Eco-friendly Feminine Product That WORKS!

I was a late bloomer, I didn't get my period until I was fourteen. I started out with pads then quickly progressed to tampons, I just hated the way the pads felt and living in a hot climate makes them feel even grosser.
I never really thought there could be any alternative to using tampons even though they had their downsides, the biggest being the severe environmental impact of using and discarded so much bleached cotton every month. I did briefly try the Soft Cup and it was terrible. It was hard to remove without spilling, not really re-usable and caused nasty cramps.
It wasn't until after I gave birth to my twins that I really thought about my own choices. I chose to cloth-diaper them because I didn't want so many diapers ending up in our landfills and this made me think about how many tampons I had thrown away over the years. When I worked at Whole Foods we received DivaCups as staff samples and I put it away with all my other products. I was pregnant and my period seemed a million miles away. And it was. Thanks to breastfeeding I didn't have a period from November 2004-June 2007. While on my break from my period I decided to commit to using the DivaCup once it came back.
I did and I have never been happier. It is so easy to use, does not feel uncomfortable, is easy to remove, easy to clean and best of all should last about ten years. Not only am I not throwing away tampons, I'm not even using them so I'm saving A LOT of money. I have a pretty heavy flow and after a little bit of practice it works like a charm.
I know it is becoming more and more popular to skip periods but for me that severely interferes with my own personal rhythms, which are important to me. I feel that having normal cycles is indicative of good health in general and I like being tuned in to my body and the messages it sends me. As much as I've always complained about my period, I missed it after a while. With the DivaCup, it's not nearly as much of a hassle as it used to be. I track my cycles with Cycle Beads and when it is around time for my period I insert the DivaCup in the morning so I won't start suddenly and mess up my clothes. I also love not having to drag several tampons around in my purse.