It took me 2 years to muster the courage to buy and try the mooncup and I never looked back. First few times were trial and error and there were a few bad accidents. about leaking all around, when I initially placed the cup, I didnt know the tip of my cervix was outside the rim, so it kept leaking around of course, so just make sure thats sorted. As for the stem, I cut it off entirely and its still easy to grip and pull out. I love the mooncup and I really dont miss pads at all.