I heard of menstrual cups 4 yrs ago. they were gross back then. even a couple years ago I was still iffy about them. but lately tampons cause pain and feel too lumpy in there. so I bought a Moon Cup (usa).  

Today is my first day. insertion and expulsion are fine. but it sure fills up quickly. I'll need to look for posts here about that issue. The insert said it usually only needs to be emptied every 8 hours. mine was FULL in 4. off to search archived posts...

I decided to blog my New Adventure with the Moon Cup. and I allowed to post that here? well, if not- I'm sure someone will delete it. But if anyone is interested in my Sangre Saga- it is here: http://mitasa.blogspot.com/

 

hi ladies,

i've read through lots of posts, but haven't found a way to solve my problem. i have a diva cup and i have the fairly common problem of it liking to "hang out". but not just that---i think i can't really get any suction at all---i can just pull it out easily by tugging at the bottom.

i'm not having my period today (while i was trying repeatedly to get it to stay in) so that may influence the "shape of things" etc, but the last time i tried it (my last period---august of 2005---ack!), i also had this problem. i got it to suction in once, and then it was higher up and just sat great, but i can't seem to replicate that. i've tried 7 fold, c fold, punch in fold, origami fold (though i can't get the bottom to fold up like she shows in the pics), i've tried putting it in low, putting it in high, stirring...

i'm not totally sure if it's popping open completely. sometimes it seems very squashed, no matter how much i rotate. sometimes it seems more open. it's never still "folded"...

any suggestions on how to get it to suction in?

tia!

elly

I've been using my cup off and on for a few months (had some chafing w/one cycle) and have noticed that when I'm using my cup, I get constipated. Now, I know that it is a bit uncomfortable to poo while I'm wearing it because it feels like it's going to fall out, but I think that this mild fear has turned into a psychosomatic problem. If I'm wearing a pad, or even a tampon, I can still poo, but with my cup, I can't. *shrug* I was just wondering if anyone else was experiencing something like this... ~ Mandy

Hi all :)

I've been meaning to post on here for months but I haven't actually got round to it until today.
I have my IUD fitted last June, and used a Mooncup with it. After reading lots and lots of info on here and on the IUD Divas community I decided I was happy using both considering the possible risk of removal.
Now, if you're not a complete dork, very tired at 3am in the morning and at the phase of your period where the Mooncup really comes into its own (when your flow is light and tampons would be a scratchy nightmare and pads are hot and uncomfortable) so you're not really thinking about menstruating, then you wont make the mistake I did. But, if you are prone to this kind of nonsense, heed my warning!( Read more... )

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! :-)

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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!

okay, bear with me, I'm new at this post stuff.  My other one got lost in cyber space somewhere.

I really envy you gals who say that their cups will not come out.  I'm 5'2", 130 lbs, kids x 4, and own a mooncup size A.  I've tried to use it for two periods now.  Even though I try and try, I simply cannot make that cup stay inside my body.  It's almost as if it will not develop the suction that everyone talks about.  I read about the little gross slurping noises, and how people use jewelery pliars to remove the cups (!) and mine does none of that.  I've tried rotating it, tipping it, removing it and reinserting it, different insertion positions, flexing my muscles to "draw it up" to no avail.  I even tried scrunching my muscles down there to hold it in, (not that I could possibly continue that all day long..I just wanted to see if it helps) but out it comes.  I have no trouble locating my cup because you can see the bottom of it outside me!  During period 1, I had to give it up because I got so sore down there.  Period 2 is here, and I'm ready for round two to show this stupid piece of plastic who's the boss.  Score so far is mooncup-12, mom-0.  I tried it today (day 1) and was in the bathroom about every 45 minutes because it was leaking and "peeking".  The cup was nowhere near full, there was no reason for it to be leaking.  I'd be willing to deal with the leaks if it would just stay up there!  I'm shoving it up there to my last knuckle on my fingers (sorry, tmi, I know) so I know it starts "up there".  I even tried inserting it dry ( ouch) to see if it would get a better grip...nope.  The only time it stays sort-of-in-place is when I'm lying down, and even then it pokes and presses on different parts of me in there, and is mighty uncomfortable.  I get up and then down and out it comes, within minutes.  I wonder sometimes if I sneeze--whether it would just pop out entirely!.  I wonder if a smaller size would be better, but if the large size can't get a grip in there, how in the world is a smaller one going to be able to do it?  Gee whiz, this is teething at its worst!  I'll never be able to convince my teens that this is a good thing at this rate.    :(       Thanks for listening.

