I was having a lot of trouble with my size 1 Diva. It wouldn't go in, I was certain it wouldn't fit, and I was just sick of trying. Tampons give me panic attacks (TSS symptoms immediately upon insertion), and pads are itchy and smelly, but it looked like I was going to have to go back to disposables anyway. I was ready to give up, but then with the help of a number of people from this community, I caved and ordered a small LadyCup from eBay. It should arrive in a couple of weeks (it's coming from the Czech Republic and I'm in central Canada), but I'm excited to try something smaller that may actually work for me.

Before it arrives, does anyone have any advice for a first time user...a 19 year old virgin?

So first time with the menstrual cup thing (I have the Diva Cup), and this has probably been answered, but I read through and still am not sure if it has.  Anyways, I have two questions....

a)  I tried my cup last night... 9 hours, some leaking, and it wasn't even close to overflowing.  Second time I put it in, I decided to try the seven-fold instead of the C-fold that was recommended in the instructions, and I had a ton of leaking with that one.  As in, I don't think it was blocking anything lol!  After about 45 minutes, I took it out (see second question for main reason for take-out), but I plan on trying again before bed... maybe the punch fold this time.  Should I be able to feel if it is "suctioned" in?  I mean, it feel suctioned on removal, but not really while it is in there, although when I put my finger around it as much as I can, it feels as if it is unfolded.  I tried the turn thing recommended by the Diva Cup instructions, and I also tried kiegels the second time (which seemed tougher than usual with that in there, so maybe I need to work my muscles some more), but obviously it wasn't sealed the second time, and the first time it might have been, but it didn't feel any different then the second time.  So should I be able to tell if it is suctioned in well, and if so, how do I tell?

b)  I always get cramping with my period, but I noticed when I have the cup in, I get a pain in the front of my abdomen.  I don't think it is anywhere near my cervix, despite being the longer brand of cup, since I tried checking with my fingers.  That said, my fingers are on the stubby side.  However, I figured maybe I am inserting it wrong, cuz I totally do not get how to insert something horizontally into my vaginal canal.  It isn't horizontal!  I mean, slightly tilted towards my tailbone I can do, but not horizonally like the instructions said.  So I am thinking I am totally missing something, and maybe wrong insertion is what is causing the pain (andpossibly the leaking too).

The pain isn't anything I can't deal with... seriously, taking a tylenol for it would be overkill, but it is noticable, and paired with my first question, it makes me think I am doing this wrong.  So basically, any tips on knowing I have it sealed would be great, and also any information on what they mean by inserting it horizontally (do they just mean towards the tailbone?)!  Thank you so much!!!

Hi There!

This is my first time on Livejournal and with my Diva Cup so I'm really excited!

So anyways, this is my first time with my diva cup and I'm 14 years old.  

( Read more... )

And from the time I've been wearing my cup, I get light to medium cramps and usually I don't get cramps. Could this be because I'm not used to my cup yet?

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!

Hey guys! New user here!!
Just a little intro first: I'm 20, not a virgin and I've had no kids.

Anywho, I've been lurking around here for about two days now and am so happy that I happened to stumble upon this community. It's so informational and helpful. I've decided that I want a Pinkcup after reading about all the cups, and I am currently having a bid war, via ebay, for a S&L Multipack of the Pinkcup. I'm due for my period in about a week and a half, and assuming I win the product (we're at about $30 which is NOT bad for two cups, so I'm stoked) I was just wondering.. if you're in the US, how long did your Ladycup take to get to you?
Also.. I would like to hear some more pros and cons of the Ladycups. I understand they're a bit slippery, but it's nothing you can't overcome, right? Also.. Is the softer silicone in anyway better than the harder silicone?

Thank you :D <3

i've been following this site for a while before purchasing my diva cup... hopefully someone will have a tip for me because i haven't seen anything much about the problem i'm having.

okay. so according to the directions that came with my diva cup, if you get a seal, the cup *can't* ride up. not the case!! no matter how shallow i put it in, my vagina sucks it up so it's so far in i have huge problems getting it in.

i know it's sealed because:
- i can hear the whoosh of air as it seals
- it's not leaking (at all - i have to say this is wonderful!!)
- it has huge suction when i go to take it out, have to squeeze and tug and pull, etc

anyway, i was using the punch-down fold and trying to it position it so the stem was just outside of my body and i could feel it easily... guaranteed within 5 minutes it was so far in there i need to dig waaay inside to even find the stem and getting a grip of it was almost impossible.

had that a few times, then tried putting it in just barely using the c-fold (the stem AND maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of the base were visible from the outside using a mirror). that was fine while i was standing up but when i sat down - vagina sucked it up again!

it's really comfortable when it's so far in there - my problem is it's so hard to get out and i'm kinda worried if i leave it in more than a few hours i won't be able to get it out.  the only thing i can think of is that maybe i should put a hole in the stem and put a string through like a tampon, just in case?!


i didn't have this problem on my "dry runs" before my period so i'm assuming it has to do with my cervix moving, or just because things are slippery down there. any tips would be appreciated!! it is pretty awesome that it doesn't leak AT ALL... just want getting it out of my body to not be a 10-15 minute procedure!

