I hear many success stories about putting the cervix INSIDE the cup and poof! no more leaking. Well... the second my cervix gets inside my cup...POOF! my seal breaks. i hear it..i feel it....i LEAAAAK! am i doing something wrong? Is there something extra that i need to do when putting my cervix in the cup as opposed to just putting the cup below it?

Oh btw,i'm asking because my divacup only works on my first day. After that my cervix is too low for it to sit below it and not be coming out of my vagina and i leak for the rest of my period.

Hi,I'm 14 years old,and although I'm still haven't gotten the hang of it yet,I'm worried about using my cup for P.E. class because I have a low cervix(I think) during my cycle,so this might be a dumb question,but if I were to do squats or crunches would my cup fall out??? And have any of you done yoga or any other sports with a low riding cup successfully?

Thank you for replying! :)

Hi guys,
I've returned to this forum after a long time away and today noticed in a few posts people talking about opening their mouths to relax their perineal muscles. I mentioned this a while ago and wondered if it was me they got this info from (if it is it makes me feel so good that I helped you guys!!!)

The second thing I wanted to mention is that I just had a cup free period after 3 years using one and it was HORRIBLE!!! Tampons are disgusting!!! and I bled through more tampons and pads than I ever remember doing before which was so inconveinient on a 12 hr shift I didn't get a break on!! Don't do it girls.. don't do it...

Hi everyone,
I hope you can help me decide what I need. I'm buying a cup for myself, but I have no experience and don't know anyone who uses a cup that I can ask for help. My biggest concern is that my cervix is really low, as in 1-2 inches. I really want this to work because I hate pads. I think I have a fairly light flow. Typically the first 3 days, I can completely fill a maxi pad in about 24 hours, although my cycles have been somewhat lighter lately. I need something that will hold my flow for at least 9 hours because I work as a CNA in a nursing home and there is very little time for fiddling around with a cup during break. I had decided on the Mooncup UK, but then I discovered that there were quite a few more brands than the ones I had heard about. Now I don't know what to do.

Thanks for the help

I am having TOTAL confusion here.
I watched Melissa's video about where the cervix is located and she said that it's sort of on the side (with a demo even) and that you can feel it when you stick your finger in your vagina.

However, when reading some of the posts and looking at the pictures of where your cervix is located, it looks like it's at the back of the vagina. How can you make your cup sit (O) around your cervix if it's where it is located in the video that I watched?

WHERE IS MY CERVIX AND HOW CAN I FIND IT?

Also, how am I *sure* that it's actually my cervix and not what I THINK MIGHT be my cervix and is in fact something else?

blargh! all your base are belong to us!

Hello all - new cup user here! Reading through the posts has been very helpful in guiding me through my first cycle with the cup, but now I need some advice!

The first cycle was not trouble-free, but it went well enough that I really want to get this right! After reading through the posts here, I had decided to go with the MCUK. I did some dry runs and cut the stem off completely - I def. do not need it. I am able to insert and remove it without any discomfort or pain, which is awesome. The first day of my period, I had some problems with leaking. I think this was mainly because I wasn't getting a good enough suction due to blood on the vagina walls. I think I solved that problem by stirring around the cup multiple times until it was drier and I could get a good enough suction going. I'll find out for sure next cycle.

My main problem, however, is that I have realized that my cervix is quite low during my period. When I stick my index finger in, I reach my cervix by my second knuckle! I never realized it was that low before. Consequently, the very end of the cup sits right at the entrance of my vagina, and I can often feel that it is there. Because the stem is cut off, it isn't painful, but...it's there. And that is a tad uncomfortable. This may have also contributed to some of the leakage problems when my period was heavier because I think my cervix was taking up some of the capacity of the cup.

So, I am thinking that I may need a shorter cup...I have been perusing the posts, and I think that maybe a Lunette might be a good option? According to the size chart it is three mm shorter than the one I have...would that make a difference? 3mm seems like so little, but on the other hand, I feel like it just needs to be a tiny bit further in and I wouldn't feel it...I also like that it has a larger capacity. My flow isn't super heavy, but I love the fact that I can wear this thing over night! But then spending more money, esp. since the Lunette seems to be a bit pricier, doesn't seem all that appealing either. Decisions, decisions. Opinions?

