I know that we always get a million of these first time use posts, and I worked very hard not to post yet another one, but I was just excited about what I learned about my body.

I learned that I wasn't bleeding nearly as much as I thought I was!

Which tells me that the tampons just weren't absorbing the way they are supposed to. When I'd use tampons, I'd fill a super one after like 4 hours!! Or less! I always had to wear a back-up pad because I knew I would leak.

Based on this information, I thought I bled a lot.

This isn't true. The tampons just weren't completely filling. It's like they were only filling the outter layer. And then they'd start to leak.

I wore the Orangecup for 4 hours before I could change it and it was halfway full. I could've gone a little longer. Oh how I love cups!

As so many women before me, I'm thrilled I learned about cups and decided to give them a try. I wish I'd known about them sooner. It was a little intimidating getting that intimate with my own body, but I'm glad I've done it. Cups are great and I intend to start spreading the word!

Due to my impressive, impressive flow, I'm considering getting a larger menstrual cup to make said bleeding more manageable. A menstrual cup doesn't hold any particular convenience advantage over a tampon if I'm filling it in less than an hour every day for 5 days.

For comfort reasons, I also need a cup that's at most 50mm long from rim to base. (I currently have a small Mooncup UK, and it's long enough to be sometimes uncomfortable.) Based on this comparison chart, it looks like either a small Fleurcup or a small Lunette would be the best fit for my needs.

My only concern is whether either the Fleurcup or the Lunette actually holds more than the Mooncup UK. The chart lists the Mooncup UK's capacity to the holes as 12-13mL. However, maybe because of suction, my Mooncup fills well past the holes; the times I've measured, I've reliably been able to empty 22-25mL of blood from it (depending on how much sticks to the sides as I dump). The capacities for the small Fleurcup and the small Lunette are listed as 20mL to the holes. If those are their maximum capacities, then I'm probably better off sticking with my Mooncup. However, if they can actually hold 25mL or more -- for example, if they can fill up past the holes -- then it might make sense to try one of them.

TL;DR -- Anyone have experience filling both a Mooncup UK and either a Fleurcup or a Lunette with blood? In practice, what's the maximum capacity of the small Fleurcup and/or the small Lunette?

Following up on my somewhat effusive post from last week, a few more newbie thoughts on using the Diva Cup.

( Read more... )

( Some background )

( Becoming a Diva )

( The rave review bit )

( A Caveat )

Hello Awesome Cuppers,

I'd welcome advice from Fleurcup user, and cup users with shorter vaginas... My novella here:

( Cut for acres of background :) )

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.

This is my first time using a menstrual cup for my period.  I have the Large Diva Cup and was very excited about using it this time.  My perios started yesterday and inserting with the push down has not been a problem but it seems to go in very deep after a while.  It is so deep that I can not even get to the stem unless I bare down.  My main issue besides this is cup overflow.  Yesterday I had to change my cup every two hours because it would leak and I could feel it spilling on my pad.  Luckily I wore a pad as a back up as I do with my Super Plus Tampons.  When I took the cup out each time it was completely full.  Last night I leaked so much on my pad and had to change 3 times through the night.  Each time the cup is completely full.  I was under the impressions that you did not need to change the cup as much as a Tampon.  I never had to change my Tampon every hour even on a heavy day.  It was more like every 3 hours with a Super Plus tampon.    The blood is so thin and is all liquid.  When I wear a Tampon the blood seems to be think and clotty.  I am thinking that is why I have to change more often.  My purpose for wearing the cup is to not use tampons and pads anymore.  I seems to need to change my pad every two hours this is defeating the purpose.  If I use reusable pads I will run out after a few hours.  Any suggestions.  WHy is my cup filling so fast?  Is the cup up too far?  Please help.  Thanks.

Hi all. This is my first time using my Diva Cup, size B and I have a couple of questions.

( Capacity, Leakage, and Holes )

Thank you for all your help!

Hi all :) 
New here and new to cups and I don't know why, but I thought I'd love my Mooncup right away and never buy another hated tampon for the rest of my life.  I really thought these things would hold a ton of blood and take away my problem of never being able to leave the house for 3 or 4 days a month, unless I'm carrying a dozen tampons and within 5 minutes of a toilet at all times. Unrealistic I suppose, but I've read some really glowing reviews of these things.