Hey, new user here :)

My period snuck up early this month so the nice little LadyCup I ordered arrived the exact day after it was over. But I just couldn't wait, so being a science nerd, I ran to the autoclave (hey, it said to sterilize it, right?) and now I'm taking this as opportunity to get my usage perfect before the date comes next month, and I have just a couple questions.

First of all, I dry-run wore mine all day yesterday at college, through my back-to-back for 12 hours classes, and unlike tampons, I never felt any kind of discomfort, even though it is the large size (it is so not that big). If the bleeding goes well, I will never look back. I stalked this community for a long time before buying, and I just wanted to say thank you :)

Somewhere on here I remember someone posting a link to a youtube video demonstrating different folding techniques. I can't find it! So if someone could link me, that would rock. Nevermind. One more second and I would have found it...

I didn't have any trouble removing it like a lot of LadyCup users seemed to... Except that it was a little uncomfortable through the opening. Are you supposed to fold it when you pull it out too? If so, what fold are you supposed to do? I can't very well be doing origami in my vagina.

Thanks ladies!

I am a new Divacup user. I just purchased it last week and used it for the first time last night. All went well so I decided to try it at work today. I didn't get it in right this morning and was having some leaking, so I decided to take it out and reposition it while I was at work. When I put it in it seemed to unfold, then as I pushed I felt the cup fill with air and the air push into my vagina. I know that air in the uterus can be very dangerous. I am wondering if there is anything to worry about with it pushing some air up there, then suctioning so it can't come back out.

Any thoughts? Has this happened to anyone else?

Alright, so I am a bit nervous here and I guess what I want is some reassurance since I am a complete newbie to the Diva cup!

For the last month or two I kept hearing all over my LJ about cups and about how awesome they were. I didn’t really understand what they were so I did some research. The more I looked it up the more intrigued I got. I followed the size guide and thought a Diva Cup would be perfect since when I feel around up there, even during my monthly cycle I can’t seem to feel my cervix no matter how far I reach, so I knew a longer cup would work. I also wanted something that would hold a lot.

 Well, I was originally going to wait to buy one because it is kind of expensive and I really don’t have a lot of money. But, I happen to be on my period right now and I went to go grab a tampon and realized I only have enough to get me through this last period and I won’t have enough for the next. So, I saw it as an opportunity to order!

 But now I am second guessing myself and wondering if I really did do the right thing. So, will I regret it? Will I even be able to use it since I am considered extremely small down there? Eeep! I hope it works out!

A newby here... and I can't get the darn thing out!!

I learned about menstrual cups as I was researching my IUD, and thought they were great from the start, but I was a bit scared, so I decided to go for the small LadyCup since it's the smallest to get the hang of it first... maybe that was a mistake?

( More info... )

Thanks!!

UPDATE: SUCCESS!!

I got it out about a minute or two ago, and it's been about 24 hrs since I put it in. So far, so good. I decided to defer my next cup use to the next cycle. I was tempted though, to put it straight back in :)
( The Removal )

I'd just like to say THANK YOU to everyone here!! I would definitely have panicked if it weren't for you wonderful people!!

 Hi Guys!

Just wanted to put up a quick success story! I've had my cup for a while now and I can safly say its changed my life! I've always been stuck with seemingly endless periods that were fairly light but occasionally really really heavy! Meaning I always leaked when I least expected it and was worried about things like TSS when I wasn't sure how heavy that day might be! 

My Femmecup has changed EVERYTHING!!! Being able to only have to change it twice a day is fantastic and has meant I can finally not worry about things constantly, I swap it once in the morning and once at night. Occasionally I get the sensation of leaking but ... I go to the bathroom check if it actually is leaking and if it is, its normally just a little,  its easy to clean up and empty it! 

I have never felt so liberated! I was always worried about leaking over things when my suprise heavy time would suddenly appear but now .... I just don't have to! Since getting my cup I haven't leaked on ANYTHING, not even once! I would never go back to tampons! My only regret is not buying a cup sooner!