I just got my very first menstrual cup in the mail today and decided to do a test run. It inserted and came out fine. I had a little bit of pain, but I'm used to that being as I've been using tampons since 8th grade.

Anyways, after my dry run I decided to see where my cervix was just because my diva cup was up pretty high (at least that's what I thought). I could barely touch the stem. Is that normal? I didn't have a problem taking it out or anything (it kinda felt like i was giving birth lol), but is that normal to sit up kind of high?

Hello again.  Many thanks to all that helped me in my first post about finding my cervix, etc.  I really appreciated it :).  Now, I'm trying to find out which size and which brand of menstrual cup will fit and work best for me.  Here's the info I've recently compiled about my body.  The week before my period started, I carefully located where the cervix sits.  When I'm not on my period, it's more or less in the center, about 2 inches in.  Four days ago, my period began for this month, and I again felt around for the cervix.  It was lower, now about 1 inch in, and had moved a bit further back towards the tailbone.

With this information, I no longer think a Diva is the right brand, but I could still use some help.

And one last question on a minor note, is it normal for your period to go super heavy after feeling for the cervix?  'Cause that's what happened this time around.  I felt for the cervix on Monday, ('cause my period started up slow on Sunday and usually hits full force the following day) and it was like super heavy.  I had to change pads almost every hour for the next 2 days, and leaks were CRAZY.  Did I mess something up down there?  

Again, tips appreciated.  Thanks in advance!

Finally realised after 2 leaky cycles that my low cervix must have been either sitting on the rim of my cup or hanging outside of the rim slightly.  Even though I did a finger sweep each time, I must have missed it sometimes (how??). 

I made a real effort this month to position my cup properly and it now sits much higher than before and I've only had leaks when it's been full.   Also have been able to use the Large Lunette this cycle, the higher position makes it way less uncomfortable.

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Hi :)

I'm a 15 year old girl from Germany.
After using the small Lunette with a trimmed stem (was too long before) for several cycles I really regret to say that I hate this stupid thing I tried the Origami Fold and the Punch Down Fold (with the punched part facing down) and it always leaks (especially after physical activities like cycling to school) and I have no idea what's wrong. Tampons always dry me out and I have to change them very often. It's so annoying!
I always use cloth pads as a back-up, but sometimes it even leaks through the pads and I can't ever trust the cup as I never know when it is going to randomly start gushing. That's especially inconvenient at school... And my fingers are all messy when I take it out...looks like a murder scene! I hoped that it could be left in for 9 hours without emptying it; I have to check it every hour on my heaviest days. Overnight there is blood everywhere even if I have a pad because it fills up and leaks in a way that a tampon never did. My flow is very irregular due to stress, sometimes I'd have to change a super tampon every two hours during the heaviest days, sometimes there's next to nothing. Sometimes there's no period for three or four months, sometimes I've got it twice a month.

The cup always opens successfully and it is never filled to capacity when it leaks, it's not even half-full. The holes are not clogged before I re-insert it.
I think that the cervix is pointing into the cup and the cup sits low in my vag, but I'm not sure. My fingers are very short (although I think that my vag might be on the short side as well)
Sometimes the very short stem sticks out and I simply cannot make it go any further up. Other times it migrates so far up I can barely get it out again. What is going on?


I really want to get the hang of my Lunette. Do you have any idea what the problem is? I'm sure that it isn't slow leak of residual blood that got into the vag when I removed and cleaned my cup. Do I need a different cup? That would be annoyinf because I'm a student... I'm always short of money And I actually don't want to get a cup with less capacity because my flow's sometimes pretty heavy.

I bought my first cup, a small LadyCup, last month, and this will be my first period with it.  I did a few dry runs, to try to get the hang of inserting it, and everything went great.  I have a finicky period, and spot a lot before it starts, so I've had my cup in occasionally for the last couple of days.  I haven't had any trouble inserting it or feeling it or getting it out, until today.  Normally, I could just bear down until I could reach the top of the cup and pinch it lightly to break the suction before pulling it out.  But today, I went to pinch, and I think my whole freaking cervix was inside the cup.  I've felt the bottom of my cervix resting on the cup  before when I've pulled it out, but this time, I mean the whole cup was literally just full of cervix.  I had to loop my finger around the rim to break the suction off.  I don't know if this is normal, since I've never used a cup before.  So is this normal, or is the cup suctioning my cervix down inside it, or do I just have a super fat cervix, or what?  I'm also concerned because I have an IUD, and if it's sucking my whole cervix inside, I don't want it to dislodge my IUD.

