All right, so one of these days I'm getting a reusable cup, but I can't now because of a lack of money. I decided to get some Insteads to get used to the idea of cups.

My problem: I can't reach my cervix without difficulty. After considerable effort, I can reach the edge of it. I can't reach any further. I have really small hands, which may be a part of the issue.

The instructions say to fold it sideways and have it behind the pubic bone. That part isn't so bad. But it don't even come close to covering my cervix in that position. Apparently my cervix and pubic bone are in different worlds. I try and try to get it back further, but it either 1) won't stay there and 2) leaks madly anyway and 3) I get that really lovely "dull ache" feeling.

I want this to work. I want something other than tampons or pads! But apparently Instead isn't it.

Is there any hope for me getting this to work? Or will I just have to use tampons while I try to get funding for some reusable cup?

Hey :D
It's my first time trying a cup, but I've heard so much good about them I decided to just go for it.
I'm 19 and sexually active, I have a UK Mooncup small size.
I have a horrible time with tampons, I can't use them at all (they are always uncomfortable, and I can't get a good position with them) and I'm recently getting so fed up of disposable pads as well, I also have OCD and it's a horrible time for me and drives me totally mad, so I'm hoping the cup will help.

I'm trying a 'dry run' for now, as the pill dictates I will start tonight or tomorrow morning, so I thought I best have a go.

( Questions and the embarrassing gruesome details.. with diagrams! )
Oh, and the last question, is it perfectly safe to wear the cup 'pre-emptively'? I assume so, but as I want to be completely sure, I was planning to pop it in before bed and wear it overnight as they usually start up during my sleep.

Thanks in advance for any help and advice!

I started with a small divacup 2 years ago at 18 years old, and it worked for awhile. However I found it hard to clean and the suction too strong/some poking, so  I switched to a Lunette (before it had a small size) and was happy for about another year.

I've been off the pill for about a year and found that my cervix is very low recently.. I know because I'm charting and my luteal phase just now reached a healthy length, and that's when the cervix problems started. I used to only have the problem of feeling a "wall" in there using tampons.

But now, I can put the cup in with some resistance, but it starts to leak after a few hours and constantly "bubbles" and protrudes out of my vagina. I am sure it is inserted right. When I change it, it feels like the cup has sucked my cervix "down" and it is hard to reinsert right away! I saw the memories and saw something about folds that help guide the cervix "in the cup".. could this be a solution?

I live in scandanavia now so I can take a brief walk and buy the smaller Lunette right now, but I'm short on cash, and want to be sure first that my problem can't be solved other ways, as I already own two cups! Thanks for any help.

I've been trying out the divacup for the past few days and initially I was experiencing constant leaking. What I realized, through reading some posts on this site, is that the position of your cervix determines whether or not a particular menstrual cup will be appropriate. Prior to trying the divacup I didn't know that my cervix sat low (close to the entrance of my vagina). I followed the directions on the package and on the website but no matter what I did I still experienced leakage. When I searched out the location of my cervix and positioned the divacup accordingly (below the cervix) I discovered that the bottom of the divacup (not just the tab) sat right at the entrance of my vagina. In the correct position I don't experience any leakage however I can constantly feel the darn thing with every move I make and it drives me up the wall. I'm going to give my divacup away to a friend and try to find another cup more appropriate to my bodytype.
This is the one thing I've noticed that all the cups and their websites fail to mention and it's something that many women aren't aware of. So my advice is: know where your cervix is and make sure the cup is placed properly according to your own body, not according to what a menstrual cup manufacturer says.
The divacup is the largest of all other cups on the market. If you find that your cervix sits low (that you can reach it very easily) then I wouldn't recommend purchasing the largest and longest cup on the market.

I got my diva cup about 3 weeks ago, and about a week after getting a mirena IUD inserted.  At first I was afraid to use them together, but reading the tags and memories gave me confidence, and I haven't had any problems.  Although my doctor trimmed the strings VERY short, to the point that I can have a hard time finding them.

Anyway, I wanted to add my experiences to the general knowledge of the group and any future members.
 

( cut for lengthiness )So, I know that's a lot of info, but any info anyone feels might help me is appreciated.  Otherwise, it's nice to find a safe and supportive place to share!

Hi all, new to the community, and have already posted my intro. I've been reading through the FAQs and tags with a few questions that may or may not be easy to answer.