For the first day the only problem was that it hurt on removal, I followed the advice given on here and that worked and I was delighted at how easy it all was (ha!). Then on the second day my cup started to leak after an hour.  It wasn't full and the little holes aren't blocked at all.  My flow is quite heavy but the blood is leaking out whilst the cup is less than half full.  The record so far is leaking 15 minutes after insertion.   It feels like it's opening up OK and seems to seal (although I can't feel the top of the rim with my finger when it's in).  It's pretty hard to pull out, so I think it seals.

Also, I find that squatting (which I do a lot of as I can't bend very well) makes it feel like it's coming out, and makes it leak too.  It also leaked when I pulled my legs up off the floor when watching TV, you know when you hug your legs to your chest - like that?

I gave up today and used a tampon and I felt clean and dry for the first time in three days.  It was a huge relief and a bitter disappointment at the same time.

I wonder if I'm doing it wrong or I'm not the right shape to use a cup or something.  I emailed the company and they said to trim the stem more and wear it lower.  I'll try that next time I use it but I don't think I'll be using it for a few days.  I have to go out tomorrow and I'm dreading having it leak or having to empty it in public.  I don't want to wear a pad, I hate them more than tampons.  

Sorry this is a bit rambling and long, but what I want to know is:

Is it normal for squatting etc to cause cup movement/leaks?

Should I try a bigger cup like a Large Lunette?

How do you work out what size to use if you have a heavy flow but a very low cervix?? 

I've read the relevant FAQ's and watched some of the films on you.tube (which were great, thanks Melissa) but I suppose I just want to vent and have somebody say, "don't worry - you're not a completely pathetic loser!!" or something like that.   I'll keep trying with my MCuk, but I'd be grateful for any tips about the heavy flow/low cervix problem.

Also, I noticed today that the stem was off to one side, does that mean anything?  I don't think I put it in off centre - it seems to have moved like that by itself.

Thanks for reading :)

I don't have any questions here, just a "brand new user don't actually have my cup in my posession just yet so I've never actually used it but I'm getting excited" post.

I didn't research all the gazillions of available cups. the only ones I knew about (before joining this community!) were the insteads, the keeper, and the diva cup. I knew I didn't want disposable and I liked the idea of silicone better than latex, so I decided to get a diva cup. went to their site expecting to order it online or something, and found out they sell at store locations, ok, let's see where they sell them in my area... turns out one of the locations is the health food store a friend of mine works at! so I gave her the money and asked her to pick it up, she was supposed to come over YESTERDAY but called and said she was sick and wold get it to me sunday :P

I chart fertility, and my peak day was 13 days ago. last cycle I had a 13 day luteal phase which would mean, um, today would be the day. but previously I've had 15-16 days so I might not get my period until this weekend. I'm kinda hoping for that.

oh, and not that it matters, but I'm a mom of 4, my biggest (and most recent) addition coming out at a whopping 11 lb 6 oz, so I'm not too concerned about this even though I've only rarely used tampons in the past. I switched entirely from disposable products to cloth pads (all homemade by me!) after my second kid was born, so this isn't really going to pay for itself, I just wanted to try it out. my husband dropped a bunch of $$$ on classic shaving supplies so I decided to spoil myself a bit :) don't get me wrong, I love my pads, I just have heavier days I'd like a bit of extra security on.

I've been a happy cup user for about a year now, and mostly have had no problems with my large Lunette, but I have 2 questions:

(1) I have been thinking of getting a back-up cup for a little while now. I live in the US, so getting a second Lunette isn't really an option at the moment, (plus I think it would be fun to get one of those cute colored ones I keep hearing about!). I was wondering if any of you wonderful ladies have any recommendations. At first I was thinking that I would want with at least as high a capacity as what I currently have (I have a very heavy flow), which I am still currently considering, but am also considering getting one that is smaller, and more suitable for use on my lighter days. But if I'm using one that is on the larger end of things and then got a smaller one, is it likely that I'd still be able to use it and be relatively leak-free? I've been looking at the MeLunas, but they just look so small in comparison to my Lunette, and according to their website, their large size isn't out yet. So if anyone who uses different cups on a regular basis has any insight as to whether size matters for a second cup, I'd much appreciate it!

