I have been using a Diva (smaller size) for about two years now and I still from time to time have some frustration getting it to pop open. (I know this isn't true for everyone, but if it doesn't pop open for me, I leak.)  I have tried all the different kinds of folds, as well as all the different folds inside out, but it just doesn't seem to work consistently, and is getting more difficult with time rather than easier.  It's also a bit longer than I'd prefer. I can't seem to decide between the Lunette and the Mooncup UK.

My question for the comm:  Which is easier to pop open, the Lunette or Mooncup UK?  Also, I know the sizing charts are roughly sized, but I am 24, nulliparous, and the width of the small Diva has always been comfortable for me.  Am I best off with the smaller size of either of those cups as well?

TIA.

ETA:  I decided on a Mooncup UK because it was a good amount cheaper and because I couldn't decide on a Lunette size.  Thanks, everyone, for the feedback.  I really have tried every popping-open trick and fold everyone has mentioned on this comm - I just don't think the Diva is the cup for me.  Will be back with a comparison when it comes in!

Hey Ladies!

I just have a quick question for you all. I took a look through the tags but didn't find exactly what I was looking for. So here we go. I've had my cup for two cycles. I wear my cup overnight, take it out in the morning to rinse/clean, and put it back in for the day. Every night I take it out and rinse/clean it and reinsert it before bed.

My question? How on earth do I clean out those little holes? I eventually get them clean after a lot (I mean, a TON,) of rinsing, but I could really go for a suggestion of an easier way to clean them. Also, should I make sure they're cleaned every time I take the diva out? Any input on this?

One more question I guess. Normally I use the "punch-down" fold when i insert my cup, but I've been having issues with leaking. Not totally full blown leaks but I'd rather.. well, no leaks. Any suggestions or tricks on how to make sure the cup is sealed and to make sure that it won't leak?

I'd really appreciate any comments you have! Thanks in advance, everyone! :)

I got my small Ladycup yesterday!

I've been using a small Mooncup for over five years and am very happy with it, but I was intrigued by how small and squishy the small LC is, so I gave in and ordered one. I'm 24, sexually active and have a very light flow, so I'm interested to see if I can hold a teeny cup in place, because I don't need the volume. My only issue with the MCUK is that it slows the flow when I pee. I thought by putting less pressure on my urethra the LC might relieve me of that nuisance.

I was surprised by how small it is when I took it out of the pack. Next to my Mooncup it doesn't look tiny, but it's quite a noticeable difference. The silicone doesn't feel noticeably squishier than the MCUK, but because it doesn't have a built-up bit at the base, the cup is more flexible. It has a substantial rim and pops open as easily as the Mooncup.

It's over two weeks before I can try it, but I took three pictures to compare it to the Mooncup, and a video to show how it folds and pops open.

( Look here )

 Ok ladies...first time user and first day of cycle...how do I know it has popped? Not enough flow for leakage so I cant tell if its in right. I can feel the stem..its like right there but it is not bothersome. Thanks

Hi there. It's been a long time since I've written, but y0ou have all been so helpful, that I figured I'd ask. I love my Diva, but many times, it doesn't open easily for me. The only place I could always get it to open is when I'm lying in bed, and even there I occasionally have difficulty. When in places like the bathroom, I tend to make messes through my trial and error and since I'm totally blind, I don't know that I'm making them until someone like my mother or boyfriend tells me I got blood on the floor/toilet etc. As you can imagine, it's not exactly a good experience, though Mom's grown used to it and my man is absolutely incredible when it comes to making me feel better about it. But please, can anyone recommend a cup that opens more easily? I'm 24 and have never had a child, so I need to get the right size for me as well. I prefer silicone but only cause I hear it's easier to clean. I have no allergies to latex etc. Thanks in advance for your 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!

When you let the Diva Cup pop open, it is supposed to be almost completely round, or a little more squashed and oval shaped? I've tried it both ways and have not been successful with it at all this cycle. In addition, when it is completely open, all the air that gets trapped in there really feels strange. I have the smaller sized Diva Cup, and I am 20 years old.

BUT I don't want to give up! I really want to reduce my eco footprint and save some money, as well as use something that is better for my body.