hey all,

After my frustration earlier this week, I have ordered my femmecup off ebay and payment got cleared today so it will soon be on its way to me! I am very happy. Now, being a newb to the knowledge that my cervix will move around during my period, I did a bit of experimentation, and found something very interesting. From what I've seen on here, most people say that their cervix is lower when their period is heaviest. which makes sense since its cramping and working hard and all that... However, mine actually retreats when it's heaviest. It's lowest right before it starts, then it seems to back right up. Maybe it's trying to hide from the cramps and nausea I've been having?  Poor little uterus.

Just wondering about this. Now that I've already ordered it, and since then discovered that my cervix likes to hide during my period, I'm just hoping I don't need a longer cup...

EDIT: Thanks all for the reassurances! I realised after reading the replies that I probably wont have anything to worry about, at all. Femmecup is currently in shipping to me and should be here soon XD I'll definitly keep everyone posted, and try and record how things go as both a new cup user and  femmecup user.

Is approx 45mm depth to cervix, short or medium length?

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Since I'm pregnant, I went through my stash of tampons and panty liners and gave a big bag to my mom. I told her my plans to get a menstrual cup after the baby is born. She was so excited and of course didn't realize they even existed. She's concerned that she may be able to use one, because, well basically her uterus is falling out (I don't know the medical term for it.) We were talking about it and she said when she uses tampons and has a bowel movement that she pushes her tampon out, however, I do the same thing. Is this due to a short cervix? Do you think she would be able to use one?
I found this when I did a search for menstrual cup pictures. http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/07/0729_IDEA_awards_students/32.htm
It's very pretty.

Well hello everyone!
I ordered a MeLuna the other day.  And then I thought i should look around at my anatomy a little more, so i figured out that my cervix is like..huge! it was so big i thought it was the end of my vagina. But then I reached around it and it just kept going, then i ran out of finger. lol So I seriously doubt that when i put the cup it it will migrate past my cervix well bc like i said, its big. But what happens if it does? I can't reach my finger in that far, so how else can I get it out if I can't reach it?  The farthest my finger can go is to the middle of my cervix.  Has it ever happend to you ladies?  It would be like my worst nightmare having it so far i can't reach it.  And i would have no problem going to have it taken out my  pro, but the only person that helped me order it and the only person that knows i'm even getting it is my dad. My mom nor my sister knows.  My dad and I are close enough to talk about it but it would be really weird for him to take me to my gyno and furthermore, i have never had a gyno visit ever.
And another thing i noticed, when i am on my period my cervix just doesn't move at all. it is quite lazy, so is it normal that it just doesn't move for some girls?
Thank you for your advice.

So I started my period today and ran to try my cup out for the first time.  It went in just fine and I emptied it a few hours later and there was only a drop or two in it but no leaks.  Then I put it back in a left in it for another couple of hours and emptied it because it was poking me and it just barely had fluid in it.  I have a LadyCup and it was only up to the top of the bumps.  Out of curiosity I checked my cervical position and it was very low, about an inch inside the canal.  Then I tried to put the cup back in and it would not open.  I couldnt get it in and I am bummed.  Is there a possibility that my cervix is just too low to use a cup right now? 

I did do a dry run last week and caught a good amount of CM in the cup so I was happy that I was able to get it in proper position.  I am so excited about using my cup but i really hope there aren't a ton of days that I can't use my cup because my cervix is just too low.

Hey so this might sound weird, and u don't have to answer if you don't want to
but i tried to put in my diva cup. didn't work at all, it was way to painful. so I continued on reading other posts in this community and decided to try and locate my hymen and my cervix, but I don't know what i'm looking for....
How do you know whats what up there?
maybe if i know where i'm "aiming" my diva cup could work better

So tonight, I'm getting ready for bed and emptying and rinsing my cup. For some reason, it was really hard to break the seal, so I'm digging around trying to collapse one side so that I can wash my face and get to bed at a decent human hour, and I feel like, this island in the middle of my vagina. Understandably, I was a little weirded out by this, as it's never happened before. So I eventually break the seal, figuring somehow I sealed it to a wall of my vag and suctioned this thing into existence in the slight struggle to get my cup out.

