It is a really tough choice! I'm not sure that more options is entirely a good thing.

I went with a med-small cup at 35yo NP. I wanted one that wouldn't leak during exercise and would stand up to my athletic vagina. Also didn't want to struggle with insertion so went on the firmer side (Med Meluna Classic). I really like my cup, and love the ring stem. The Lunette looked great but was a bit more expensive. Hth!

Mc_sales is worth a look, too.

Cups generally cost around the same amount, and you have to remember that it's a one time payment for a cup (unless you need to try different ones, but you can still sell the old ones), unlike pads and tampons. If it helps, add up how much you spend on tampons/pads in a year and compare. You can find cups for less if you know where to look, though. Various places will have sales and discounted prices. For example, Luneshop.com sells the Lunette for around $30 (US) and offers free shipping worldwide. And there's also mc_sales, but you have to be lucky or patient for that if you're looking for something specific.

For wide vs narrow, narrow cups are usually recommended for virgins and wide cups for older women and women who have given birth. There are no really hard rules for cups other than cervix height. It's hard to tell until you try one and have something to compare it to.

I'm going to be honest. I was just like you, overwhelmed by all the choices. Know how I made my decision? I picked an Orange Ladycup because it is my favorite color.

I'm not saying everyone will be as lucky as I was, but that was seriously how I did it.

I was in the exact same boat. With so many choices, I was terrified of getting something that didn't work for me. However, the aids on this site and the pictures/ videos really help. I went with the small Lunette at first because it was smaller with a high capacity and I was worried about getting something too big. I have since moved up to a large Fleurcup, which I love.

The Fleurcup, I believe, is a bit cheaper than the Lunette, and almost the exact same in shape, size, and capacity.

I do not believe air hole size is that important for cup fit.

As far as narrower or wider, I am a big believer that every woman knows her body best, so go with your gut. If you are leaning toward the Lunette (one or the narrower brands), go with that or something similar.

Good luck and know that the pay of of finding your perfect cup outweighs all the trouble of choosing a brand/ size and the inevitable learning curve.

If you want a lunette go to luneshop.com. Free shipping and its like $31.

The important thing is not to stress too much about it - although there's a ton of choices out there, a lot of them are pretty similar, and generally most cups will work for most users. If you want to try things on the cheap rather than paying full price, I'd suggest mc_sales.

Have you seen this yet? http://sizecharts.livejournal.com/

As it says, eliminate those that you don't think will fit you and go with your gut from those that remain.

If your gut says large Lunette, then go for it. I have one and love it. Medium length, high capacity, frosted no-slip texture, big anti-suction holes, tab stem, pops open easily, seals securely.

As for price, I think they run about US$40-45. That's about what you'd spend in a year for disposables. But you'll have it for 5-10 so despite the initial outlay, you'll be ahead of the game.

"I know one way I can narrow down is by measuring myself. I understand how to figure out how high the cervix is, but how do I know if I need a wide or narrow cup, big or small air holes, flat or round stem, etc.?"

Like others said, cervix height is what matters most imo, although if you're in the middle you'll have plenty of options that could work for you. Bigger air holes allow for easier suction-release. There's also the possibility that you might leak through them, but as long as they are pretty close to the rim, that means your cup is about to be full soon, so time to empty it out !

Width doesn't make much difference to be honest, because everything down there is flexible. A wider cup will provide you more capacity, so if you have a regular to heavy flow, go for a larger size. Anothe factor you might want to consider is stiffness : the large Lunette is rather on the firm side. Which is good for the athletic folks with super strong muscle tone, but can be incomfortable for some. For me the stem is a non issue, because I don't really need it for removal. Some people say hollow stems are harder to clean, but it's never bothered me.

Somehting similar but less pricey : Meluna is the cheapest brand, and they offer 4 sizes. Or definitely have a look at the mc-sales community.

I didn't know the Lunette was one of the firmer ones. I don't have a lot of muscle tone (I'm assuming), but I don't want a super soft one either. Do you think the Fleurcup would be a better option?
Thanks!

Fleurcup lies closer to my heart because it's softer, but still according to reviews the rim is firm enough to make it pop open easily. Also it has pretty stellar reviews, not that I've heard bad things about the large Lunette. I just wouldn't get one for fear of feeling it. Antohter difference between the two is their shape : Lunette has a pointy bottom whereas Fleurcup is more bell-shaped. It all comes down to personnal preference really... see this chart for comparison : http://menstrualcupinfo.wordpress.com/cup-stiffness-comparison-chart/

I have only ever tried my Fleurcup (currently on my second period with it). I find that it pops open easily, I am not uncomfortable with it at all, and I can keep it in for 8 hours on my first two heaviest days, after that I can keep it in for about 12 hours. I've not had a leak so far except after vigorous exercise (or it could have been blood that was already there before I put in the cup) or when I was lazy and took too long to empty it, which was only once so far (last night, I'd left it in about 12 hours and since it was the first day of my period, I should not have left it in more than 9). I always wear a pantiliner just in case though, so no worries and it was only a small leak.

I use a small blue Fleurcup, and I also bought a large red Flerucup, which I have not tried yet since I am content with my small for now.

I was lucky and seem to have hit the cup jackpot, so to speak, on my first try. Another cup may have worked just fine for me as well, but since my Fleur works well for me I am not going to try anything else for a while yet.

Edited at 2012-04-20 10:52 pm (UTC)

For me it was luck/trial and error. There was no chart that was going to tell me that I prefer cone shapes to bell shapes. I was lucky, that in my obsession with having a ball or ring stem, steered me towards MeLuna because they sent me samples of their cone shaped Mini in addition to the new bell shape. I was also lucky that I was a bit obsessed with stem because I have a very low cervix and I there aren't many super short cup brands.

Keeping cup texture in mind was also a big help for me. I had zero desire to have to mess around with a slippery cup and the idea of wasting extra toilet paper to keep my fingers clean in order to grip it seemed to defeat the purpose a bit. I knew I wanted a cup that had a bit more texture, decent grip rings, and small but grippable stem. It was MeLuna all the way for me. I also love Germany, but that's even sillier...

When I stumbled upon cups, I was looking at tampons and down below was "related items" and there was a Diva cup. I just tried it on a whim, and wasn't aware there were so many choices. Luckily I made a good choice with my Diva. I'm sure other cups would have worked as well. I didn't know my cervix was high or low (my gyno didn't tell me anything). But after using the Diva I realized my cervix is high. My Diva cost $25 and free shipping off of Amazon. I'm not sure the price of a Lunette but I'm assuming it's close.

Edited at 2012-04-21 01:57 am (UTC)

There is currently a listing for a small Lunette on mc-sales at $15.00. Good luck, if you want a brand new one go through luneshop.com.

Thank you everyone for your feedback!
My next period starts on the 6th, so I will measure myself then decide. I am still worried about ordering a large, then needing a small or vice versa. I also want to wait until this next period because I am on a new pill.. and you know how that can be.
I will most likely order either a Lunette or a Fleurcup.. still need to decide.
Thanks again!

Edit: Now after a little more research, MeLuna looks like a good choice.. I mean, I can't believe you can get a glitter cup! If only they had purple glitter.. <3
I would probably get a purple Medium Meluna Classic with a ball stem. Does anyone know how a Medium Meluna compares to a Large Lunette? Thank you!

Edited at 2012-04-21 10:50 pm (UTC)