I am a tall (5'11" or 181cm) virgin, so my vaginal opening is both long and a little tight.  And this definitely affects how the menstrual cups fit me.  If you fit my description, this might be helpful.

I used each cup for 2 periods.  I am currently using and in love with my DivaCup.  It's like not having a period at all.

The Keeper Mooncup

Cons:
-Because the walls of the cup are thick, the cup was somewhat inflexible, which it made it difficult to fold and insert, and likewise, very uncomfortable to pull out, because it pushed so hard against the walls of my vagina as I pulled it out.

-The cup forcefully suctioned itself to my insides.  The holes were blocked/too small and it would work its was far back into me and suction in place.  This suction was actually so strong that it caused pain, and then a tingling foot-coming-awake-from-being-sat-on-too-long feeling, only, inside of me (very bad).

-The stem of the cup is smooth, and very difficult to grip, making the cup even more difficult to remove.

-I took a pointy knife to the holes, which fixed the suction problem, but then it leaked on the first day of my period because my flow was too heavy for it.  worked just fine on my lighter days

-When I wrote an email to The Keeper asking for advice, I never heard back.

Pros:
-They gave me a full refund for the cup.

DivaCup

Cons:
-the company doesn't offer a money back guarantee.

Pros:
-cup is much more flexible and is easier to insert and remove with no discomfort
-the cup is larger than the keeper and I have experienced no leakage
-the stem is textured and easier to grip for removal

Including it turning completely upside down!  WTH?!  No one told me this could happen!  Anyone, here's my story...

i just bought a mooncup uk and i'm trying it out for the first time. i'm really excited about it, but i'm having some MAJOR problems with the removal. i cut off almost all of the stem, not realizing that the tiny bit i left is not enough for me to grasp after it's been inserted. i'm slowly figuring out how to work my muscles and find the right position to be able to grasp it at the base instead. the instructions say that pinching it at the base like that should break the suction, but it sure doesn't FEEL like that - when i pinch and pull down it hurts a lot (and feels like i'm doing damage to something!). it only feels like the suction is broken when i insert my finger all the way up the side like they suggest. here's the problem: i'm having a really hard, nearly impossible time pinching and pulling and inserting a finger along the side all at the same time. but it seems like it has to be a simultaneous action, because i can't reach far enough along the side without pinching and pulling (i can't work it down far enough just w/ my vag muscles to reach), and i can't pull down painlessly without breaking the suction by reaching along the side. also, it feels like the cup keeps slipping back up if i lose my grasp for a second or the suction will start to break, but the it re-seals if/when i remove my finger from the rim.

ANOTHER problem (ack!) is that even if i can work it out painlessly until i get to the rim, i have trouble there. it doesn't seem to matter how gently i "rock" it out or how i try to fold it, it still hurts. a lot. inserting hurts a bit too, although not so much that it makes me want to give up. i know this is supposed to take practice, but i won't be able to stand it much longer if it keeps hurting like this.

any suggestions?

also, on another subject - everything i read seems to say two things: one, that you can keep the mooncup in overnight, and two, that you should empty it and clean it every 8 hours or so. but what if i want to sleep for more than 8 hours? (it happens!) from what i can tell, even though TSS has yet to be linked with menstrual cups, it's advisable to remove it at least every 8 hours just to be safe. so what kind of risk am i actually looking at if i leave it in 10 or 12 hours? is that a really bad idea?

so i got my first divacup in the mail two days before i first started my period (good timing, eh?) the other day.
i waited til my male room mates both left before i went to play around with it. and i just did, and after TONS of problems just getting the damn thing in, i finally did in one fell swoop. the problem was, i got it all in really quick and got most of it up so that when i went to grab the bottom to turn it, i couldn't. i can reach the stem but that wouldn't do it.
so then i tried to take it out, according to the directions it came with and that didn't work either.
its not hurting or anything or poking me at all, so i basically decided, fuck it, let's see what happens.

does anyone think it'll actually work out, having been done this way? does anyone have any advice or tips i SHOULD do next time?
i tried the tips left here about getting it out but that didn't seem to work but maybe i didn't do it long enough? how long did it take for you to FIRST get it out?

this is so involved with my vagina, i'm used to just throwing on a pad and being done with it!