I'm expecting my first baby in January, and before conception exclusively used OB tampons, because I didn't know about cups, and these were the smallest, least obnoxious ones I could find. Also, even though I know the vagina stretches and the cervix kind of changes position during certain times, I'm relatively small. (I'm not basing this off of personal comparisons, lol. But the fact that I can almost always feel my cervix, and the simplest things hurt without lube. Not really gonna go there though.)

I've read a few entries about cervical position in relation to the cup (very informative BTW) and I'm curious if this will be a possible problem for me after the baby is born, what with stretching. I can always feel it and I worry that I may be unable to comfortably use a cup if the only tampon that didn't bother me was teeny tiny.

I know my body will change after the baby is born, and I have no idea what differences to expect when switching from tampons to cups, or if my size before will have an impact on my size after.

So these are my questions, I guess summarized:

In general did you notice a big difference between pre-baby and postpartum use of cups?

Does size either before or after really play a role in determining which cup might be suited to an individual?

Does anyone find that they can ONLY use smaller cups because of their size, and should I even worry about this not knowing how things will go?

There are so many options, and really no way of guessing how things will be down there "after." So I guess really I wanted to get everyone else's P.O.V.s on it.

Sorry if these seem stupid and pointless, but I keep searching through old entries and pre- and post pregnancy is not really a big topic. Let me know if it is out of place, or please point me to the entries I'm looking for if these things have been discussed already.

I'm already frazzled from searching for cloth diapers, and postpartum pads, and there is just SO much to take in for a relatively ignorant/uninformed (at least on these topics, I hope) person like myself who never heard of any of this until now... So ANY help would be awesome!

Hi! I just got my miacup a short while ago. I wanted to share my story thus far and perhaps get some more advice than what I've already read in the memories and online. It's my first time with a cup and I really want to make the switch from tampons but unfortunately thus far it's been an utter failure for me.

( Follow the red brick road ... )

Hi,

I've just finished my 3rd cycle with the Lunette. I really want to love it but still got a big problem with it.
It's leaking when I lay down and move in bed. I also noticed - now that I got back to school - that I have the same problem when I'm sat for a long time. When I stand up and go back home, I can feel the cup moving a bit, and air going in and out. As the seal is broken, it leaks, and I can't replace the cup properly as there are no toilets in the streets and it is not very discreet to do that in public.!

First I thought it was not really sealed when I put it in but I checked several times and it was properly sealed. Plus, it's working fine when I put it in and just walk or sit for a short time during the day.

Then I wondered whether it was because of my cervix position, which is very low, and could disturb the Lunette position, but I came here and found at that it was not a problem since the cervix was "in" the cup. And that is exactly the position of my cup when I use it.

I really don't want to give it up but now I'm not at ease when I go to school with it or when I sleep, or even when I go to the cinema, the restaurant.... and I really don't want to use pads with it...

Maybe the Lunette is not the right cup for me. ?...

I thank from advance advices from those who faced the same problem and went through it, or from others who could give me a piece of information.

PS :I'm 19 and childless

PS 2 : I'm french so pardon me for possible faults or incoherent sentences!

Okay, I feel like this is going to be a really stupid question, but I just have to ask it.  I have always thought that the cervix was the opening (like a tunnel) that connects the vagina to the uterus.  The way people talk about their cervixes here, it is as if they are an actual thing that they can feel.  

I would think the cervix would be more like the absence of a body part, as opposed to something you can touch.  Does my question make sense?  Can anyone explain this to me?  I really appreciate it!

First of all I'd just like to say, this place is great! I've been suffering hell the past few days and would probably have given up on my new cup if I hadn't found this place.

I've been having long, excessive bleedings for a long time now, and I've nearly ruined myself on tampons this year, so I finally made the decision to try a cup. I bought a Lunette, because it was the biggest, most stable looking one I found. It arrived during one of my "in between" bleedings, and I thought that was a good time to try it out. After a couple of days of trial I got it to work ok and then put it away when I didn't need it anymore. Then this thursday I got my real period, which is really heavy, and looked forward to using my cup. Didn't work, at all. For some reason all the blood ended up outside and I couldn't figure out why. I took it out and put it in again so many times my whole pelvis ached and my fingers where raw from washing. Also, I found the lunette very stiff and hard to fold and insert, so I became very sore. Eventually I gave up and went back to tampons. Searched for hours and hours online to find help.

