No strings!

My favorite discovery of 2008: The Mooncup.

If you tend to panic upon hearing/reading about tampons and related matters, this is your warning to avert your eyes now.

Seven months into using it, I'm still absolutely converted. I wish this thing had been around 20 years ago.

Do not mistake the Mooncup for those horrible, one-use, floppy things that showed up around 10 years ago. It's nothing like that. For one thing, it works. For another, you only need one. And depending on how many tampons/pads you normally use, it will pay for itself--within six months to a year, I estimate.

The part with too much information starts here. Last warning.

I can't deny that there's a learning curve involved. Like other women who've written about it, I had a disastrous, painful, and rather comical first attempt with it. It's evident from the detail in the accompanying instruction booklet that the major sticking points are correct positioning and removal. Regarding the former, I'd only offer that women used to using tampons may be tempted to push it in too far. You don't want to do that because it will leak. As to the issue of removal: don't panic. It's tricky at first, but if you follow the instructions and take your time, it gets easier. It took me a full two periods to crack it, but now it's a breeze and I haven't used a single tampon in six months.

Aside from the points above, here's what I love about it:

* I don't have to carry tampons around with me anymore. Don't have to pack them to go on vacation, don't have to bring them into the loo with me at work. Don't have to scramble to find one in the middle of the night.

* You can use the Mooncup preemptively. If you're not sure you're expecting your period today, put it in just in case.

* You can use the toilet with it in. There's no string or anything sticking out. And it doesn't leak.

* It doesn't leak. Once you figure out how to insert it properly, it won't leak. I've tested this by leaving it in longer than the instructions recommend (in some cases up to 8 or 9 hours) on my heaviest day. Not one leak. Not even at night.

* It's eco-friendly. Less garbage going to landfill.

* I can't explain it, but I swear I have less cramping.

I still haven't tried swimming with it yet, but I'm eager to find out how it holds up.

Oh, and the American version is here.