink, risking a bloody splash, set it on your leg, now what do you do with it? Stumble with clean up, wash cup, wash hands. Stand up to clean it, risking leakage, sit back down, or whatever position you prefer, to start the whole process over again. Wash hands again, for a total of three times. Yes, this is a time consuming process. I'm not a praying person, but one better hope karma isn't out to get them and it's inserted correctly. I won't be using it again. $26 wasted for a few failed attempts and a few quasi successful insertions, although they were when I was sleeping and I didn't have gravity fighting me. Give me tampons any day. I wish I could say it worked for me. I wish I could have ditched the tampon. The mess I could have fine tuned and attempted to master, but the discomfort of the awkward position for insertion and the discomfort of it being in there I just couldn't get past. I'll even take responsibility for some user error maybe, but I did follow all instructions completely. For the record, I'm 38 with one child and I was using the Model 2 as I was supposed to. Other people love it and that's great. I just feel that my experience need be known as well.