And then I came here. I didn't even know there were other ways to fold a cup than the c-fold! I didn't get any instructions with my cup, I just followed the advice on the website I bought it from. Anyway, after reading through a ton of posts here I decided to try again, with another fold, and really figure out why it was leaking. I thought maybe the cup was too long or too narrow, because somehow my cervix ended up outside the cup. But it wasn't outside the front of the cup, where it should be if the cup was too long or too far in. It was off to the side, behind the cup. As if during my period it sags down to the left. It didn't matter how far in I stuck the cup, I had to find a way to weasel my cervix inside. This ultimately means I have to wear my cup diagonally. It takes a bit of fingerwork, but it gets there. I don't know how good the suction is though, since it seems to slip down into a straight position eventually, but I haven't had any major leakage since. (Yay!)

Does anyone else have this issue? Does this mean my uterus is tilted too? Because my gyno never commented on it. It's okay, though, I don't feel the cup even if it's very askew. There's plenty of sideways room in there even if the entrence itself is narrow. And I'm very happy to have found the 7-fold. Much easier to get in now. :) I was worried I would have to buy a different cup, something I can't really afford right now, but now I'm glad I stuck with it. I really want this to work, and be rid of those awful pads and tampons forever.

First off: I'm 20, have not given birth, and technically sexually active (assuming penis-shaped objects count...haha).

( cut for babbling )

Basically, my vag is cutting off the entrance and it's hard to get the cup out. Oh, and pushing isn't working like it used to because I can't seem to isolate the right muscles. BM pushing was working, but now it's only working for, well, BMs...

So, any ideas what's going on? I might be tense, I have to remind myself to breathe. I hold my breath when pushing, which is why I gave up on the pushing. But on my dry run I could just push a little and it would pop out enough for me to grab it. Even when i was breathing and feeling pretty relaxed, I had the same problem. Help?

And yes, even after that incident, I popped it right back in. So now I'm having the same problem...

I've been using my Diva Cup with no problems since Thursday, which was the first day of my cycle. I'm at the end of my cycle today, and I noticed I was having trouble with my cup sitting VERY low, almost hanging out of me. I reached up with my finger and felt that my cervix is sitting extremely low, I hardly get my finger in to the second joint and I can feel it.

Do any of you have trouble with cups at the end of your cycle? I decided to use nothing since I'm hardly bleeding anymore, I'll just wear old undies and deal.

Has anyone ever noticed that the directions that come with these cups always shows a diagram where the cup seems to be just sitting at the bottom of the vaginal canal, ready to catch the flow? The directions never mention that where the cup really belongs is snugly over the cervix, with the rim of the cup encircling the outline of the cervix. Are they afraid it will look too explicit? it's ridiculous -- these are women's products meant for use on women's bodies. We all have a cervix, and from what I see on this journal, many of us are finding it only by accident through use of their cup!

Like, one fine day a woman puts her cup in, and it finds its way to cup over her cervix and she has her eureka moment! I, myself, was believing those inaccurate diagrams and putting my cup in just as iillustrated, and of course I had leakage and discomfort. Until my one fine day.

We should demand more explicit directions, and less queasiness on the part of the instruction writers! Are the writers men, or women who don't know about their own anatomy, or what? I demand real-woman directions!

I am currently in the middle of my third period with a large Ladycup and it's proving to be much different from my last two cycles.  The first two, the cup rode high enough that I did not need to cut off any of the stem because it fit all the way inside.  I also had never been able to find my cervix (during or between my periods).  However, this period the cup kept riding low and the stem is a bit irritating, so now I'm considering trimming it.  I didn't understand why until I investigated and found my cervix for the first time!  It's so cute and smooth :).  It must be lower than in the past and so it is causing the cup to sit lower.  Also, today for the first time I was having quite a bit of leaking.  I took it out and reinserted it and realized that my cervix was outside of the cup - wow!  I pulled the cup a little lower and also kind of tried to push the cervix up and inside the rim.  But at least I know why I was having leaks.

This time around I have had a very usually long period. It has lasted more than two weeks. I have a contraceptive implant which is known to make periods unpredictable. Even though I haven't had a period like this since I had it put in in March, I did not think much of it. My husband expressed the concern, this being my first period using my Ladycup, that the long period could somehow be related. I'd never heard of that happening so I thought it was silly. The last week of my period has not even felt like a period at all, no cramps or discomfort. Just a low amount of bleeding.

However. Today while replacing my cup I noticed something very strange and alarming. My cervix, which usually I would not be able to reach in and feel with my fingers, is right inside the entrance to my vagina. It is very large. Like I said, I've never been able to feel my cervix before, but I don't think it's supposed to be this big. It's circumference is greater than the widest point of my thumb. I'm very familiar with my g-spot and I know I"m not confusing the two. This is a cylinder-shaped object, I can circle my finger around it. My finger circles between it and the walls of my vagina.