I just got my Diva today, and I can't tell if it's popped open. It's not like a circle. It kinda hurts, but I cant get it up further where it is supposed to be. My hymen is the way I think. What can I do? Please help? I'm 16, and have size A or 1, or whatever it's called.

My Divacup (size for women who have not had childbirth) came in the mail yesterday and I woke up this morning with cramps, hopped out of bed, and took my new cup to test it out before my flow started in earnest. Long story short, I can't get it more than a little bit in without it being so painful I can't force myself to try it any more.

( The rest of the long story )

I've noticed that lately there have been a few women posting who just have not been able to get a cup in at all. So I thought it might be worth posting a few links with information about vaginismus, a condition that could possibly cause such problems, in their own post rather than replying to several comments with the same information.

Vaginismus entry on Wikipedia.
Scarleteen article on vaginismus.
Vaginal dilators, which can be used to treat vaginismus.
The same set of dilators, with more information.

Hi,

I have checked the memories, but might have missed something.

I've been reading about menstrual cups for a while but I only decided to take the plunge and buy a Mooncup(UK) today! I was super excited and thought it would be a good idea to 'practice' before my period arrives!

Anyway, I sterilised cup then went to try and use it- no go.

My fingernails aren't very long, maybe 5mm each, but they kept jabbing me when I tried to insert the cup. Obviously I didn't want to splice myself open with my fingernails, so moved them back a little and the cup sprang open (ouch). I tried this for about 15 minutes and ended up with a sore vagina and a grumpy mood.

Does anybody have any tips for girls with long nails that don't involve cutting my nails off every month? I tried the C-fold and the way of folding the cup where you sort of pull down a bit of the cup's rim and fold it from there, but they both resulted in me having to hold the rim down when I was trying to insert the cup, thus getting jabbed with fingernails, thus Mooncup springing open.

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for any help!

I just bought a DivaCup, and as I'm expecting my period soon, I've been practicing getting it in for the last couple of days. The problem is, I'm having a lot of trouble getting it to seal. I'm not sexually active, so getting it in is somewhat tricky and uncomfortable. If I don't use lube, it sticks too much and pops open before I have it fully inserted. However, if I do use lube on the cup itself, it sticks together and won't pop open once I have it inside. I tried applying lube internally with my fingers and then inserting the cup, but it was still too slippery to get a grip on the cup and turn it to create a seal. Any suggestions?

Also, I'll be living in a dorm setting for the summer (costuming a state Shakespeare Festival), and I'm a bit nervous about always cleaning it in a shared bathroom. Has anyone ever had someone confront them about cleaning your cup in a public restroom? How did you respond? I read elsewhere in the community about boiling a mug of water in the community microwave and then dropping in your cup when you get to your room, which is an excellent tip. But what do you do when public restrooms are your ONLY option (i.e., you don't have a "home" bathroom that you can wait for)?

Edit: Thank you all so much for your advice! I got it inserted, and it appears to have sealed. I'm supposed to start tomorrow, so we'll see how it holds. Insertion and removal are still a bit painful, but my body will get used to it. If this keeps me from needing tampons or pads ever again, it will totally be worth it!

For it just not to fit? I got a size 1 Diva Cup this week and started my period yesterday. I just cannot get it in my vagina. It won't fold small enough! When I first put in a tampon I had the same problem and it hurt like a bitch the first time one went in.

Is there a cup that has a smaller width? I'm a pretty little person so I'm wondering if the Divacup just won't work for me...

Hi Everyone. So, this is my second period I've had with the divacup. I love it, and it feels so much more cleaner than pads. The first period I had was really successful, but the second time around seems more problematic.

My first concern is this: I'm a virgin, so my hymen's still intact. My first cycle with the diva saw a tiny bit of tearing and bleeding when inserting the cup, but it wasn't a big deal. I thought that would've been the end of the hymen problem though, but I was wrong. I'm a lot drier on this period I have now, so I ended up tearing my hymen when inserting the cup really forcibly the other night because I was so darn frustrated when it had trouble going in. I ended up with a gush of bright red blood all over my hand!! I was so scared... I'm wearing a pad right now because I'm still sore... I think lube would remedy the insertion next time, right? .___. And a whole lot of calmness and patience.