I just finished my second cycle with the Keeper Moon Cup USA.  I'm proud of myself for trying again after the first month's painful removal, but the suggestions from all of you about how to use a cup with carpal tunnel and other hand disabilities were very helpful and compassionate.  Although I'm still having some hand pain with removal, I realized that the majority of problems from that first removal were due to (oh dear I'm actually going to admit this) trying to do it in the shower with wet hands.  I read in one of the Memories that removal in the shower would make cleanup easier if there were any mess, but it never occurred to me until later that the water didn't actually have to be ON.  Geesh, I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box.

I started this second run using the punchdown fold for insertion.  It took about ten minutes for the cup to open up internally, causing an uncomfortable jolting sensation.  I know many women experience the punchdown as harder to unfold, but does anybody else get that internal jolt when it finally does pop open?  So then I tried the 7-fold, which I never knew existed until reading this community.  Much easier.  Popped open immediately after insertion with no jolt.

So now my next question is about the stem.  It does poke out but I haven't really felt irritation from the blunt stem end, it's more discomfort whenever I move because I can feel the stem and the whole cup moving.  So I find it's most comfortable to wear at night, when I don't move much.

I'm afraid to trim the stem because I'm still anxious from the first time when the cup was riding so high I could barely grab hold of anything to get it out.  The advice to press one finger along the side to break the seal and slide the cup out doesn't work for me -- apparently my fingers are too stubby chubby.  Haven't found the tortilla tweezers yet, has anyone actually used those successfully for removal without also dragging vaginal tissue out with it?  At the moment I'm kegeling to make sure my internal muscles are strong enough to bear down on the cup and bring it low enough to remove if it ever wanders too far up again.  And no turning on the shower until AFTER it's out. :-)

Okay, so here's the deal.

I've looked through the memories and while I've found a lot of helpful information, I'm still having an awful time getting my new divacup to pop open inside me. :( It worked the very first time I put it in, and then once when I waited a day but other than that it's been completely stubborn! I don't really have trouble inserting it. It's a little awkward but not too difficult, but it WON'T pop open!

The instructions say that if it doesnt pop open that I've done it incorrectly and should take it out and try again. Are results more likely to happen if I keep reinserting it or if I play around with it a little bit? I've tried nudging it with my fingers or opening it early on before it's pushed in far enough but the only thing that's happening is that my vagina is becoming very unhappy. I've tried the cold water method and the 7 folding method, too. I know I need more practice but I was hoping it wouldn't be quite this hard :( Since it won't pop open I can't even physically turn it inside me to help nudge it open. I think it's just too tight. Does anyone have any recommendations in nudging it open? Thank you!!

hi all...

i dont know quite how to get the information i really want. i've been reading this community for a LONG time, and i've owned a divacup size 1 for a couple months. so, when i got my diva, i had always had leaking problems with pads and tampons and anything would be an improvement. now that i've had it for a while, the smallest leak is frustrating. i really have no interest in wearing backup pads, i have an interest in learning how to do this right. so i find that all the memories leaking are helpful, but none have solved my problem. and diva international wrote me a form letter... so the problem is ... a general positioning question.

I felt like the instructions were a bit vague on the point of "horizontal, towards your tailbone" and "following the natural curve of the vaginal canal" since its not always horizontal, depending on if one is standing, sitting, squatting etc. and also because the vaginal canal isnt very large (expands to fit) so i can't understand how the direction would be any different from a tampon (other than a tampon is high up) ... I have worn it successfully several times now, but also unsuccessfully (leaking) and can't tell the difference from how it is inserted. should it be past the pubic bone? i know it pops, i stir it, i pull on it a bit, i can twist it, etc. i know its different for everyone, but i feel like theres some missing information *somewhere* that is the missing link for me. i think its a pretty common question and the answers ive found are the tiniest bit unsatisfying. half of the time i hear "too high" and "too low." I put it in really low (stem sticking out), but it rides up really high (end of stem past pubic bone). OH, and i'm 24, sexually active and comfortable with my body, and have done plenty of exploration, and am not squeamish about trying new things.

i LOVE this community because you are all so open and so helpful, so thank you all, and sorry for being so long-winded.

 - dee

So, I got my Lunette in the mail today! Yay! It shipped super fast. On the website it said 7 to 8 business days, but it was just 4. 

