I hear many success stories about putting the cervix INSIDE the cup and poof! no more leaking. Well... the second my cervix gets inside my cup...POOF! my seal breaks. i hear it..i feel it....i LEAAAAK! am i doing something wrong? Is there something extra that i need to do when putting my cervix in the cup as opposed to just putting the cup below it?

Oh btw,i'm asking because my divacup only works on my first day. After that my cervix is too low for it to sit below it and not be coming out of my vagina and i leak for the rest of my period.

Hi all.

I've been a happy user of a large Diva and large Lady Cup for nine months. Sure, I had crazy heavy flow issues early on, but that has been corrected and things are much more manageable.

Now I'm having a new problem. I'm losing suction every time I go to the bathroom. After I put my cup in, I can lie down, sit down, get up, walk around - all with no leaks - so I know my seal is good then. But the moment I sit on the toilet to pee, the suction breaks, I feel bubbles and blood dribbles out. There's blood in the cup, but I can't quite tell if it's too full because it's uncomfortable for me to take it out without tilting it or folding it in some way. There's not a huge amount of blood in the toilet.

Before I had surgery, the fibroid I had made by uterus wonky so I never could find my cervix during my period. My gyn had trouble finding it during my last Pap smear earlier this year. Today I found it. It's not super low or anything, but it's definitely not high either. Still, both cups seem a little long for me this month.

Suggestions anyone?

Hey again everyone. I posted a couple weeks ago its about 4/5 posts down if you're looking in the leaking and spotting section...
so.....
I am DOUBLE CHECKING that my cervix is indeed in the cup
I am using the punch down fold instead of the C fold [which i prefer]
I am trying EVERYTHING IN MY POWER to ensure that i am inserting this thing exactly right and i am ready to take it out and throw it RIGHT OUT THE WINDOW! the thing is leakin leakin leakin!

i used to be excited reading all the success stories and now they just DEPRESS me, :(

This is my 3rd period with the DivaCup. I have never worn it alone [thank God because that would be a disaster every time], i still have to wear a pad with it. And I'm just thinking to my self, "am I really buying pads right now?? the one thing I am trying to ELIMINATE from my life?" SIGH!!!

I need some help and encouragement, because I am ready to give up on this thing! :(

PS. I can't buy another brand/size right now and for some straaaange reason it did not leak on the first day [only] of my period this month giving me hope and then SNATCHING IT RIGHT BACK! :(

So, I posted last month and said that I was anxious to use my Diva Cup and not feeling to sure of myself. Well when my last cycle came it was just spotting, not enough to contemplate using the cup. I did try the cup out though and put it in/walk around/take it out and just try to familiarize myself with the cup.

It was alright but after about 30 minutes it seemed as if the cup were just coming further and further down. I could feel it slipping out of place, to the point that it was uncomfortable and I could easily grab the entire end of the cup. I have no clue why but it didn't seem to be working!


Today is the second, and slightly heavier, day of my period and so I decided to try the cup, again. I did the C fold, slid the cup in as far as I could and then pressed my fingers against the stem to make sure it was as far up as I could get it. I then used my kegels to make sure it was in properly and not going anywhere. It feels like it's in there properly and it's not really "uncomfortable" but when I walk or sit in a certain position it feels as if I have a too large tampon trying to work it's way out.

I have pretty short sausage fingers and my cervix is very high and tilted. I can't reach my cervix, even if I lay down or squat, it's just too far and my fingers are too short. So I can't really use my fingers to gauge where the cup is in comparison to my cervix. I'm at a loss here. I can't use tampons anymore because my periods are becoming unbearable with them and I hate using my cloth pads alone. I know there's the option of using sea sponges but I'd like to get the hang of using this cup.

Do I need a new cup? What am I doing wrong? Is it the fold? Help! TIA.