My second issue is this: There's no menstrual blood leakage when I wear the cup, but I do notice really, really light yellow/brown stains that isn't blood on the pantyliners I wear for insurance. Is this normal?? Is it just vaginal discharge?
Thanks for all your time and words of experience, ladies.
Best,
Neal

I've been playing around with my size 2 Diva Cup on and off this past month and every waking half-hour for the past 2+ days. It's quite the effort to get it unfolded, as well, and I've tried a number of folds.

It keeps tilting forward, then unseals itself and leaks from the back. I might get it in there, but the minute I stretch any part of my lower half, it starts tilting up. For instance, I went bed with it and this morning, the cup was tilted, dislodged and empty, but there was blood toward the back end of the pad. I've tried giving it a little more towards the back, but it reorients itself and tips forward (I ended up snipping the stem some because it poked, too).

Otherwise, I try to push it up farther and it ends up sucking up inside me and I have to do some two-finger spelunking to get it out.

Any ideas to get this thing to work?

So.

After much deliberating, I decided to do a dry run of my cup after all. I had decided I wanted to try the punch fold and the seven fold. I tried them both, with similar results- I couldn't get the cup in, but the little I did HURT really, really bad. It was, of course, accompanied by intense cramping. I was fairly relaxed, but I felt like I'd just shoved a coke bottle up there. I tried to slide my finger up the side to make sure it was positioned right, but I couldn't get it up.

I finally pulled it out (and it was a little bloody) and tried the C fold and that actually went in okay and opened up fine, but I could NOT twist it at all no matter what I tried. And the cramping was still pretty intense. I tried to leave it in for a few minutes to see if it subsided, but I couldn't take it and took it out and gave up, already spotting pretty heavily.

...help?

Hi,

Has anyone had problems with pinching the oh so delicate skin that kind of envelops the cup after insertion? I have a Diva Cup and when I insert it I usually need to do the twisty thing to get it to open up all the way. I can't seem to avoid pinching myself. Any suggestions on how to get it to open better so I can completely avoid this?

Thanks!

So I  finally got my Lunette cup and I tried a dry run today. I used the punch down fold, but it hurt trying to get it in more than a few centimeters. I tried a few different positions, but after about 10 minutes I was pretty sore and there was a little watery blood on the cup. What's up with the blood?

Hello! I bought my first Diva Cup this afternoon, I have been researching them and reading this community for awhile. I checked through all the new user and proper insertion posts, but I couldn't find a solution to my particular problem.

I am able to insert my cup, but after a few minutes it slides back out so that the base of the cup is resting at the opening of my vagina... and the entire stem of the cup is sticking out. I have no trouble inserting it, I have tried three times now. I am able to rotate it and feel that it's open. I also feel like I am placing it in far enough because it's up high enough so that the stem is definitely not hanging out (actually, I pushed it up as far as I could hoping that it wouldn't slide back down), but a few mins later it's migrated down again. It's so frustrating!

Do you think this is just a case of me needing to get the hang of it? Thanks for any advice! :-)

---

Edit: Thank you to everyone for your responses! I've cut the stem so it's much shorter, and it feels SO much better. I think the stem was also poking me while I was sitting/laying down, and that pain has also gone. Thanks so much!

 worked for me everytime. i did this the first time i ever used my divacup and i got it in in under 1 minute.

-use the punch-down fold.
-use water based lube if needed.
-insert the cup into the vagina about 2 centimeters or so (not much at all... just a little past its rim), then push on the base of the cup just below where the fold is to force pop it open. once open, make sure it's able to spin around (this "proves" that it's fully open and in position), then push it on up by using gentle pressure and your vag muscles until it's up as far as it'll go (for me, the bottom of the stem (i never trimmed mine) is about a centimeter away from being "exposed")

Hi! I'm 17 and technically still a virgin. I've always hated pads; the cost, the waste, the 'limp rag' feel, and haven't ever really tried tampons. The risk of TSS and the way the fibres 'stick' has put me off somewhat. So I heard about the UK Mooncup and thought, 'wonderful! Freedom!' and ordered it in what I'm sure is the smaller size (it's a 'B'). It arrived, my first period came around... and god did it ever hurt. I tried 'stretching' myself on the recommendation of the lady who sold it to me and at last managed to get the hang of getting it in and out, but while it was up there there was a really intense, sick, crampy pain, low down in my stomach. This happened almost every time I used it over two periods and I couldn't keep it in for more than ten minutes.

