So I am also on my first period with my new Divacup and I had troubles getting it to turn as well, however, I found that when I insert the cup in the punch-down fold (folds facing up) and let go of the fold just as the rim is fully inside the vagina (so the bottom 1/3 is still on the outside that I can see), I can feel it open and easily turn it and push it in farther, kind of like I'm softly screwing it in. Before when I tried to insert the entire cup while it was still folded I couldn't turn it and it wouldn't open all the way.

This has been working well for me the last couple of insertions because 1.) I know the cup is fully opened and 2.) by letting it open and pushing it in a bit farther, it seems to find it's own comfortable place.

Great idea jezy..i will try letting it open when it is only partway in then turning/pushing it up higher - I didn't know you could do that. I was trying to get it all the way up before turning and I'd need longer fingers!

You and I sound like we have the exact same experience!

One thing I learned from reading the memories here is that despite the instructions, turning it is actually quite unnecessary. Once I learned that -- and put it into practice -- it revolutionized Diva-wearing for me, because yeah, I couldn't turn the damn thing either!

So anyway, no worries about turning it. Mine also migrates way up and, fascinatingly, ends up positioned almost exactly horizontally with the stem to my right -- my cervix is hidden off to the left, which is why.

Over time, I learned how to get it out without creating a mess. Here's how I insert and remove:

+ Using a 7-fold (BY FAR the best one for my body), I insert up until my fingers are maybe a few centimetres inside my vagina. Then I stick one finger up there and push the vaginal walls back a bit, and push my finger around the bell of the cup to make sure it's not being dented in very far by my vaginal walls. If it is, I take it out and re-insert until it isn't.

+ Then I use my Kegel muscles to sort of pull the cup up a bit farther. No turning.

REMOVAL:

+ I get one leg up on the toilet or bathtub, then jam my finger on up there and hook it around the stem / end of the cup. One good pull sort of tilts the cup back down.

+ I pinch the bottom of the cup only, and wiggle it back and forth while pulling down gently. When the stem is outside of my vagina, I stretch my fingers up and pull the up down and out in one single, swoop-like motion: sort of pulling the cup down with the open end of the cup angled slightly towards my back, then curve back forward as the rim leaves the vagina.

It took a few cycles to master it, but now I'm a pro. Your fingers will get pretty bloody, but I don't get splatter or leakage anymore.

I must too have an off to the side cervix...to be honest I know nothing about my cervix! That is what my divacup is doing too...lying on its side a bit so there is no way I can get my finger around it!

Thanks for the tips - I've read a lot on here and watched videos but it still is going to take some practice! I've been pulling it out open...I think I I try and pinch/fold it on the way it it will spill. it isn't comfortable but not too painful to just pull it straight out..once I can get a hold of the thing!

Don't worry about the spinning thing! In three years, I've never spun my Diva. I stopped trying (ow!) after checking the memories here and finding this was common. What I do is push the cup in and let it open. Then I push out on the tissue under the rim of the cup to make sure it's not smooshing the cup too badly. Then I kegel is up a little. Finally, I bear down - f the cup doesn't come half way out, I know I've got a good seal. I usually remove mine standing. I bear down a little, reach up and snag the bottom and just pull straight down. (This works for me, but I know that's super painful for some people.) When I was first getting the hand of the cup, I changed it in the shower every time. That's a good way to practice removal techniques with minimal collateral damage. Good luck!

I am not sure though if it is opening. I was doing the punch down fold - how can I tell if it is fully open? I've tried to get my fingers up to the rim to check but can't quite reach! i pulled it straight out too...not too painful. I will try standing to remove...that might help too. Thanks!

Well, if it didn't leak until hour 7, probably it opened. But I totally get wanting to KNOW and not just suspect that it's okay. I have a couple of different tricks I use when I need to be reassured about placement.

First off, like queensugar said, you can run your finger around the bell to check for dents. Mine tends to get smooshed up in the back, so sometimes I'll push that part of my vaginal wall out with my finger. I can usually feel the cup get rounder at the top and less dented in (from the vacuum) at the bottom after this maneuver. Then I do what I call my squeeze test. I kegel in hard, then push out hard. If I have a good seal, nothing moves. If I have a bad seal, the cup will kind of squirt out.

You can also try a different fold. I usually use the C fold because it's easiest for me to get in, but sometimes I use a punch-down or 7 fold so that I can feel whether or not that folded-over bit let loose or is still bunched up. Does that make any sense?