Do you ladies experience leaking with one fold and none with another? Please share your bests and worsts by commenting like this:

I use a: Small Diva
I always leak when I use the: C Fold
I never leak when I use the: 7 Fold

I posted a few months ago because my small Moon Cup US was leaking and thanks to all the great advice I received I bought a large Lady Cup which I love. I used it last month and had not one leak!

Today, though, my period began and I also had my weekly yoga class. As we were doing Warrior II Pose, I heard this weird soft gurgling sound and then felt like my cup was leaking. After class I checked, and sure enough, my cup had leaked. It wasn't a big deal because I was wearing a cloth liner - but has this happened to anyone else? Is there a way to avoid it? On the first few days of my period I need to empty my cup every four hours and now I'm thinking that maybe if I'd emptied it before class (I had been wearing it for three hours) it wouldn't have leaked but I'm not sure if that would've solved the problem. I'd like to be able to do yoga with a cup without worrying about it.

I experience extreme amounts of suction with the large LadyCup on multiple trials. The suction was way too good, so I turned the cup inside out an now it is much better. I like the size of the holes however the angle when right side out , because of how my cervix sits in the cup, causes the holes to be blocked from the inside creating massive suction. I still prefer the stiffer, larger capacity DivaCup but turned inside I can use the LadyCup at the end of my period.

Hello Awesome Cuppers,

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

( Cut for acres of background :) )

So I'm finally on my period and using my Diva Cup. I thought I had it in there okay, but apparently it's not sealing, so I've got just a little spotting. I tried to turn it after inserting it, but I can't get it to turn. :/ All that happens is the base twists in my fingers, but the rim doesn't budge. I can't get my finger in far enough to test the seal. Any suggestions?

 OH MY GOD!.... so everything went rolling along great on my dry run with the meluna a few posts back, and I thought it was amazing...except its been nearly in there 36 hours and I'm still trying to remove it.  I can barely reach the rim and have been using a rubber glove at this point because even though I've been taking breaks and let it sit overnight, my vag is a bit pissy at me. I have read all the comments about removal and bearing down is helping a little bit, I can reach the ring stem I just can't get the suction to break or grab the bottom of the cup.  Does anyone have experience with meluna specifically and the suction they bring due to only having two holes and the stiffer rim? Previously I thought I couldn't fit a large...because I thought I'd located my cervix and I was close but whatever that was wasn't my cervix.   The cup thats in there is the size of the large from rim to stem, so you can bet my large order is in and on its way....I'm lucky I want to use a cup so bad, this removal process would have scared anyone else to never touch a cup again. I assume the majority of today will be spent trying to get this thing out. 

Hi, first post so bear with me. 

I've happily used a MCUK sz 2  for quite a while now (i'm 38 no kids) and i've started getting heavier on my first couple of days, having to wake up every 3 hours to empty, now knackered at work :(.  So I thought about getting another cup.  After much investigating and comparing sizes to what I have at the moment I went for a Lunette Selene, couple of mm bigger but the extra capacity might buy me an extra hours kip!    This is when the problems started, C fold  insertion like the MC, no problem, quite a noticeable pop open but ok,   after about 15 mins crikey! PAIN!!   It felt like somebody had hold of both my ovaries and were giving them a good squish, unbearable.  Took it out replaced it with my good old MC and all was ok, pain went away.  Has anybody else suffered this problem? I was wondering if it was the stiffness with the cup, as my MC is much more flexible & softer.  I didn't think it was the size so much as they were both so similar.  Any help greatly appreciated

Hello all! Been lurking for a couple of months and after finally figuring out how to post on this darn website, I would like to ask some questions! About me--36, no children and using a small Diva. Had a mostly successful first cycle with one major leak (I think it was too high).

I have read here about women to say that their cup is placed correctly when it is latching on to their cervix and this confuses me. I know some vaginas are longer (or shorter) than others, but my understanding is that the Diva Cup is supposed to seal to your pelvic floor. If mine was sealing to my cervix it would be way too high and I am pretty sure it would leak. I also read about women who "kegal" their cup up to get it to sit right, but if I did that I think it would be too high! Can ya'll advise?