Thanks for all of the great advice I received earlier.  Day 3 of the cup and so far and mostly so great!  However, I was at the gym today on an elliptical (one of these: http://www.bodyconcept.com/family/1586/display.html ) and as I was working out, I began to feel the stem of my cup as it slid down.  I left mid-way through my workout to adjust it and push it in higher manually.  I thought perhaps it had slid out when I used the bathroom before my workout.  But then a few minutes into my workout it slid down again!  I think I spent most of the workout keeping my vaginal muscles tight to some degree, to make sure it didn't slide out.  I doubt that would have happened anyways, but just in case. 

Is this common?  Is there anything I can do besides ignoring it or removing it before I work out?

I purchased a Diva Cup. I've read all the memories on insertion and all that and it answered my questions but it still isn't working out for me.

This morning, upon starting my period, i inserted the diva cup using the punch down method. I did the whole, slouched with hips almost horizontal to the seat thing and inserted the diva cup as horiztonally as i could. I pushed it up to where the stem was even with my vaginal opening. All fine and dandy... it opened up, i heard the suction, i ran my finger around it, twisted it, made sure --all that stuff.

So far, it's already eons better than a tampon because i don't feel the need to kill the world within 5 seconds of putting it in. It has been at least 30 seconds so far, and i'm still calm and happy. Until i stand up. Ok, i can kinda feel it, but its no biggie - until i relax. And then it feels like my vagina is PUSHING the cup out - like i'm giving birth to it. And in fact, it WAS pushing it out. I couldn't get it to stay where i put it. I really hated the way it felt, moving up and down like that.

I tried re-inserting it several different times trying different things ... but everytime, it would just push back down when i stood up and relaxed. It wouldnt push OUT of my vagina, but it would bob up and down depending on what my muscles were doing.

I figured, maybe i just had to get used to it, so i put it in and made an attempt to leave the house - to brave the day wearing this uncomfy thing. I only made it to the end of the driveway before it felt like it was just falling out totally... i rushed back in and took it out. There was already blood in the cup, so i know it was open... but ..uhm...

suggestions? What am i doing wrong?
it was only my first day, so i'm not giving up... but i stuck with a cloth pad for the day, because i couldn't deal with that feeling. I suppose i'll try it again tonight.

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EDIT: I pushed it up higher and it worked. yay!

The search kept timing out on me, so I'm very sorry if these have been answered before and I didn't find it by  reading through other posts.  I have read so many things here and appreciate the vast amount of information here!  You are all so helpful. :)

I'm 34 & have two kids, one vag birth & one c-section.

I think I got the insertion stuff down with the Diva Cup, to the point where I don't even feel it.  But as soon as I start moving around, I feel the cup start to slide and it comes about halfway out.  I'm talking within the first few steps I take after insertion.  I believe it is sealed, as it doesn't want to spin and won't push up any more once it has popped open, and I still have to break the seal to remove it.

I have completely trimmed off the stem because it was poking me to death, so that part is better now, but what the heck can be going on?  Is this a muscular issue maybe?

I've messed around with it so much tonight that I'm sore, so finally just went to a pad to give myself & the vajajay a rest! :P

Thanks! :)

I have been using my Diva Cup for 3 months and (used to) love it.  The last couple days, it has been leaking like crazy!  It is so strange, it also feels like it is falling out of me!  I usually wear it fairly far up, but after running around - or literally going for a run this morning- I can feel it hanging outside of me!  It is so uncomfortable!  And no matter how much I fuss and make sure I have a good seal, it leaks like crazy. 

I have heard Kegals mentioned, would that help this problem?  I use the bigger cup since I am 40 and have 3 kids, but never considered myself "big" down there.  I am actually a very thin person...although I have no idea if that matters at all.

I gave up today and am using tampons.  I am so bummed, I love the cup, the idea of the cup and have had no problems so far.  Is it that I get "stretched out" and I need a break?

Thanks!

Does anybody know the DivaCup return/exchange policy? I can't find it on the site. Though it was bought from betterlife.com and gifted to me, would they still exchange it? I also lost the box, the little pouch, and the pin. I can't find anything on the exchange policy though. :( Thanks in advance.

I'm happy with my cup, but its slightly too wide and my vagina likes pushing it out.

I've never used cups in my entire life. I am currently using cloth pads but I discovered that I don't have enough time to wash time and I find it pretty icky and tedious. I really want to try using menstrual cups. The problems is that I have an IUD. I have looked at the memories about this but most of them have used the cups BEFORE the IUD so they got used to it. I have my IUD for a year already and now I want to use the cups but I'm concerned since I haven't had any practice in placing the cups and removing it w/o the IUD. Also my strings were left pretty long (about 2 inches) though they always curl on my cervix.

I also wanted to know which brand of cups will be IUD-friendly and will pose less threat in yanking my IUD out based on its size, etc.