I read the instructions that came with it and tried a dry run. I washed the cup first with some mild soap instead of boiling it like they recommended. I didn't really have any problems or pain inserting the cup (I used the C-fold). I did have some problems with popping it open. It wanted to stay in the c-fold shape. I tried swirling the cup, but that didn't work for me. So I removed the cup and I don't know if I got the angle wrong or what but that hurt! I decided to try the whole thing again (I'm the kind of person that will do something until I get it right. I can be pretty hard headed lol) So on the third time I think I got the cup to seal, although I didn't feel a pop like I've read that people have felt. But when I ran my finger around the cup this time I didn't feel any dents or folds. So that should mean that it sealed, right??

I also notice while the cup was inside me that I felt like I had to pee big time! I've also read here that sometimes some women experienced this and that the sensation went away after a few periods using the cup. To those women: Did it feel like that the whole time you where using the cup though out your period?  I think that might be really hard for me to deal with if so.

Sorry if my post is all over the place. I never very good at organizing my thoughts, though, I did try!

Thank you all in advance!!

Hi there! I'd no idea there was an entire LJ community for this; cool!

I'm 33, and I got my Diva cup a couple of years ago. I'm one of those strange people who in spite of being six feet tall and built, has a fairly small vagina. :) I've never had a child, but I had passed age 30, so I asked the Diva people which size I should get. They recommended the 2, simply because I'm over 30, I think.

At first blush, everything was fine, and I was completely in love with my cup. Often, though, I'd find that I had an almost impossible time getting it to pop open and sit properly. I'd usually finally get it with quite a bit of struggling, different positions, and sometimes a little lube, but it was annoying.

Lately, this problem has gotten worse. Especially during the first few days of my period when I need it to work best, my vaginal walls get a little swollen and tender, and it seems like the cup won't fit properly at all. Yesterday it kept leaking, and even when it *seemed* to be fully open inside me, I would still see red when I wiped, and spotted my underwear considerably.

So: should getting a size 1 solve this? Has anyone else had issues with sizing, and does this sound like a sizing issue or like something else?

Many thanks.

First off, thanks so much for creating and maintaining a community like this.  I'm planning to do Peace Corps at the end of the summer, and was vaguely curious about how I was going to get through menstrual madness in the villages of sub-Saharan Africa when I stumbled upon a cup user online; instant solution!

I picked up my Diva Cup today for the second day of my cycle, and after much less frustration and poking than anticipated, got it in with the origami fold.  Cool.  I'm a little nervous about removal tomorrow morning, but I figure I'll cross that bridge when I get there.  Immediately after I got it in, I wasn't able to tell if the cup was open or not.  I couldn't get it to twist around, but I thought I just might not have a good enough grip.  I also couldn't feel the side furthest from my spine; I think my vaginal wall was just too tight there?  Anyhow, I decided to just wait and see if it leaked.  About five minutes later, I felt a really weird sensation (really startling; not exactly painful, but my first reaction was "ow!") - maybe popping?  And then a couple minutes later, the same thing, only stronger.  Has anyone had similar experiences with it popping open twice?  It doesn't seem to be leaking, but my flow should be pretty light now anyhow.

Also: I'm involved in capoeira and end up doing a fair number of cartwheels, etc. on a weekly basis.  Theoretically I guess suction should prevent leaks even when I'm upside down, but the thought makes me a little nervous.  Has anyone done gymnastics or anything similar with their cup in?  Good/bad experience?

Thank you!!  You ladies are amazing =)

EDIT: Went to capoeira tonight, did some 30-odd cartwheels, and am happy to report no leaks!  This thing is amazing.  I'm turning into a convert...

My name is Becca I have been using cloth pads for a few months, which work great when I am at home or school, but I work in an all male environment and am not a purse carrying type of woman, so cloth pads don't work for work days. I ended up using tampons on work days those past few months. I wanted something reusable that I could do at work so I bought a cup.
I am doing my first dry run and have some questions. I tried looking for this question/answer and had no luck.
Is the cup supposed to pop completely open and round? Mine seems to be a bit squished and flat. When I feel the cup it seems like it is suctioned flat. Should I enlarge the holes so there is less suction? Or is it normal to not open completely round? Thanks.