Hope this helps!

check via, erm, your butt then. it will totally feel round :D
i've never heard a pop with any of my cups, this doesn't mean it's not opened.

Not sure I'm too keen on the butt check! Thanks for the idea...if I get frustrated enough!

Tee hee, welcome to the dreaded learning curve. Hang in there. You've ALMOST got it.

To make sure it's open, try different folds and try flipping them up/down, left/right until you find a fold and method that works best for you. I like to insert my cup so the rim is just beyond my pubic bone, let it open fully there and then give it a boost as I Kegel it up and into place. Now that you know that your cervix is a little off-center (perfectly normal, BTW), aim the opening of your cup toward it while you give it that boost.

It's riding up because your cervix is high and your cup is following it.

Now that you know that 7 hours is your max, empty it sooner.

As for making a mess during removal, many of us did the first few times. As you get better at it, you'll get away cleaner and cleaner. And you'll be able to empty your cup in any facility -- public or private.

Thanks..I tried today to not insert it as far before checking to see if it was fully open. The mess I agree...just need practice!

It sounds like you're on your way to mastering your cup. Since you're other questions have been answered, I will just say that sometimes my cup is full and comes out 1/2, 3/4 full too. This happens for menstruaters with low cervices a lot, but I have a high cervix like you. I think mine still dangles into my cup sometimes, then it takes up space, and I don't get to use the whole capacity. Hope that's a lil helpful. :)

Very helpful...makes sense. I think it was too full for sure.

Sounds to me like you pull your cup out without exerting enough control during the whole process, or like your cup is too full when you remove it, and that's why you end up with a mess.

It's ok to pull it out straight, as a whole, without folding it, you don't have to change that (especially since folding it for removal would most-likely result in squeezing the blood out, which will leave you with the kind of mess you want to avoid).

But, the fuller your cup is, the more difficult it'll be to remove it without spilling or squeezing out its contents. Even if you don't fold it for removal, your cup will always end up getting squeezed to a certain extent, first, because you have to pinch it to break the seal, second, while you pull it out through your vaginal opening. So if you want to avoid spillage, remove it as long as it's not too full, even it that means that you have to change more often.

And then there's the moment when you pull it out through your vaginal opening, which is another "critical point" during the whole operation ;). I don't know which way you've been doing it so far, but it's important to not let the rim just "pop out" and have the cup "pop open", you have to ease it out slowly and let it open up gradually while you pull it out. This way it should be easier to avoid accidental squirting or spilling.
And remember that you want your cup to be upright/level with the ground once it's outside, so try to angle it slowly into that position while you slide it out.

Another thing you might wanna consider during removal is your position. You didn't say which positions you already tried, but as for myself, I actually always found squatting rather impracticable, because it didn't allow my to insert my fingers at the right angle. So what usually works best for me is to just sit on the toilet. And I've seen some people suggest to either lean back or forward and that it helped with removal, so that's maybe another thing you could try.

And if you're having trouble getting the stem out of your vaginal wall, maybe you need more lubrication? I don't know, I've never had trouble turning my cup or getting my fingers alongside of it, and I just thought that maybe it's because I have more vaginal fluids/more discharge? But I'm not sure about that, I'm just speculating. But you could try wetting your fingers with water of real lubricant to see if it makes it easier to handle your cup or get your fingers in deeper? Although of course too much lubrication will result in slippery fingers and make it even worse ;P.

As for fear of leaks, I don't quite understand why you're worried about them based on your first tries? Your leaks were due to overflowing and not because you put your cup in wrong, so obviously you just have to change it more often, the same way you would do it with tampons or pads too, and you should be fine.

Thanks for the tips. No lack of lubrication, it is just that the stem is pressed into the side of my vagina...the cup is tilted so getting a grip is really hard as it sits really high up and everything is slippery!

Well I am worried about leaks until I get it mastered...i wasn't even sure if it was in right or open and taking ti out was really messy. Until I've mastered it a bit more..public is too risky - too many things could go really wrong!

So I tried again today. Didn't insert as far before turning / checking rim. It felt like the cup was open as I could get my finger around it but then it never really rode up like the last two days. It sat much lower despite attempts to then Kegel it up! Maybe once it suctions in place, it is hard to move? Anyways it leaked after only an hour. Easy to get to for removal as it was much lower and the stem was less buried. Obviously it wasn't over my cervix today but sitting lower. So while it felt like I could 'confirm' it was fully open, it wasn't exactly successful! Not sure why it leaked so soon.