Hi! welcome to the world of cups! :)

first of all the best cup for you or a first time user is the cup that fits you best! :)

to choose a cup it's a good idea to have the following information:

age

whether you have had any children

flow (light/medium/heavy)

strength of pelvic floor muscles (strong if you do lots of yoga/pilates etc and might want a firmer cup)

sensitivity (if you think a soft cup might be easier to insert for you or if you get UTIs often as soft cups are less likely to press on the bladder)

the main information you need is your cervix height during your period as it tends to move lower then comapred to the rest of the cycle. As cups like to sit underneath the cervix this will help you decide what length cup to get (high cervix longer cup, very low cervix short cup)

here's a couple of useful links to help with your research! :)

The ever important size charts, using your info look at what cups might suit you. Don't pick a brand, choose any available colours/stems etc once you've narrowed it down. http://sizecharts.livejournal.com/

see photo comparisons of cups here: http://menstrualcups.friendhood.net/f52-moderator-s-photo-library

Good luck! :)

What helped me decide on my cup was going through the size/capacity charts posted on here, matching one that fit my vagina length during menstruation (shorter) and flow (average/light). I figured I'd prefer a softer cup, so I decided to go with a large Lady Cup. I found that with the stem it was uncomfortable, but once I cut it off the cup became goldilocks. I can't feel it unless it's not in quite right (found the same with tampons though), and I've never had a problem inserting/removing (again short vagina during menstruation so this probably helps). No cons for me on this cup.
No specific suggestion other than making sure you get a cup that isn't too long/short and will accommodate your flow.

Honestly, my advice is to try not to get too bogged down in the details, it can be a little overwhelming. (Or maybe that's just me.) For my first cup I just got the only one I could get locally (Keeper), for my second I just got the cheapest I could find (Femmecup, on sale). Both have worked wonderfully. Most people seem to land on a cup that works well enough for them on their first try. If you do get one and it's horrible for you, you can sell it at mc_sales.livejournal.com and try again.

One caveat, if you're interested in a Diva cup, just make sure your cervix is high enough during your period to accommodate it since it's the one with the longest body.

Most people seem to land on a cup that works well enough for them on their first try.

Is that so? I remember that there was a poll about that lately, but I can't find it anymore and I don't remember the outcome.

For me, my first cup mostly worked, but the second one worked a lot better.

I do agree that most cups will work for most users, so we should keep in mind that while there are differences, there is most likely a whole range of cups that will work.
In other words, most of us don't need to spend too much time picking the perfect cup... only some of us do. And for a small group, there's really only one cup that will do the job.

"there is most likely a whole range of cups that will work."

Yes. That's why http://sizecharts.livejournal.com/ says that it's not an exact science. Close enough is good enough. Do some self-exploration and make an educated guess at your internal dimensions, then use actual dimensions, capacity, stiffness and shape to pick a cup that you think will fit.

Here's the poll http://menstrual-cups.livejournal.com/2914625.html

So it's "most," but not by as wide a margin as I'd remembered. (And I added a couple tags to make the poll easier to find. Tags, whodathunk? *facepalm* Shows you how long it's been since I've used LJ much.)

Ah, thank you!

I found my cup using the "pick-a-path" by this seller:

http://www.environmenstruals.co.nz/index.php?cPath=50

There must be similar ones that include other/more brands.

There's no cup especially for first time users, they're all slightly different just like we are all unique. Me, I measured the length to my cervix at the beginning of my period, got an average-long measurment (about 2 inches), and I knew I wanted a cup that was about the length of my vag so I wouldn't have to fish for it way up high, and one that was soft enough so it would be comfortable and easy to fold, and with a decent capacity so I could forget about it for 12 hours. So I got a large Cuplee, even though I'm in my twenties, no kids, light flow. It worked well from the start, I think it's great, perhaps a tad too long but it's definitely working. I used the sizecharts and also this link for stiffness comparison : http://menstrualcupinfo.wordpress.com/cup-stiffness-comparison-chart/

I still think the single most important criterion is the position of the cervix during your period (i.e. distance in from the vaginal opening). This tells you whether you have a "high", average or "low" cervix, and therefore what length of cup you can reasonably accommodate.

Once you know that, you can make secondary decisions such as preferred capacity, soft vs. firm and so forth.

BTW, most of the FAQs out there would say that because I'm of perimenopausal age, I should have a soft cup that's on the large size. In reality, since I have a low cervix I'm much better off with shorter cups. Also, I have strong pelvic floor muscles despite being older and not athletic, so I'm fine with firm cups. Go figure!

Hi! I've only ever tried the Diva Cup and I had no problems with it. I've written a very honest blog post about it and I'm also running my first giveaway competition where you can win your own Diva Cup. Competition closes 5pm 24/8/2012 AEST. All you need to do is subscribe and comment if you're interested in winning the Diva Cup! Also you can read my post as you may get a sense of the learning curve ahead. I've gotten through it and I won't look back now! xx Love Eco Warrior Princess http://ecowarriorprincess.net/2012/08/secret-womens-business-the-diva-cup/

Why do you suggest that men stop reading? Must these secrets remain secrets? I'd honestly prefer if people could just talk openly about menstruation...

And I understand why Diva gives cups to bloggers, and it's nice that it makes cups more mainstream, but there is an unfortunate side effect: blogs like yours read like there is Only One and that's just not true.
Especially not for Divacup, which is the longest cup out there, and it doesn't fit if your cervix is low (but the Diva company yet has to admit that).