Hi all. I've been reading over the memories and the group getting info as needed. Some of it's been really helpful; I'm really glad I found the community! I do have some questions, though. I just got my Diva (a day after my last period ended, ARGH!) It's a size 2; I'm going to be 30 in April. I haven't had any children, vaginally or otherwise, but there are other factors involved that made me decide on the slightly larger size.

At any rate, I'm confused about checking the suction. I'm in the middle of a 2nd dry run - the first was just insertion and removal. Right now I'm wearing it for awhile to see how it feels in the longer term. The first time I used the standard c-fold, which popped open so hard it actually hurt and formed such a strong seal it felt like it was pulling my intestines out of my vagina when I was trying to get it low enough to release the seal. See, I'm all about all you folks who say that they can run their finger around the rim inside themselves to either check or break the seal, but I can't. I'm overweight, not very flexible, and have short fingers. ;) I simply can't reach it unless it's so far down that it's mostly not inside me. This time around, I used a punch-down fold, which was a HECK of a lot more comfortable. The body position I'm in doesn't seem to make a difference -- sitting on the toilet, standing with one foot on the toilet lid, squatting -- once it goes in, just so the end of the (untrimmed) stem is flush with my vaginal opening, I can no longer reach most of the cup. I've tugged on it and there's a bit of resistance. I can only hope this means the suction's there.

Additionally, this means I can't turn the cup at all. The first punch-down insert didn't open -- when I inserted my finger I could feel the fold in the cup, and I couldn't get a grip on it to turn it so I pulled it out and tried reinserting it. The second time, I got a quarter-turn out of it before I couldn't turn it anymore. I didn't feel any major divits in the part of the cup I could reach, but that doesn't mean there isn't one further up that I can't feel.

Also, once inserted, the cup is supposed to open all the way and be round, like it is when it's not in? Because mine doesn't. It remains sort of oblong -- no obvious folds, but not round. Does that mean it's opened as far as it can and has formed a seal, or that I did something wrong?

Help, O Goddesses of Gaia-Friendly Menstrual Solutions! :)

So.  I bought the Moon Cup uk today (since I knew my period would be starting today).  I inserted it perfectly fine (I'm using the origami fold).  Removal is not too bad, except for the very last bit.. I can't seem to fold it small and firm enough, so it kind of pops open and out, rather than me pulling it out carefully myself.. I don't like getting my insides twanged!  Any tips?  It also meant that I sprayed blood on the bathroom floor :/

Also, I'm thinking of using it overnight tonight... But I've read some stories about them getting stuck when people use them overnight??  I'd rather not be in a total panic tomorrow with a cup stuck inside me since I have a Latin exam at noon!

But maybe I'll be fine?  The first time taking it out was a bit difficult, but I used my muscles to push it down a bit and then I was fine... So I'm sure I could do this tomorrow morning.

Anyway gals, I love love love my mooncup!  I've always had problems with tampons and even pads because I have a lot of allergies.  My insides were permanently raw from using tampons... it would take the whole month for me to heal...

:)

 

Hello!

I am new to the community!  I don't really know how to use LiveJournal as I just joined to be able to post here.  So I hope this works!

I stumbled upon this website  while looking for information on Lunette cups.

You see, I used to have a Lunette cup.

It was a wonderful present from my maid of honor when I got married as our wedding/honeymoon was going to fall right on my period. 

I had my doubts at first but after a couple of months I realized I never wanted to have another period without it!

The problem is, last month my sister-in-law  came to our home for a few days as her apartment was robbed and she was afraid to be at home alone until the window and door that were broken into were repaired and all the locks changed.  Plus she was very nervous just to be alone, and she is pregnant and her ex-bf is kind of psycho and we suspect it was him who broke into her apartment, but we have no proof.  so we welcomed her and her fur baby (a cute little Yorkie) and well... let's just say the Yorkie got a hold of my lunette and chew it to pieces!!!! :-(

My SIL offered to pay for it but I know she cannot afford to do so. 
THe problem is neither can I  :-(

I am a student on a shoestring budget, and my husband's job is not very well paying either.

To replace my cup, I bought a DivaCup (as a cheaper option), but I have trouble creating a seal.