I can't even have sex like this, it is too big for a penis to be placed in there with it. We already know the suction is great enough to pull out an IUD. Is it possible that it's engorging the blood vessels in my cervix and causing it to enlarge? Is this possibly dangerous? Should I see a doctor?

Good morning,
i've been reading this commuinty for some time and have checked the tags and not found this particular question so here goes :)

i'm on my second cycle wth my Mooncup.During my first cycle days 1-3 i had a lot of leakage because i was apparently placing the cup far too low. i have a tilted Uterus and low placement didn't give me the seal i needed. i figured this out and pushed the cup up further late on day 3 and had no leaks at all for the rest of my cycle (YAY!!)

This cycle i've done well and had no leaks, until i tried agan to place it lower for easier removal...(will not do this again).

The problems i'm currently having are with removal. Breaking the seal isdifficult i've pushed in the side of the cup.i've bared down and tried to push in the upper lip (often i can't reach it) i'm wondering if i should open up the holes a bit (they seem awfully tiny).

i also experience cramping worse since using the cup. Normally my cramps are vague and two advil on day one are all thats required. Now the cramping lasts all day on days 1-2. What about the cup causes cramping?

Another question (which may sound odd) is does the suction of the cup place a suction on the cervix? Can the cup cause issues like prolapse? In my head i'm picturing a constant vacuum on the cervix caused by the cup and wondering if that will weaken those muscles and ligaments that hold the cervix in place somehow.

Even with all of that said, i'm loving the cup and have converted one other woman and have another friend seriously considering it!!

Hey everyone,
I bought a Diva bout 3 months ago, at first it worked ok, then during my second cycle it was terrible, it leaked everywhere and it wasn't even full, I checked everything.
I flipped it inside out, and it worked pretty great.
On to third cycle, and nope it does it again, leaks. So I fish it out and it has gone SIDEWAYS inside of me :S

Basically the only thing I can think of is both this cycle and last I happened to have fairly rough heavy PIV sex the day before my period (except this one, when I arrived a week early :S)
So I am thinking the heavy sexing is making my cervix move in weird places? Or something of that sort, am I going crazy, what else is going on?

I love the idea of the cup, my first cycle was awesome! But I can't keep having it let me down, today I cooped myself up in the house afraid to go out!

 Hi All - after realizing how many cups and sizes there are out there I think I need a little help. Lots of you talk about needing a shorter cup or it sitting higher, etc. because of your vaginal size. How do you know if you are shorter, wider, lower cervix . . .? I could go and attempt to "measure" but what would I have to compare it to?

I have absolutely no idea on any of this. I am almost forty and have had two c-sections but they were planned and I never experienced labor. I think the most I was ever dialated to was a 1 or a 2 and I have a tipped uterus since my last child was born. The only other thing that I can point to in an effort to determine the size is that I have never been able to use a tampon other than a regular. Within minutes of using a super or super plus I had cramps so bad that I had to take it out and use wadded toilet paper instead! I don't know if this was due to size or absorbancy.  I am a plus size girl but for whatever reason have always thought of myself as smaller or tighter down there.


Does anyone have any tips on how I can figure out my size??

This is my second cycle using a Diva Cup, and I love it...though I had to get a certain part of my body to agree to this new situation. I figured out something about myself I thought I'd share as it might be useful to all of you...and it's a kinda funny story.

I'll begin by saying I had no idea just how low my cervix can sit, especially during my period. My Divacup was hanging 1/3 of the way out and I had to cover my cervix with it -- if I followed the the directions, the Diva Cup slipped under it. I hadn't encountered this the cycle before, so I was pretty surprised I was having this positioning problem. While having the Diva Cup so low was no painful, it was a little annoying.

I sat on my toilet to reinsert my Diva last night, and I sighed as my cervix was practically using my LABIA as a pillow. This had never happened to me before -- was it the strong suction that was prolapsing me? Did I never notice because I used tampons? I had no idea. When I was not on my period, I didn't recall my cervix sitting so low -- I have a feeling I would have noticed this. Why was it shifted so low now...?

I sighed. I thought to myself: If my cervix moves around this much, it must be pretty flexible. I want it up higher than it is right now, like it normally is. What the hell -- I'll see if I can just...encourage it to go back where it belongs.