Also, I am deployed to Afghanistan right now and the water we use in the shower is technically "potable", but they say not to actually drink it. Am I safe to wash my cup with the water from the shower, or should I use actual bottled water? The water situation makes me nervous here--someone put cyanide in the water of another base nearby (no one was hurt), but I guess if that happens I have more to worry about than the integrity of my cup, huh? :) Sorry, a little combat humor there...

So if anyone can offer me tips on placement (low or high?)and how I might handle the water situation here I would appreciate it! Thank you in advance!

Hey I have the small Diva Cup ( I'm only 15) and have a few problems. I can get it to work but as soon as it fills up to the 15ml mark it starts to leak. No  leaking whatsoever until 15mls then no more goes into the cup it just leaks out instead GRRRR.
Any suggestions would be helpful beacause I really need to get this sorted as exams are come up and I need to sit there for 3 hours without making a mess and a super tampon only last about 1 hour for me.

Also anyone else notice that after you empty the cup in to the toliet and flush that there is still a little bit of blood sitting right at the bottom? Know how to solve this ? ( got a younger brother I dont think he would like to find even a drop of blood in the loo).

One more problem wore it last night to bed with a pad back up, about 8mls went into the cup and then the rest into the pad. I have no idea why possible beacause I was lying down??

I need some help its just too hard.

Hi everyone,

I'm a first time cup user using a small MeLuna with a ball stem right now. Using the cup itself has been great, but it's nearing twelve hours so I've been trying to remove it.

The thing is, I've tried maybe three times already and I can't seem to be able to remove it. The widest thing I've inserted before this cup is just my middle finger. My cervix sits extremely low (I have approximately just two centimetres of distance between the tip of the ball and my vaginal opening), but I still can't manage to insert two fingers in at the same time and have both fingers be able to grip the base of the cup. I've tried sitting, standing, and squatting positions, and none have worked. I have also tried to break the suction at the rim, but my finger can barely reach that far, and I've managed only once to even put pressure on the rim.

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions? I really don't want to have to go to hospital just to remove my cup...Should I just keep trying, hoping my vagina will gradually get used to two fingers?

Thanks so much. T_T

Edit: Did it, after 30 long minutes! D: Thanks, everyone, for your help!

I have used a DivaCup Large for about a year with success however after getting my IUD removed I started having heavier periods and the DivaCup wasn't working for me. I tried all the tricks for a better fit without much success so I decided to try another cup. I ordered a large LadyCup and what a difference. The LadyCup is much softer, popped open easier however cups tend to migrate up and back for me even when I start placing them very low behind my public bone. The LadyCup literally latched on to my cervix and wouldn't let go. I am quite comfortable with my body but it was difficult to remove it. The holes that prevent 100% suction where actually blocked because of how the cup was sitting on my cervix. I had no leaking but it was extremely difficult to break suction and remove. I think if there were more holes lower down on the cup this would be perfect for me. I tried it a second time (why?) and the same problem with fit, it completely latched on and I had to reach to the very far edge of my cervix to remove the cup. The softer LadyCup is also more difficult to manipulate. Any ideas on a different cup or possible solutions to this problem? Has anyone had this happen?

Hello!

I ordered my Lunette last week and got it today (which is amazing, considering we're in two different continents!). I boiled it before I tried it out, and I'm happy to say I successfully inserted it! I used the triangle fold and got it in the second time I tried. I can't wait to use it when I'm actually on my period, which should be some time this week or next week. I do have a couple of questions, however:

1. Are any folds smaller than the triangle fold? I didn't have any problem getting it except for a bit of a wait because I'm small (and not exactly a slip and slide right now). I'm just curious as to what folds are smallest and would be easiest for me to insert.
2. How do I know when pops open? I can't really seem to feel around the front because of my pubic bone, but it did feel like it was closed from around behind the cup. Is being able to feel the front to see if it's open necessary?
3. I'm pretty sure I got a seal this first try, because when I tried to remove it it kind of came, for lack of better word to describe what happened, rushing out. I just know that it was more than likely sealed. However, should I be right in expecting it to do this every time? If not, how can I make sure it seals? I couldn't get it to turn, so that's not an option.
4. I don't know how heavy or not my period is in comparison to how much the small Lunette's capacity holds. I used light, regular, and super tampons throughout my cycle. It never really depended on what day of my cycle it was, it just fluctuated throughout the cycle. If should need to empty my cup during school, how should I go about doing that? Will I need to rinse it out, or should I be fine reinserting? My mother recommended having feminine wipes with me; would using those to wipe off/out my cup be harmful to my vagina for a long period of time (as in, after I reinsert it)?

That's all of them. Thank you! (:

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.

I just started using my Diva Cup last nite.

From what I can tell it is entirely open but it seems to slip out.
I'm not sure if it has to due with amount/consistency of flow or my vagina but Im hoping someone has an idea.
I don't have leakage so I feel like its in, but much like tampons during heavy flow days it just seems to slip on out.

I think this has only happened to me post partem. Is this a kegel thing, are my vaginal muscles that weak?

The tip does seem to jab my inner labia at times as well. I know I can trim it but not sure Im ready.

Other than that I love it. I mean, no leaking already & no pad. It's great & the environmental benefit is a nice plus!!

I wanted to post about my experience of using the menstrual cup as a way of giving back to this community - this is the most useful website that I found when I was learning to use it. I live in Australia and was lucky to even hear of a 'menstrual cup' while browsing some forum based in the US. Nowadays I see graffiti on women's toilets at my uni and it's pretty awesome (I frown but the smile)!

I ordered a Divacup from eBay (US) in size 1 (I'm 24). The only cup legally allowed to be sold here is the Keeper (looked kinda icky and not very modern so I picked silicone). Aside from all the pros (you're already aware of) I also based my decision on my heavy periods which ended up costing a fortune in good comfortable pads. Also the cup has helped to minimise infections (yeast and urinary). At the same time I also ordered some cloth pads made locally (also not very big in Australia) as backup. Don't get me started on having a luxury item tax on hygiene products!

It took me 3-4 periods to finally feel comfortable using the cup. Firstly, I used to experience severe pain from inserting it too high (and it ended up suctioning onto the cervix!) and always leaked. At some point I read on here to insert it so it is directly under the cervix, then un-suction it by squeezing air out of it to allow a seal and gently pull it down until it sits comfortably. Funnily enough this is not explained everywhere and was basically all I needed to know make it work.

On the point of cleaning: I'm not willing to import special cleaning products from US/UK and boiling didn't work so opted for Steradent (a denture cleaning tablet :S). It works extremely well (fast and zero effort) but as I read recently it could end up degrading silicon a little quickly and needs to be air dried well.

Too bad I can't manage to get any of my friends interested - and I consider them very open minded on most issues.

Here's to Australia becoming more civilised!

Cheers

Hello!

This is my first time posting but I've been reading a lot of posts mainly since I got my Diva Cup.
First off, you gals are great :D

So this is my third month and I've been on summer vaycation so its been good practice time. The first time I tried to use it I was very...uh... nervous because the cup looked HUGE. I'm 17 and a virgin and haven't done much exploring in my vagina but I was super excited with getting a menstrual cup because along with my Womens Health Book Our Bodies Ourselves I was learning TONS of new stuff about my body. And I'm really open to knowing its just that I hadn't come across such a book as that one that explained things so clearly and honestly so I've been really happy learning about myself.