I'm feeling around making sure everything is cool in there before I put my cup back and I run my finger over what feels like a tiny doughnut. Actually, my first thought was that it felt like a fancy decorative washer, only fleshy and less metal, but I'm weird like that.

It's kind of shocking to feel your cervix after months of trying to find it, first to size out a cup for yourself, then to see how close an IUD string would get to your cup.

Also, I figured if anyone would appreciate a cervix story, it would be this community, and I had to tell someone. I doubt anyone I know would understand my excitement.

Hello!

This is my first time posting but I've been reading a lot of posts mainly since I got my Diva Cup.
First off, you gals are great :D

So this is my third month and I've been on summer vaycation so its been good practice time. The first time I tried to use it I was very...uh... nervous because the cup looked HUGE. I'm 17 and a virgin and haven't done much exploring in my vagina but I was super excited with getting a menstrual cup because along with my Womens Health Book Our Bodies Ourselves I was learning TONS of new stuff about my body. And I'm really open to knowing its just that I hadn't come across such a book as that one that explained things so clearly and honestly so I've been really happy learning about myself.

So first off in getting a Diva Cup I started wondering things like:
1. How do you know where your cervix is and when it changes position?
2. How can you figure out your ovulating cycle (FAM?)? The book explains a bit about measuring 'waking tempertature' (don't know what that is) and cervical fluid
3. How do renmants of a hymen look like and where are they?
4. I've had the really bad cramps before (the I-want-to-kill-myself ones) but haven't had a cup in during. How does that go?
5. Ballet? I managed to break the seal while goofing off and pretending to do pilates so I am a little worried about using it during ballet.
6. Why are Diva Cups the only option in stores (at least the ones I go to)? [US]
7. Why didn't I learn about menstrual cups sooner? My sis goes to a very liberal college so she learned about all types of awesome alternatives there and told me about it. Cloth pads too?!?!
Really, thats a really big concern for me. Womans Health Education is starting to worry me because unless I had found out about my lovely pink womans health book and menstrual cups I would have just stayed in the dark till some accident happened.
8. And lastly insertion and seal:
I use the punch down/triangle method (I hope thats what its called) thats in the instructions. I can insert it easily by now, but getting it to unfold is what I've been messing around with. I try to pinch the cup when its halfway in (I fold the rim all the way to the bottom of the cup not the middle) so that it unfolds and then twist it, but it works about 75% of the time and gives me a start when if pops. Then I just kegel it on up. For a seal check, anything besides rotation and fingers? There is no hope for now of sticking any fingers up there, thats a little advanced at the moment. I've done it but its been unpleasant. I'll keep checking out the tags about insertion but any posts about insertion are welcome :)

Thanks, I think I wrote a lil bit too much. :0
 

I have a low cervix and a very heavy flow (about 150ml in 48 hours, the rest of the time is thankfully more moderate).
I already have a small ladycup and large Lunette. Both are comfortable and after practice insertion and removal is fine for both.
I was hoping the 25ml capacity of the large Lunette would be great, but unfortunately my cervix seems to take up the majority of the cup - the *most* I can get it to hold is 15ml, but more often it starts leaking at 7ml. the Ladycup on the other hand seems to reach the holes (11ml) before leaking. So the small Ladycup actually has more useful capacity.
I'm considering trying the small Lunette and hoping that my cervix doesn't fit in, allowing me to get the full 20ml capacity, but having 3 cups seems a little excessive, especially if the new one isn't right.
Does anyone have any words of wisdom?
TIA.

So I started my period this morning.  Wore Gladrags all day and tried to insert my small Divacup for the first time after everyone else was asleep.  Unfortunately, I didn't feel comfortable enough to leave it in for the night.  All I managed to do was make myself sore. :( I'm glad I invested in the Gladrags, they're comfy and tide me over while I figure this out.  I believe in me!

I used the triangle fold, where you push down one side of the cup.  But I'm pretty sure it didn't unfold after I inserted it, and I couldn't figure out how to get it to unfold.  I'm pretty sure the instructions are telling me that I don't want to shove it all the way back to my cervix.  But it's just sticking out awkwardly; it's pretty uncomfortable.  I don't think it's just my imagination that it's slowly inching towards my knees.