I just started using my Diva Cup yesterday.  I trimmed the stem (almost completely off) and I have been putting the cup as far up as I seem to be able to.  My problem is that, whenever I walk more than 10 feet, it starts to slip out. I don't feel it when I'm sitting or laying at all --it's just when I move. I tried running and had to stop because it felt like it was falling out.  It feels like how a tampon feels when it's full and starts to slip out.  It's pretty uncomfortable, and I'm trying to figure out if it's normal that it feels like that.  I tried pushing it horizontally back, instead of up, and that seemed to help for a while, but it slowly fell back down.  

I have the smaller size - I am only 20, I've never had kids, and I really don't feel like my vagina is any larger than normal (then again, I guess I wouldn't really know :).
 
So, I guess my question is--has anyone had these problems and, if yes, what did they do to correct them? 

ok so i have the smaller size of the diva cup. i am thrilled with it, the only thing is, where it sits comfortable (which is where my body puts it) is pretty low. this isnt a problem except when i have to poop. when i have to poop, i inadvertantly bear down (doesn't everyone?), and it pushes my diva out some. i am worried that i might push it out. it feels like i'm close to doing that so i end up using my fingers to hold it up when i have to poop. not very comfortable. does anyone else have this problem? is it just my body or maybe the legnth of the cup?
ps i never thought i would end up talking about my bowel movements online!

I've had my cup (diva cup) for coming up on three years, I think. I've used it every period since then and have never once.. been happy with it. But I still use it. Why? Because it just seems like such a darn good idea! Because it seems like I should use it, because I know it's better for me and better for the environment. Even if it's not so good for my productivity, because I'm in the bathroom every hour to check if it's started leaking yet, or to reinsert it because it has almost completely removed itself from my vagina.

Am I the only one? It seems like everyone else was immediately gloriously happy with their cups, had problems but eventually overcame them and was gloriously happy, or ultimately was unsuccessful with the cup and gave up. Are there others of you out there who consider your experience with menstrual cups unsuccessful, but still use them for reasons similar to mine or otherwise?

I'm not particularly looking for suggestions, because trust me, in three years I've received plenty, and nothing's ever helped. I'm just curious if there are others out there in the same situation.

i've been using insteads for my last few periods, and the last two or three - i've noticed that they've become dislodged from behing my pubic bone and start to come out. i don't know WHY it's happening, i know i have it in right, at least i'm pretty sure i do. i can't feel it at all. . . until it decides it wants to come out.

maybe my vagina just doesn't like them anymore. has anyone else experienced this?

i've got a keeper, and i'm going to try using it again tomorrow. my first experience was pretty bad when it came time to remove it, but after this problem with insteads, i'm determined to use my keeper so i don't have to deal with this anymore. >:(

( cross posted! )

Ok, I've tried Instead cups and they didn't work with me. I'm pretty sure I was inserting them properly (I know my way around in there), but if I moved around much the cup would pop out of place and want to escape. Too large?- I don't think I'm unusually small. My vag wall is pretty flat above my pubic bone, I think that might have something to do with it. I kinda liked the cups except for my vag spitting them out, so I want to try a different cup. After having problems with Instead, I'm wondering if you all recommend one brand/size or if someone else has experience with this? Do the other cups fit in a way where this shouldn't matter? Oh, and I am in my early 20's and have no kids.

Thanks for any advice!

Hi everyone. I'm considering getting a DivaCup but I'm concerned about riding horses while wearing it. I've read a couple of entries on here that mentioned when the cup would slip out a little bit (squatting, urinating, etc). I'm concerned about it slipping around while riding. Has anyone on here ridden a horse while wearing a cup? I think I'm most concerned about posting at the trot, and cantering...especially cantering because I'm not good at it and tend to land hard on the saddle. Would it also be forced up?

Sorry if this isn't making any sense, but I hope someone understands and can help.

Thanks :)

Hiya. I just found out about this invention less than 2 hours ago so needless to say I'm new. I've learned a lot since then though. So for now, I just have one question :)
You know how when your tampon's absorbed all the blood it's going to and you urinate and the tampon gets pushed out with it from the flexing of the muscles? Does that happen with cups?

Hi! I think I'm finally getting the hang of the Keeper.

I discovered that the secret to using it with my tilted uterus is to put it almost parallel to the floor and with the opening pointing back and to the left. When I try to point it "up" towards my head, or forward towards my pubic bone, I get terrible leakage. When it works, it's fantastic.

I have a problem, however, that has been plaguing me, and I doubt there's any solution to it, but I thought I'd try you guys. It's a little gross, so please bear with me. Or bear down with me. At any rate.. Every time I have a bowel movement with the Keeper in, I wind up pushing it out. Thankfully, I have managed to catch it each time before it plunges into the toilet bowl. How does one prevent this from happening?! I mean, what I wind up doing is just taking it out, rinsing it, and putting it back in before I get off the toilet. But I really wish it would just stay put.

Thanks in advance.