So first off in getting a Diva Cup I started wondering things like:
1. How do you know where your cervix is and when it changes position?
2. How can you figure out your ovulating cycle (FAM?)? The book explains a bit about measuring 'waking tempertature' (don't know what that is) and cervical fluid
3. How do renmants of a hymen look like and where are they?
4. I've had the really bad cramps before (the I-want-to-kill-myself ones) but haven't had a cup in during. How does that go?
5. Ballet? I managed to break the seal while goofing off and pretending to do pilates so I am a little worried about using it during ballet.
6. Why are Diva Cups the only option in stores (at least the ones I go to)? [US]
7. Why didn't I learn about menstrual cups sooner? My sis goes to a very liberal college so she learned about all types of awesome alternatives there and told me about it. Cloth pads too?!?!
Really, thats a really big concern for me. Womans Health Education is starting to worry me because unless I had found out about my lovely pink womans health book and menstrual cups I would have just stayed in the dark till some accident happened.
8. And lastly insertion and seal:
I use the punch down/triangle method (I hope thats what its called) thats in the instructions. I can insert it easily by now, but getting it to unfold is what I've been messing around with. I try to pinch the cup when its halfway in (I fold the rim all the way to the bottom of the cup not the middle) so that it unfolds and then twist it, but it works about 75% of the time and gives me a start when if pops. Then I just kegel it on up. For a seal check, anything besides rotation and fingers? There is no hope for now of sticking any fingers up there, thats a little advanced at the moment. I've done it but its been unpleasant. I'll keep checking out the tags about insertion but any posts about insertion are welcome :)

Thanks, I think I wrote a lil bit too much. :0
 

So, here's that MeLuna review finally! Sorry it took so long, things have been busier than I expected. But my period came today AND fearthefear commented to ask me where my review was, both of which were good reminders!

I have mixed feelings about the cup. I have their smaller size and I chose the ball stem. On the one hand, it's the most comfortable cup I've ever worn; on the other hand, it can be more difficult to use than my others.

( Details behind the cut, also picture )

There have been a lot of questions about ordering. When I ordered mine I completed the order process on the website, then emailed the company to ask what email address to use to send the money via PayPal. (Their website says you can use PayPal, but it doesn't show up as an option when you're making an international order, or at least it didn't a month ago, which is why I emailed them to get the address.) That worked fine, and it shipped out quickly.

(Mods et al.: I threw on what tags looked relevant, feel free to add or remove tags as you see fit.)

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! :)

Hi All! I have been happily using the Keeper for two cycles and thought it would be nice to have a spare. I bought a Diva Cup since they are so easy to find in the US.

I decided to give it a try this past Friday and COULD NOT GET IT OUT. I was mortified. I tried squatting, bearing down, laying down, etc... I could feel the stem, but it was *just* out of grasping reach (I admittedly have short arms and short fingers so that doesn't help matters any). I tried on 4 different occasions but had no luck. I finally had to swallow my pride and enlist the help of DH. He couldn't get it out either. He could feel the stem but couldn't get a good grip on it with two fingers. I finally decided to give up and go to bed. 
I tried again in the morning with no luck. Finally, after two more failed attempts, DH was able to get it out...poor guy.

With my Keeper, I am using the stem to remove it. I don't break the suction first. Someone on another board mentioned there could be "implications" from not breaking the suction first. What are the implications? Am I doing some kind of damage? I CANNOT reach the base of my cup to break suction first...I always use the stem for removal. Is this a problem?

Hugs
Helga

this is my second question today--i'm a new cup user. i really appreciate everyone's feedback!

sometimes i hear air escaping from my vagina. it seems to happen if i get up from sitting/reclining to go pee, and when i sit on the toilet, it leaks a bit. i feel around in there, and the cup is fully open. not sure what else to do. no matter where i place it, it does it's own thing once it's in. sometimes it seems to ride low, other times it gets sucked way up in there and i really have to dig in to remove it. either way, my vagina is always very tightly gripping it, so much so that it's impossible for me to turn it once it's in. so i don't think the problem is that it's too small for me....

last night i had a really, really messy leak--woke up to blood all over at 6 AM (i posted about this earlier).

my cup is a small keeper, btw, and i've never had a baby.

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