So if anyone out there is debating if this really works... it does! And it is fantastic! Learning to use it is worth it for finding something that actually works! 

I'm finally having the happy periods all those adverts always went on about! And I wouldn't be if it weren't for finding this community! Thanks all!! 
xxx

Hi all, I just started using a menstrual cup the other day and I just wanted to say that I've had a very positive experience so far. While doing research beforehand, I got really freaked out by all the horror stories on here of people having painful insertion, or even worse, not being able to get the thing out! It sounded very scary so I was reluctant to try it out at first.( Read more... )

I've had my Diva for two months, never successfully inserted it, and I'm a virgin, but I've become a hundred times more aware of my body just learning more about my cup. The thing is, with this new knowledge of my own anatomy, my sex drive has increased an unbelievable amount. It's sort of frightening at times, actually (haha). Has anyone else experienced this, or am I the horniest person alive?

Hey gals!
I first read about menstrual cups (specifically the Keeper) in the book Making Stuff and Doing Things, and then again from a friend who has the Keeper Mooncup. I've been lurking this community for a while. I'd been thinking of either the Keeper Mooncup or the Femmecup, and since my period came yesterday and I couldn't stand to wear another tampon, I drove on down to the health food store and picked up the last size B Keeper Mooncup in stock. I had no problem with the C fold and it popped open right away. It immediately felt so much more comfortable than a tampon since it wasn't hitting my cervix when I sat in certain positions like tampons do. I emptied a few hours later just to see, had a little trouble, and then heard the awesome SLOOSH sound and almost had to stop because I was laughing too hard. Reinsertion was fine too.

I'm absolutely loving this cup; I feel that it fits very well for me and I'm so happy to not have to use tampons again!

Hello Everyone!

So, I have been on this site for the past two days, and have been able to get my small diva cup in and out with moderate success thanks to all the tips. I use the punch down fold and eventually get it in and placed comfortably. Granted I do have slight discomfort, but I feel like that's normal. It's not the insertion and removal, but I have problems with my cup once it is in. Once my cup is in, I cannot seem to turn it because it suctions immediately. At least I think it does, it does not leak, so I assume that means it has suctioned. Well, here is the issue. I get it in and am relatively comfortable for the first hour, but then it becomes EXTREMELY painful. I was beggining to get really light-headed and had to remove it. I have always had 'issues' with tampons, so I'm so excited to find the cup, but do not want to experience all this pain.
Is it possible it begins to suction more after it is in place for a short time? I feel like the ony way I can describe it is this.... The feeling you have before you sneeze? Well, it's kinda like that, but in my vagina, and ten times worse? It becomes so painful that I have to take it out. Would punching bigger holes help? Is this cup just the wrong material for me and I need to try something new. I feel like that's not the case because it is going in and out fine... Is this a question I should ask my gyno? Could this onsetting pain be because it isn't in far enough, or in two far? Again, it doesn't hurt for the first little while, it's after it has been in place for almost an hour... Any suggestions?
Thanks so much for your help in advance.

Hello!
So today I got my very first menstrual cup, a Divacup from the whole foods store by my house. I did a few test runs as soon as I got home, and everything seemed to work fine. I used the C fold to fold it, and getting it out was a little tough at first, but not nearly as painful as my first tampon experience, so I was okay. However, to get it out at one point, I had to kind of use my nails to grab the stem, and when I took it out I noticed this indentation already in the rim of the stem. Could that by from grabbing  it with my nails? Granted it wasn't a tiny indentation, it was a definite gap. A little less than 1mm. But still? Was my Divacup like that when I got it or what? Can somebody help me here? I tried to find up-close pictures of the Divacup but no luck so far. Any help would be appreciated.

Hello =)

I have a question that might seem stupid.. But the thing is, my graduation and prom is coming up, and I probably will have my period both days. I'm kind of  new to cups (I've actually been using a cup for about six months, but recently got a new one, a Moon Cup UK), so the whole changing of cup is still a bit messy. For prom, my dress has a light yellow colour, and for graduation it's white. So I thought, since I don't really want to remove and reinsert the cup while wearing these dresses, and risking getting blood all over them, I would just leave the cup in and were pads and change them IF the cup becomes full.

Now, the question is; when the cup is full, what happens? Will the blood simply overflow so that I would be able to only change pads? I got a little scared when I once saw a post here, where the cup had "exploded" or something, which made all the blood in it just flood out :S

Any tips at all what a newbie like me, who isn't able to remove or reinsert without creating a mess, could to? I am not sure that I will need to empty the cup at all, but in case. I don't feel comfortable wearing just a pad anymore, so I really want to be able to use the cup..