I also had problems getting the thing to unfold; half the time I had to physically unfold it myself and it hurt so much I stopped bothering and took the it out again. I tried the C-fold and couldn't even get it in, the seven-fold and couldn't straighten it out properly and the punch-down fold which was okay some of the time.

Sore, angry and disappointed, I gave up and returned to the pads I loathed. Fast-forward several months to today, when I decided to try Tampax on a whim. Was amazed to find that, using a 'regular' size (I'm fairly heavy and couldn't get away with less) I got a similar pain; a much less intense version of the discomfort I suffered with my Mooncup. Could this be something to do with me? I'm not at all nervous about either of these products, the tampons especially, and I took plenty of time with each to relax myself. The only thing I can think of is that I have mild IBS which can flare up badly during my period, but it hasn't done so for quite a while!

Please help. I really do want to be able to use my Mooncup, or if not that then another type of menstrual cup! Thanks :)

ETA: Well, it's in. I tried the origami fold and that... sort of slipped sideways. Painfully. Then I tried the punch-down fold again, and after quite a lot of pain (caused by the suction, I think) securing the seal, I did it. It feels... uncomfortable, but not agonising in the way it did. I can live with it and hopefully it'll get better as I adjust.

This was a terrible day. I just bought a size 1 Diva Cup and it arrived today. I have been watching this community and have read that it's a good idea to do a dry run before things get messy at that time of the month.
I locked myself in my bathroom this morning and read the instructions carefully. It looked pretty simple. First I tried the C fold sitting on the toilet, then standing up. Neither worked; I could not insert the cup. I then tried all the folding techniques I could find on the internet (origami, punch down, seven, labia)and twisted myself into some pretty wacky positions. I also tried water and some KY I swiped from my parents (ewww). Nothing has worked!
I am 16 years old and a virgin. Could this be the problem? Do I just need to shove it in there and hope it works? I want to keep (the rest of) my hymen intact for personal reasons. I tore part of it today while attempting this and bled all over.
I don't think it's the cup; I think it's me.
Has anybody had this problem? Right now I'm at a loss.

EDIT:
Thanks for your help!!! I asked my boyfriend/fiancee once he works up the nerve and he'd rather I wait until after we're married for me to use the cup. Hopefully I'll be married in 2 years and can have the freedom everybody has talked about
THANKS!

EDIT2:
well, yall have given me plenty to think about. I really didn't mean to make my bf sound like a jerk. he respects my decision and agrees i can do whatever i want. he just doesn't want me to do it if it hurts like hell. i wil try it on my period and see what happens. thanks!

Hi All,

I have the Diva for about 2 months now. I have half way succeeded.... Here's the situation:
I can put mine in fine BUT it keeps just pushing "against a wall of flesh" and doesn't want to move from there. (I use the
Punch-Down Fold technique and I try to push in horizontally as they say in the instructions.) If I keep it like that it doesn't leak and it is good when I am standing, walking; HOWEVER it is really painful when I sit down! When it's opened up in me I cannot push it up more and cannot give it a twist either. I am thinking it is not there right...

Any help would be appreciated!

I'm having so much pain trying to get my Lunette in.  I got the smallest size but it's still unbelievably big.  Do they make like a size XS cup?  gah, the pain was so bad a few times I wanted to throw up.  And I'm not a virgin by any means.... and I tried in the bath, with KY, everything.... I tried the origami fold, the 7 fold, the punch-down fold, the labial fold, and of course the C-fold.  What's left?  Do I need to wait until I'm having sex all the time with my very-thick bf to use this?  Should I stop doing kegels?  It's not really too big inside, it's just that super-nerve-y opening that is too small for it.  I don't know what to do.  =(

And a side note, but the last time I was trying to fit it in I let go too soon and then when I grabbed it again, it shot a ton of air into my vagina!  O_O  Isn't that really dangerous?  I know blowing into the vagina of a pregnant woman can cause an air embolus, but can that happen to unpregnant women too?