I just finished my first period with it and I leaked a couple of times and I had so much trouble trying to make it open! 

With my Lunette I would just fold it half, insert it would pop open right away.   I guess I'll have to save my pennies until I can afford a new one.


I bought my DivaCup from LuckyVitamin and they offer no returns, so I guess I'll have to make it work somehow. 

Does anyone have any words of wisdom on how to make opening Diva easier?  After considering myself an "expert" with my Lunette, I just don't get why I have so much trouble with this cup. 

so i just switched from the keeper to a diva cup. my question is, i can't seem to rotate it all the way around like they say to, because the stem is shorter than the keeper's, but it seems to have poppped open anways...is that ok? am i still using it properly?

 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.

I first used the UK Mooncup (size B) this past week. My periods are (I thought) quite light, and only have one or two days of significant flow in the middle.

So the cup was fine the first day I tried it (a few days into my period) so the second day I went without backup protection, being quite pleased with it's performance so far. But I got a nasty surprise only four hours later when it overflowed (at my boyfriend's parent's house no less)! I thanked my lucky stars the chair was unscathed...

Now what's puzzling me is this. A mini Tampax tampon (absorbency 6-9g) is just right for me overnight on my heaviest flows (in for 8 hours or more, too). The cup holds about 13-15ml when full. I don't know what the tampon absorbency is in millilitres, but I thought the cup claimed to need emptying much less often than a tampon or pad needs changed because it could hold more. I would also never have to change a pad in only four hours (unless I don't change them often enough?). Or maybe I bled more because of the cup? I don't know.

Has anyone else had a similar capacity issue that doesn't tie in with expected values?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One other brief question - when it pops open and the seal forms, it's not a very pleasant feeling - almost a little sore, from suction on the womb I think. I'm nervous of this, having a coil in (IUD). Does anyone else find the seal forming unpleasant?

 So, this isn't exactly on-topic, but I'll also add a lunette update...  

After coming back here to read and sharing some suggestions or advice with other cuppers, my period finally came!  I told someone about my diva cup in comparison with my lunette cup, and lamenting the fact that it had been 55 days since my last period, so things were actually a little hard to remember, and the, yesterday, lo and behold, tiny little cramps and a little blood!  Hooray!  Here it comes!!  

I've been travelling, and I'll blame this really long cycle on that.  I just moved from the midwest to Spain to teach English in a primary school.  I'm living with another English teacher who's from here and her husband.  I was delighted to note that there were 2 mooncup UKs (one of each size) in their boxes in the bathroom when I got here!  There's not even a trash can in the bathroom, and it took me a while to realize that if I used tampons, that would be a problem.  

Now, for my comparison!  


Like others say, my lunette popped open right away really nicely.  The first time it surprised me and popped open too soon, but now it works really well.  I don't have to spend that time fiddling around with it to get it in the right place like I did with the diva cup every time.  

I haven't trimmed the stems on either of my cups, and the lunette stem is pretty comfortable even if it's sticking out a little, if I turn it so that it lines up with my vagina (the stem is not hollow or round!).  I was thinking about maybe trimming it, but so far I haven't felt the need to do so.  

With such a heavy flow, my cups leak no matter what I do really.  My mom gave me some lunapanties for my birthday though, and I got them just in time for the IUD, and I really love them.  The cup leakage is never much and the lunapanties are always enough to keep it under control.  It doesn't seem to be any different between the lunette and the diva.  

The length of the two cups is almost the same.  The lunette is a little shorter and squatter than the diva, and it's comfortable to wear.  I don't feel a size difference.  I'm 22 and have never been pregnant, and I'm pretty sure that the whole sizing reccommendation thing is a way to get some sort of an idea about which cup to get if you don't know at all, but really everybody's vaginas are different!  Sorry my thoughts here aren't more organized, but I'm excited!  Also, I took pictures of the diva cup and the lunette together for comparison, but they're not online yet.