(2) During activity that involves a lot of up-and down motion, I sometimes notice my cup seems to "slip down" and becomes uncomfortable. For example, on one occasion, I was in a kickboxing class and noticed this, so went to the bathroom to check my cup, thinking that the reason might be that it was full (it wasn't) so I reinserted, made sure that it was properly opened and situated, and returned to class, but almost immediately noticed the same thing starting to happen. Does anyone know why/how this might happen, assuming that it was inserted properly? It's not like this has been a really frequent occurrence, so it it isn't particularly an urgent problem, but I'd like to prevent it from happening again, if possible.

Hi everyone,

I've gone through many postings and tried to find the information I'm looking for, but I haven't found a thread yet that would help determine if should I even try using a cup.  (And sorry for the long post.)

Just a note -- I have endometriosis and fibroids.  I've had surgery for both, and have changed my diet and exercise habits to lesson my symptoms, but while I'm pain free now, I still bleed excessively each cycle.

On my heaviest days, I use super or super + tampons along with pads.  Sometimes I can get away with leaving the tampon in for close to two hours.  But if I do, I will still have to go the toilet several times in the second hour to let all the overflow out.  If I didn't, there's no way the pad would catch it all and I'd stain my clothes.  Mainly, I try to limit how much I leave the house and how much activity I do on days like this.

Now, from what I think I understand of the cups, they would hold more than the largest tampon, so I could potentially use one and change it every 2-3 hours instead of nearly every hour for a tampon.  But (and here's my problem) only if there isn't a lot of clotted blood present?  The majority of my flow at all points of my cycle is clots.  I used to think this was normal, and that it was uterine lining, but it's not.  The clots are formed because too much blood is accumulating on the uterine side of the cervix; as it sits there and doesn't come out, it clots.  I guess it's just the way my body works, but I rarely just bleed.  And on very heavy days, I pass clots that look like they could easily fill up at least half of a large cup every half hour to hour.

So, while I would love to be leak free and not have to worry about how far from a bathroom I am when I'm on my cycle, would even the largest cups do me any good?  If anyone else has cycles like mine (lots of regular clotting) and thinks the cups help, please let me know.

Thanks in advance!

Hello, gracious and helpful ladies of the menstrual cup board!

This is my second cycle using a cup. Last month, I tried the Keeper. It was fairly successful, except for one morning when I woke up in a bloodbath. The main issues with the Keeper were it was filling up too quickly on my heavy days (I was under the impression that you could go all day without emptying these things, based on my friend's experience, but I guess my flow is heavier than hers); it was hard to remove because it is small, stiff, rides very high inside me, and has no ridges on the base or stem to help grab and remove it; and sometimes it would leak when I went from lying to standing, which I attributed to the fact that its stiffness didn't allow it to move with me.

So this month I tried the Diva, and it was a disaster. It is so flexible, it never seems to open or stay open, no matter what folds I do. It's as if my vaginal walls are squeezing it shut. The blood simply bypassed it and came right out of me. Even when it did catch some blood, plenty leaked. After wrestling with it all day at work yesterday--I spent way too much time in the bathroom, rooting around in there and covered in blood--I gave up because I was going to the gym and needed something foolproof, so I went with a tampon. Then, later, I went out dancing with tampons. Well, dancing with my friends but you know what I mean. And it was such a huge relief, I have to say. I knew when I needed to change it because of that telltale bubbly full feeling, and it was so easy to do the crouch-in-the-nightclub-bathroom-without-touching-anything-pose while changing the tampon. And I thought, How on earth would I do this with a cup? Now, I know that theoretically one can put in the cup and go dancing and not have to empty it at all. But it doesn't give you that bubbly feeling when it needs to be emptied, plus if you don't want to touch anything and you are somewhere dirty, it's really not a good option.

This morning I put the Keeper back in for another try. Maybe I just need to use tampons on my heavy days and rely on my Keeper for the light days. And as for that Diva, I just don't understand how it works for so many women.

This is my second period on Paragard and having my small LadyCup BlueCup! While I keep trying to be a good sport and use my cup, it's just not working. I just don't want to give up on my cup yet.

( Cut for TMI... )

i have been off of hormonal birth control for 4 months now and my period is starting to go back to it's normal, horribly-heavy self. my poor mooncup can't keep up. what cup has the LARGEST capacity??

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.

Since getting my small LilacCup I have been very happy with it, I LOVE MENSTRUAL CUPS!! I have spoken to my mum about it a lot too.. and she seems very interested in the idea as she HATES pads.