I really want to be able to have a good time and not worry about having blood all over my clothes..
Is there a risk that my cup will "explode"?

I would be very thankful for any answers and tips, especially before Wednesday! (Prom night)

 Hi everyone!

I am so excited, because my LilacCups finally came! (Ok, it wasn't really a long wait, only 12 days, which isn't bad because it came to the US from Europe, but it seemed like forever!) I got a small and a large mix pack, and have tried both on a dry run. 

I just have a question... when used the small I could tell there was enough room for it to round out perfectly, but the large sort of smooshes into an oval rather than a round. It isn't uncomfortable or anything, and it has popped open fully, but there just isn't enough room for it to round out all the way. Is that normal? Will it seal properly like this? Or is it a sign that its too big for me? (I really hope not, because it holds so much more than the small!)

Otherwise, I am happy to say that my dry runs have been remarkably trouble free! I used the "c" fold with the small and the "7" fold with the large. Had no trouble getting them in. It took me a little bit of time getting the large out, but that was because I was trying sitting, squating, lying down (was trying to remove it in my room rather than using the bathroom), but found that sitting on the toilet is the perfect position and allows for easy removal.   

Also, I want to get cloth pads for backups. I've looked on the cloth pad group, but thought I'd ask you gals for opinions as well. Any insight on what works best as a backup when you are using a cup? Any suggestions on good places to purchase (I've checked out etsy... any recommendations as to a good seller on there?)  

Hello Ladies, I promised an update and here I am. I inserted my Yuuki lastnight and found I had a bit of trouble getting it to pop open. I didn't give up though and eventually I got it inserted properly. I left the stem on, so I could give you guys a fair update. Well that was a misteak, as I cut my stem off of my Diva. I just found it to be too long so about a little under a cm was sticking out of me. This morning I cut off the stem. I find it just as comfortable as my Diva, although still had the same problem this morning with my cup opening. I have now had my cup in for 6 hours and no leaks, so it does work! I have to admit I thought it was pretty brave of me to do my first trial at work lol. Anyway I will keep you updated and I will let you know my full opinion at the end of my period.

Cheers!

 I just got my order of Lunette Selene. I find that it is much squishier than my small Lady cup. I just finished my first cycle with Lady cup and everything was good. I did get some blood on my backup pads but I think it was from what was left in  before I put in the cup.

I read that a lot of people try to get there cervix to fit into the cup. I did not do that. I just thought that it's not suppose to go that deep? Am I missing sth.? All I did was insert and just let it suck its way up. I have low cervix though so it did not go that far from the opening.

I would like to hear which you prefer? Is Lunette being much squishier  a problem? Is the original Lunette better? 

I forgot to mention that it's a small Lunette selene.

A small Lady Cup pops open just fine with punch down fold. It has a firmer rim than Lunette Selene. So, my concern is that will it have a problem?

I'm sure everyone's getting annoyed with my incessant postings over the last few weeks, but I've got to do another.  You see, I've finally been able to really test out my cup (Starting yesterday...ugh) and I'm having a couple problems.  Tomorrow I am leaving to head to the beach for the weekend and I would really REALLY love to wear my cup and have less of a hassle in a swimsuit.  

While I've always read about suction action, I don't think I've ever actually experienced it (I use a large PinkCup, even though I'm 19 to accommodate my heavy flow); I've always felt like I would be able to just pull my cup out if it wasn't so slippery!  Maybe I'm just a novice cup user, I don't really know.  But I can't actually pull my cup out, and I have to reach inside and reach into the top of the cup, maybe it is suctioned? 

Alright, so another problem...I could feel myself ummm "bubbling" is the term I'll use.  That's what it felt like.  I checked and there was leakage.  I removed the cup and it was pretty full, but not to the holes. So there shouldn't have been leaking.  The cup was fully open, I checked when I inserted it, so I know that's not the problem.  I don't know what to do!  I really don't want to have to go back to tampons...

Help?

Update:
Alright, to clarify a few things.  Yes, I do use the swirl and press methods (so helpful from reading all the posts!), and it does make an airy noise, so I do suppose that means it is suctioned properly.

Does anyone know of a good diagram or something I can look at of internal anatomy? I am having trouble understanding the exact position of my cervix so I can't really figure out where it is/ how my cup is fitting in it.

I guess it just is my flow being super annoyingly heavy.

Lastly (hahaha, TMI, here? Really?), no, it had nothing to do with a bowel movement.