I *love* my Diva Cup in theory, but in practice, me and the Diva are having issues. I've been using it for about eight or nine cycles now, and I still cannot get the blasted thing to open reliably. I posted about that a while back and got some great advice (thanks again, ladies!) but I just can't make it work. I always have to take it out and try at least two or three times, which really irritates the skin, and I'm sure we all know that an irritated vagina does not make for one of your more pleasant experiences. And when I do get it in, it always slides up way too high and pinches my cervix, which is also incredibly uncomfortable/painful. I've actually had to go back to using pads most of the time, which I'm not loving, but at least they don't hurt.

I think part of the problem might be that my cervix is positioned a little unusually. I don't remember exactly how - either most people's are at the top of the vaginal canal (as you're looking in, so to speak) and mine is at the bottom, or the other way around. I just remember that the nurse practitioner who did my first Pap smear had to do some searching to be able to find it, which was SO not fun. But she told me the situation, so now I give my doctors a map before they do a Pap smear to save us all some time and trouble.

So now I'm thinking about switching to either a Lunette or a Mooncup, and I would love some help in deciding which one. I hear that they're both made of stiffer material than the Diva, which is mainly what I'm going for, so it will open up more easily. My periods tend to be very light - even on my heavy days I only have to empty the Diva two to three times a day and it's never more than half full, so I don't need it to be particularly big. Availability may also be an issue (I'm in Canada). From looking at the pictures, I'm thinking the Mooncup is probably going to be my best bet, but before I decide, I'd love to hear some other opinions, especially if anyone else has switched from or to a Diva.

Thanks in advance for any input!

Help!!! I just got my Diva Cup a few weeks ago and started my period today. This morning I tried to put it in using the standard fold on the instructions. It seemed to go in fine but just sort of disappeared. Within about 10 minutes I got BAD cramps. I haven't had cramps at all since I first started my period 20 years ago. I went to the bathroom and noticed that it was leaking so I figured it was in wrong. I went to get it out and this thing was WAY up there. I could only feel the stem when I squatted and bore down hard. The stem was pointed very strongly to one side. After about twenty minutes I got the thing out. Since I was at work I went back to pads for the day. I came home tonight and decided to get serious. This is what is happening: It will not open up without getting sucked up to kingdom come. When I first start to insert it and it it is SO tight for the first fingers-length of my vagina that there is no way this thing will pop open. I am a 32 year old very much non-virgin, so I don't think I have some super-tight vagina. It seems like it's my pubic bone making it so tight that it can't open until it gets past there, and then it just gets sucked up there. I can put my entire finger length in my vagina and cannot feel the stem at all unless I squat and bear down, and the stem is always pointed to the right very strongly. I keep reading that everyone else's stem are actually protruding from their vagina and poking their labia!! If mine is placed where the stem is anywhere near my opening there is no way it will be popped open. I tried every fold and it stays in that folded position until it makes it past my pubic bone or whatever that initial tightness is - then it is promptly sucked into the never-ending depths of my vagina. Then it leaks. I have no idea if it is actually open, since even squatting and bearing down I can't feel anything but the stem. My fingers are not long enough to reach any higher up there. I don't think this should matter, but I'm very petite - 4'10" and about 95#. I got the larger size since I'm over 30. I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but this is just not working...any pointers?

 Hi All.

I'm a newbie both here and to the Diva cup (normally use pads). I have a few q's that i cant seem to find the answer to.

1. When people talk about the cup being 'open' - does this mean it is meant to look how it does on the outside? I always ensure it has popped as i insert it but when i feel round it the bit just above the hard base is rounded but the rest is slightly squashed (not flat at all...just not wholly round IYKWIM?). Is it normal for the vaginal muscles to squash it slightly?

2. Yesterday my flow was very heavy and i had to empty a few times as i was getting leaks. Each time there was about 15mls in the cup - is this enough to cause leakage or would it be because there wasnt a proper seal?

3. If there is a fair amount of blood in the cup is it safe to assume that the positioning is correct?

4. When i remove the cup i pinch just above the hard bit and then rotate slightly as i pull out. This seems to work well and breaks the seal but i get a bit of an Ouch moment when the rim exits - does anyone know how i can avoid this?

5. I have seen many people who say their cramps have been less when using cups. Mine are normally horrid and i dope myself up on painkillers for the first 2 days. Yesterday was only mild and today they are non-existant. How does this work? I cant understand how a cup would make a difference to this? Does anyone know?

Thanks all for reading - i look forward to your thoughts.