Rather than futz with the cup to get a position I liked, I futzed with my cervix. I decided to see if it would shift back up to its usual position. It was there before -- maybe it just needed some help staying there with all the work it was doing during my menses. I gently poked around until I felt my cervix was where it was supposed to be.

And it stayed there. It didn't slide down. This is the weirdest thing ever. I have an elastic cervix. The Incredible Shifting Cervix. The Cervix of Manipulation. The Cervix of Gently-Encouraged Cooperation.

I waited about thirty seconds. It didn't shift back.

I put in my Diva Cup. Perfect fit, everything's where it should be, everything's very comfortable.

Then I went on with my day. I felt triumphant.

Has anyone else here tried to well...shift their cervix around instead of the Cup? I found my cervix to be more forgiving than my Diva. Am I mutant?

Hey there, I have just recently got a Mooncup (UK)  and have only had the opportunity to try it out on a dry run so far. I have had a look around this site, but I haven't found the answers to my specific questions.

Firstly, I'm 28 and I have the smaller Mooncup (UK). I have managed to get it in okay on the dry runs and I'm not sure whether I have achieved the suction. I am thinking of getting a second cup as a spare, and I might as well try another brand. I am thinking about Ladycup, but I'm not sure whether to get the smaller size or the larger one. If you get the larger one and you are smaller would it make any difference? I'm going overseas to live in a third world country in about 6 weeks, so only one cycle before I go. I don't know whether I should order it before I have that cycle so I can try it out on that, but I haven't even tried out the Mooncup on a cycle either, to know whether it will work for me.

 Hi, I am new user of a Divacup, I used it only for two periods. I bought my Diva on-line and after is was delivered I did dry test run. I had problem to pop it open, my vagina started to bleed :) - yeah, I tried very hard...

And than I discovered this *thing* inside of me and when I put cup over it, cup just popped open right away – it was my cervix, just veeeeeery low. I had no idea it sits so low, before when I used tampons I really didn't have a need to check where my cervix is.

My Divacup is just to long for me, I tried to turn it inside out and it worked better but still cup is picking outside of my vagina (when I am sitting on a toilette it can be even 1/3 out ). I just ordered large Ladycup, will give it a try. I am just a little worry about cervix being so low, maybe somebody has same problem? I am afraid of prolapsed cervix.. :(

Any suggestion helps, thanks!

 

As this is my first post here, please point out if I did anything wrong and I'll fix it!

Now to my question: I plan to order a Lunette during the next few days. In order to check if I'm able to use it, I inserted one finger (and afterwards two and three to check if I will be able to get the cup past my hymen) into my vagina and tried to find my cervix. But somehow I couldn't find it!
I tried to find it several times but I didn't feel anything with the faintest resemblance of a cervix.
Is my finger perhaps too short for my vagina? And will that be an obstacle for using a cup? I'd really like to use menstrual cups, but I'm afraid I won't be able to get it out if it suctions to my cervix and my fingers are too short to reach it...

AUGH.

I'm at work, and will be for another 4 hours. My cervix is so low today; it's killing me. Normally taking out my cup and putting it back in is good enough to make it comfortable, but that hasn't worked today (I've tried it three times). The stem is poking me, and it's leaking a teensy bit. And, of course, I don't have any pads or tampons with me.

I'm going craaaazy here.

Sorry, I mostly just wanted to vent my frustration here. Have any of you ladies been in a situation like this? Is there anything I can do about it, or do I just have to suck it up and deal? D:

So I guess the background details are, I’m a 19 year old virgin, and I'm new to menstrual cups.  I started with the Small Diva Cup (which I hated and thought was too large and painful and had death suction and even laying down didn’t help insertion--I could never even get the thing actually inside me), thought I must have a tiny vagina, panicked, then read rave reviews about the tiny Lady Cup, and bought one (in the Small size), even though I’m a broke college student.

I feel like I must be doing something wrong! Everyone else seems to RAVE about the Lady Cup, and true, it’s VERY soft (MUCH moreso than the awful painful Diva Cup) and foldable and tiny and inserts so easily.

But...

HI, since i post last weekend .. i made some progrets... but my cervix is not really deep and far.. so i cut all the steem and i cant but it almost all in. there is only the botom of the cup which sit at the very end of my vagina...if I push harder.. the cup will fit all in but will be sitting on my cervix and will be squich.. so do you think its a beter idea to let it very low.. or its okay if its on my cervix and squich. Do anyone have their cervix very low??..