So I started with size 2 (I'm 33) of the diva cup several months ago.  I only got to use it for 2 cycles before my dog got a hold of it dragged it outside and chewed it up!  I had a lot of trouble with it because I had trouble with insertion, trouble with it popping open and sealing, and pain from either the stem stabbing me or just a general stabbing pain that seemed to originate from the ridge along the top.  It tends to sit very crooked in me (always to the right) and kind of high up.  Even if I insert it low it rides up kind of high and settles there.  I had my husband check and he said I'm more "meaty" on the right hand side, so it could be pushing the cup into that position.

Anyway, I thought my problems were originating from a wrong size issue.  So when I found it outside and chewed up (it was clean - after my cycle I had washed it and put it on my bathroom counter to dry...dog must have smelled residual something and tried to eat it! yuk!)  I thought it would be a good opportunity to get the smaller size.

My first cycle the smaller size worked great.  I decided that trimming the stem a little would help prevent the stabbing pain resulting in my crooked vagina.  That did help.  I do still occasionally get a twinge of a stabbing pain, but I don't think it's from the stem.  It seems to originate from higher up.  My second and third cycle (in the middle of it now) with size 1 have not been so great.

My main problems are with insertion and leakage.  I often have to spend at least 10 minutes trying to insert it so that it's in properly.  I rarely get it right and have to readjust several times.  When I do get it right, I still have a little bit of stabbing pain occasionally that I mentioned before that does not seem to come from the stem, although I could be wrong because it's hard to tell exactly where the pain is originating from. I'm hesitant to cut the stem all the way off.

During my last and current cycle the leakage has been so bad (even if I feel that I have inserted it properly) that I might as well not be wearing it at all.  I'm making sure to insert it horizontally toward my lower back, to clean out the small holes at the top (I fold the cup with the hole pointing to the top and run hot water through it.  Seems to clean it out pretty well) and rotate it - which is sometimes very hard to do because I can't grasp it well enough to turn it (slippery!)

The diva cup website says that it only takes a cycle or two to get the hang of it, and I've had about 6, with 2 different sizes, and I still find it very difficult to deal with.  My hands and nails get absolutely covered with blood, and if I keep trying to get it right, I start to get chafed both inside and outside my vagina.

I've tried the C fold, the 7 fold, the punch down and the origami fold.  Sometimes they work better, sometimes not.  Although the punchdown seems to unfold the easiest. 

I so want this to work, I don't want to give up.  I've already spend over $60 on this, and I don't really want to spend more getting the size 2 again which really was so painful and even seemed so much more difficult than size 1 to insert and place properly.  I've heard that other brands fit differently and might be more comfortable...but if they don't that is more wasted money.  I thought the goal was to save money on feminine products by using this?

I'm wearing a tampon right now because I'm just so frustrated with all my problems and why can't I seem to get it right?  Maybe this is just not for me? I just don't know what to do.

I have a friend who has used the diva cup from the very beginning of her periods and has never had any trouble whatsoever.  she loves it...although she did cut the stem all the way off.  she does not experience any tipping or "crookedness" at all.

Help!  Does anyone have any advice for me who has experience the same things I have?  I don't want to give up.  

Thanks

Problems:

1. Insertion is impossible (for now).

2. The hand holding the Divacup gets cramped fast... if I don't hold the cup tight enough, then it's not small enough.

3. Because of #2, IT FELL IN THE TOILET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. I think I got 50% of the rim in, and then it kinda popped out, splattering blood everywhere (ick!).

Help! I really want to use this thing.. saves me so much money, and sounds way less troublesome than tampons/pads.

 

After at leassst 4 or 5 periods, I am alone who still hasn't got the hang of it? After trying every fold and every "angle" possible, far up or close to the entrance, I feel like giving up :( Is there something I haven't tried? Some magical information I haven't grasped? Arghhh I want it to work so bad, but it keeps leaking no matter what. I'm not a happy camper!