I've decided I'm going to get her one, and as she doesn't go on websites such as this she won't know how the best way to insert, different folding methods, emptying/cleaning in public toilets, and all the other tips I have discovered on here which can't be found on the small leaflet which comes with a cup.. so I am going to have a look through the memories and print out some things which would be useful to her when I purchase one.

I was hoping you guys would be able to help me out with what cup to get her...

+ She is 46 years old
+ She has VERY heavy periods, she can usually feel it coming out in gushes, and she'll have to change her pad even if she has changed it within the last hour - as usually it is completely filled once she has felt the dreaded 'gush'. When she is on her period it completely disables her, she can't go swimming, she can't bike, she doesn't like to go out too much incase she leaks, she can't wear tampons as in the past they have started to significantly migrate downwards and she was too scared to use them after that. So from that, I hope you realise just how heavy her periods are!
+ She was very sexually active when she was younger (good on her!! :D)
+ She has give birth to two children.. I was a caeserean, my brother was a twin but she miscarried the twin and my brother was born prematurely - although I think she still had to have an episiotomy whilst giving birth to him.
+ Me and my mum are both similar in body shape, except for I am taller.. although obviously I have no idea about her downstairs, I wasn't even born from there lol!! At pure guesswork I would have chosen a larger LadyCup for her, seeing as my small one is so nice for me, but as her periods are so heavy I am thinking a cup with a larger capacity is needed.. and maybe one with more suction as tampons have failed her in the past... although I am not sure if more suction is what she needs! I was thinking on a large DivaCup but I'm just not sure..

I really want to do this for her as although it is a bit too late in her life (if this works I know she will be gutted as she has suffered for so long with pads and tampons), at least she might have some peace before her menopause starts!!
Do you think a cup would work for her?
Has anyone else suffered with the above and has a success story about getting a cup?

Any help would be awesome! :)

My cycle just started yesterday.   So far so good for my return to cups.   Anyway, just for kicks (and out of curiosity), every time I empty my cup, I first measure my flow.  I simply have a piece of paper that I tape to the wall, and I just hold the cup up to the paper (bottom of the cup level with the bottom of the paper), and mark a line where the top of the flow is.  After my cycle is over, I think I’ll measure out each amount in water, and then measure the entire total, just to see the full amount that I lose in a whole cycle.  I guess I’m just curious to know my exact flow level throughout the week.  I’m halfway through the second day, and already I’ve marked off enough to completely fill 2 DivaCups.  The first two days and the last day are my lightest, so my heaviest days will be tomorrow and the next day.  Based on this, I…  Guess my flow could be considered a bit heavy??  I don’t know why I’m doing it really.   I guess just because prior to cups, I’ve never been able to.  Always sort of wished I could, I don’t know if that’s odd, lol. 

Does anyone else measure?  How do you do it?  Do you measure every cycle, or do you feel it would be too much hassle?

 

Though I used to use a small LadyCup with great success, switching birth control methods (from Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo pills to a Paragard IUD) led to a sharp increase in menstruation, and my LadyCup was no longer cutting it. I needed a menstrual cup with a higher capacity to handle my newly-heavy flow. Ideally, I wanted this new cup to have similar dimensions to my LadyCup, which had fit inside of my narrow vaginal canal perfectly. I also wanted to find a cup with a similar shape to my old one. A small Lunette fit the bill perfectly. Though it is only slightly larger than the small LadyCup that I was using, the Lunette's capacity was nearly double that of the LadyCup. In addition, their shapes were very similar and the Lunette cup's stem look more comfortable than the stem on the LadyCup, which I had cut off.

After deciding that the small Lunette cup would be my best bet, I found out that the Lunette manufacturers were no longer shipping to the U.S., nor were any of the popular cup vendors online. Thankfully, I was able to locate a web store that is based in the Netherlands that was willing to ship to the United States still. Within two days of ordering my Lunette it was shipped out, costing just over $40USD, including shipping charges. Exactly two weeks later my cup arrived in Washington state!