Ok, one last thing, this whole removal process is super messy for me. I know that time will teach me better ways, but is there something I'm not getting? (This might be TMI...but I doubt it) I always seem to get soooo very much blood on my hands and this is not a clean process like simply pulling out a tampon string. And with the blood in the holes there is no way I could do this in a stall in public (I've already tried cleaning up with just toilet paper at my house...no such luck).

My cup is **AWESOME** <----- sung by choirs of angels! :D

It goes in easy, it comes out easy & no leaks... what more could a woman want?!

I have been using the punch down method, once it's in I run a finger around the "back" where the cup was folded to make sure it's fully open, then I run a finger around the "front" to make sure my cervix is on the correct side & then Bob's your uncle... or maybe that should be Bert's your aunt! :D

The only issues I has were that the stem was poking out. Once I was sure I could remove the cup without it I cut it completely off, problem solved!

When people tell you to go with your gut feeling... it's true!! After looking at all of the information on the different cups I thought that the small Lunette sounded like the best option for me. However I'm 34 and although I've not had kids I was worried that maybe I would need the width of the larger cup, even though the added length was a bit of a worry. So I ordered them both, just in case. As it turns out my gut was right, the small cup is the perfect size, it seals to my insides no problem. :)

As the seller didn't have the Selene in the smaller size... I might have to go & find one somewhere else... blue is my favourite colour after all! :D

This does mean I have a spare Lunette Selene large size that I am willing to "pass" on to an unfortunate resident of the US who cannot buy one directly. It's still in the (somewhat squashed) packaging, I just took it out to see the colour! Anyone interested contact me & we can talk ;)  

I shall now go & compose a post for my regular LJ to let all my girl friends know about cups & this community! :D

EDIT: I meant to say that my test also included riding my horse... if anything was going to cause it to leak, that would have been it... but nothing!

Another first time user here. *waves*
I bought a (large) Ladycup by mail, and gave it a dry run, which went fairly well (getting it out wasn't the easiest thing, but it didn't hurt) and gave me enough confidence to try it for real on my next period. Which started today.

I usually start off really light, and then get heavy on the second day; that makes the first day ideal for getting used to the Ladycup.
I just removed it after wearing it today, and hurray! there was some blood inside. It's working!

It's back in place now, we'll see how I like wearing it at night. But I don't think I'll run into major problems.

Getting it to pop open still takes a bit of time; also, it's not very easy to know for sure whether or not it has. I feel around all sides of the cup that I can reach, and if it feels round on all sides (not dented), I assume it's fully opened. I've read that the Ladycup, being very soft, simply isn't all that 'poppy'. But I'm pretty sure I'll get the hang of this.

So far, so good. Now all I need is some practice. Oh, and I need to clip my nails.

(Mods, sorry to post a 'Hurray first time use' post without any actual questions. I figured it would be nice to have some positive first time experiences to balance out the 'Help, first time use and it's horrible'-postings. Feel free to remove, if you feel it's redundant.)

Update, the next day: The night went fine. Inserting and removing is already getting easier.
I find that it's better for me to let the cup open before it's all the way in and then push it in a little deeper, it finds its position almost all by itself that way. A bit of vaginal muscle pinching works well, too.

Today is Heavy Day and I'm not worried. It'll be a good test though!

Another update: Seems today is Heavy Heavy Day. I thought my cup was out of position, causing it to leak... but no, it was full. In three hours!
Okay, back to using a pad as a backup... for now.

 Hi all!

Firstly I'd just like to tell you how useful this community has been for me in getting my first cup! I ordered it last weekend and have been using it for a few days now as I was on my period when it arrived. So far using the regular C fold seems to be working, and I'm not having too much trouble removing either, which I'm crediting to this community and its bountiful amounts of knowlage which I sat and read through! However I have been having some slight problems with the stem of my cup!

When I first tried my cup I used it as it arrived, but after a little over an hour I realised the stem was WAY too long and cut some off! Since then I've had another little trim and now its not a bad legnth, but I've been having some small irritation with it. Sometimes its fine, but othertimes I can feel it pressing on a piece of skin near the entrance to my vagina. I'm terrified of cutting it too short though! I can live with it how it is, but I'd prefer not to feel the slight irritation I am at the moment and while I think trimming the stem might help ...... I dunno! Its a Femmecup if that makes any difference? I hear they have a slightly firmer stem than some other cups?

I was just wondering how the rest of the ladies here dealt with trimming stems and whether in past experience its been better to live with it ever so slightly too long as opposed to accidentally cutting it too short!

Thanks
^_^

Update: Thanks for the advice all, I eventually took the plunge and shortened it a little bit more, and it seems to be ok now. Though if it starts to hurt again I might just remove the stem all together as I think I might actually be ok without it!