Plus I can't figure out what suction is in the case of menstrual cup usage, nor whether or not I've created it.

I know the Divacup is really loooong compared to most cups (or most vaginas?) and there's a learning curve with cups in general, so do you think that's it with my problems?

Is that going to be a problem with cups? My doctor told me I had a tilted cervix/uterus when I was pregnant, but I didn't quite get what she meant...until I was trying to get a measurement for my cup.

Anyone else have this issue?

It seems my DIVA is gonna leak no matter what I do!!  I've tried EVERY THING!!
1-make sure it's SEALED via twisting/rotating
2-SWISH finger around to remove residual
3-turned it INSIDE OUT
4-locate my cervix & TRY to place cup accordingly
5-make sure ALL HOLES are CLEAR

After ALL this my cup still leaks.  Since I've been doing #4 the leaking isn't AS BAD.
My cup is NEVER FULL when it leaks. It comes to the 1/2oz line at most.
Also since doing #4, the cup is usu. betw. 1/4 & 1/2oz marks.

I have  been using my DIVA since 2004. I used it for about 6 to 8mo. w/GREAT dificulty.  So much so I put it away for about a year!
Then I found this site:-)  I got a lot of tips & was finally able to use it w/some success.  I've always had leakage though.  I'm envious of those who can wear their cup alone!!  I'd NEVER go w/o a backup, never!!

Oh and how do you KNOW your cervix is IN the cup???
I thought every thing inside there was 'smooshed together. So if there's a seal the cup should catch the flow rather the cervix is IN the cup or not..................

So I finally decided maybe the DIVA isn't the RIGHT cup for me.   I ordered & am waiting on a green LadyCup.
I do hope this one is for me.  If you have any suggestions, PLEASE let me know.

Okay, so I know that the cervix changes positions during the cycle, but how much?

I put my lunette in last night, and the stem was sticking out considerably and uncomfortably.  It wouldn't go up any higher, so clearly my cervix was quite low.  This morning, when I got to take it out, it's so high that  I was in past my first knuckle to get a good grip on the stem.  This makes it inconvenient in that I have to leave the stem on in order to take it out (I could probably trim it a little more...), but for the first part of my period, it's sticking out.

Does anyone elses's cervix change positions so drastically?  Do you just deal with the poky stem when your cervix is low?

Hi all! I have been reading THE community, and I have to say it is amazing and just great! I found the answers to all my questions! This is my second period trying to use a cup and I am so excited, I really want to be able to use it, I don't ever want to put a tampon on, but something is not right!

I had a large Diva last month, and I experienced a sensation of light pressure and tickling on my throat and light pressure on my head, and light nausea and dizziness. I read here that too much suction or pressure on the cervix could cause this reaction; however, in the entries I read the reaction was really bad with pain and fainting, I never experience any of this.

After reading up I enlarged the Diva wholes, and cut the stem (so that it would not be so high up) and this helped a bit. But I still had the reaction so I got a beautiful Large LilacCup, I thought squishiness and larger wholes would put less pressure and suction. I tried and it was fine, then when I took it out (5 hrs later) and put it back in the reaction was really strong! ;( I could not leave it to sleep with. I tried again this morning and I have the reaction very light, I think I have to put it in a way that does not push or suck up so badly on my cervix. The thing is I don't experience any pain or discomfort in my vagina! And it is a lot better than with the Diva, but I cannot reach that high up to check if it is pressure or suction.

I have tried to pinch the bottom and suck the cup up a bit with my muscles, move it to the sides to let more air in so the suction or pressure will be less (mind you, the pressure on my head and throat), but I cannot accomplish it. My finger won’t get all the way up to the rim to let more air in...

So my questions after a long story...

1 - Has anyone experienced this, does it go away? It is not really something I want to get used to.

2 - How else can I get more air in the cup to release the suction? Is it that I am not doing the pinching, sucking, and moving for long enough?

3 - How would you check if the problem is pressure or suction if you can get your fingers up to the rim (and I can get at least 6 cm in) to check where the cup is with respect to the cervix? Never had any leaks so the rim is all the way around the vagina walls

4 - Maybe I am putting it up too high? How do I know that is high enough (just at the entrance of the vagina?) I would like to wear it as low as possible. I already cut the stem off the LC

5 - Would a stiffer cup help?

Thank you so much! And sorry for the long post!