I have used my Lunette through one menstrual cycle already, and am now using it for a second. I have also used it to catch normal discharge between periods a few times. Overall, my new cup has worked wonderfully. It took a bit of time to get used to the stem, as I had completely removed the stem on my LadyCup, but within a few days of use it no longer bothered me. The Lunette pops open well, even better than my old cup, using the 7-fold. Removal has been smooth; I simply tug the stem gently while bearing down. Once the bottom of the cup is in reach I grasp it with my middle finger and my thumb, pinch down, and continue to bear down with my vaginal muscles while rocking the cup side to side to break the seal. I have had no leaking, save for one time when I was asleep and my cup filled. The capacity of the cup is great, and I rarely need to empty it more than a couple times a day.

In all, I am highly satisfied with my new Lunette!

So, i've been using the Mooncup UK (B, as i'm 18 and no kids) for a few months now, and i've had no problems until now. (This is a great community btw, it helped answer many of the questions when I was first starting out!)
 

( leaking problem )( removal and leaking )

 

Sorry for the long post, and I know, TMI! So I guess my main problem is removal, as I can't seem to remove the cup with all the contents in the cup, and not all over my hand! I have heavy periods btw, and before using the mooncup, I used to have to change my pad every 2 hours. Also, I wear my mooncup high up, as everytime I try to keep it low, it always migrates up.

I hope I explained it well and it's not too confusing

 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

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,

I have just learned about menstrual cups and have a question.

I have extremely heavy periods, so usually wear a super plus tampon and then two heavy flow thin pads with wings.  Sometimes when I stand up, or when I work and am on my feet all day, blood floods out of me all at once and I leak.

I was wondering whether once the cup is put in, will it only leak the extra blood once the cup is full and hence still better than a tampon or once it is full, is there a chance that the whole lot would leak out?  I don't like using public bathrooms and as I am traveling soon for an 12 hour journey I was wondering whether with pad back-up it would still be better than using a tampon as long as it is inserted properly?  I know that with a heavy flow, the cup would be full within the travel time, but would only the extra blood leak out and hence the pad back-up would be enough with maybe a change in pads once?  I am mainly concerned about the idea of all that blood up there gushing out of me.

I may not want to risk it, but wanted to ask anyway.  I will be on the flight for 8 hours, so there is no way that I can use the bathroom on the airplane, and would not feel comfortable removing the cup until I got to my destination, a total of 12 hours.

Thank you SO much.

I just changed my cup for the 3rd time in 2 hours. It was beyond full. I don't know what to think. I'm on my 2nd day. Usually for the first 3 days of my period I'm heavy. But I shouldn't be THIS heavy. Usually I have to change it once every 2-3 hours. So I'm about 3 times heavier than I should be....which is heavier than the average woman from the posts I've read on here.

What do you guys think?

(BTW...I use a mooncup (UK))

EDIT: I went to the doctor yesterday. He wasn't in but the midwife who works with him saw me. They did a sonogram and everything looks fine. She wants me to get a blood test to check my iron levels and to see if there is anything wrong with my thyroid.

Hello again, everyone! I used to frequent this community a few years back when I first got a Diva Cup and then current my Mooncup (UK). I loved using the Mooncup for the year or so that I was able to, but I switched to cloth pads exclusively when I was diagnosed with vaginismus about three years ago. I had been too afraid that inflicting any pain down there might exasperate my symptoms. However, I will be travelling to SE Asia this summer for nearly two months and I can't see cloth pads working out so well on the trip. I want to be able to use the cup on the trip successfully. I leave in late June/early July so I want to get this down before I go.

So far, insertion has gone surprisingly well. I use the the punch down method and ease it in and it works. Everything in that way is ok, except for a few issues I'm having that I hope some or one of you may be able to offer some advice about:

- removal. Whoa. I was in cold sweats squatting in my bathtub for twenty minutes last night trying to get the sucker out. That, er, 'sucked'. I get a lot of suction, and either it sits really high or my fingers are too short but I have a lot of difficulty contorting myself to grip with my thumb and break the seal with my forefinger at the same time without causing my vagina and urethra a bunch of pain. Any tips on removal that doesn't involve shoving almost my entire arm up in me? Something vagina and vaginismus friendly?

- heavy flow. I've got one. Like, really heavy. Today, just as a small example, I overflowed after only about 3 hours, which isn't much time. Should I consider going on the pill for the trip to regulate the flow?

Also, any other tips on using the cup while travelling, particularly in countries where I'll be facing not much more than a hole, a bucket of water, and a scoop, would be greatly appreciated!

-