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04 September 2012 @ 03:50 pm

Between wanting to avoid the drying out that tampons cause, wanting to eliminate potentially harmful chemicals from my body, and the rave reviews I've read about cups, I think I'm ready to try.
I'm 27 with no children. My flow is moderate. I do some yoga, basic work outs and pole dance fitness classes, but don't think my PC muscles are really that strong. I'm built realllllly small. Usually getting three fingers inside me is challenging and my cervix is really low at the best of times. There are even some brands of tampons, Kotex and Tampax, I can't use because my vaginal canal is way too short for them to fit comfortably or without part of them sticking out of me! At any given time of the month, I can easily reach my cervix with an index finger without overly reaching. My fingers are maybe 2 1/2" long at best. I have kids' hands, seriously. I'm a lesbian so I don't have traditional intercourse but sexual activity I do have and toys I've used have made it pretty evident that there isn't much room in there. I've never noticed a difference in the height of my cervix during my period, maybe slightly lower and definitely more swollen/pronounced but not much change over all. I'm all around pretty comfy with my lady bits and my periods, not squeamish or anything.
Based on this info, which would be the best cup for me? I'm leaning towards Lunette based on reviews I've read but wanted to get some opinions.
I'm really looking forward to being done with tampon strings and other inconveniences of traditional feminine hygiene so I hope cups work for me!
I'm also curious about recommendations for and experiences you've had emptying cups in public restrooms, what your solutions were for cleaning without walking out of a stall with a bloody cup and hands and having to wash it and return to the stall to reinsert? It just seems cumbersome. But like I said, I really want to be done with tampons!

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kuradi8 on September 4th, 2012 11:12 pm (UTC)

Which Lunette? Large or small? The small is about as squishy as the others its size. The large is one of the stiffer cups. Compare sizes at http://sizecharts.livejournal.com/ And there are also links to "squishy-ness" ratings and side by side photos.

As for public rest rooms, I am one of many who doesn't bother rinsing the cup before reinserting. Just dump it out and put it back in. The few drops that remain don't make any difference. Others might wipe with TP or bring a bottle/cup of water in with them or a damp paper towel.

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serpent_849 on September 5th, 2012 12:35 am (UTC)

this video is very realistic: http://youtu.be/QfHF0p7X4MI?t=2m18s
there's not really such thing as too little room for a cup. the vagina only expands as much as necessary, and the only not very stretchy part is the opening/possible hymen. i'm a virgin and i use wide cups just fine, so given your age i'd not go for a teen-size cup. instead, something relatively wide&short like the small miacup or large (soft?) meluna should be a good choice (see, they are called large and small but they have similar dimensions:)), or perhaps a large juju but it might be more difficult to get.
good luck!

edit: oh and a large cuplee could work too.

Edited at 2012-09-05 12:37 am (UTC)

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charletnarouh on September 5th, 2012 01:19 am (UTC)

Yeah, i'm not really worried about size except for depth/length since even long tampons are too long to wear comfortably. Width/circumference isn't my concern. I was considering the smaller lunette.

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m03m on September 5th, 2012 07:37 am (UTC)

Cups can do something that tampons can't: they can sit around a (low) cervix, so that you don't need a cup's length of distance between the cervix and the vaginal entrance.

My large Fleurcup is definitely longer than the distance from my cervix to my vaginal entrance. And it's perfectly comfortable.

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juliiie87 on September 5th, 2012 11:37 am (UTC)

In my opinion, Cuplee and Miacup ae great for mid- to long vaginas. I wear a large Cuplee most of the time and I'd say my cervix sits at 55 mm (about 2 inches) distance from my opening. The cup sits around my cervix, and nothing pokes out, but I had to cut half of the stem off (no biggie there) and sometimes I still feel like it's slightly too long (I can feel the end of the stem). It seems like slightly shorter cups such as medium Meluna would work just as well with my body, if not better. Not to get too geeky, but I'd suggest you'd try to estimate roughly just how low your cervix sits on your period, using your finger as a ruler, so you could narrow it down further.

All in all, most cups will indeed fit most people, and I'm sure you'd be very happy with either a small Lunette or a large Fleurcup, given its shape is known to fit low-cerviced folks. And if I were to pick one for you, I'd say having extra capacity never hurts. Like Serpent said, just avoid the teeny small meluna and small Ladycup, as there are better alternatives. Have a look there, and pick what appeals to you in this size range : http://sizecharts.livejournal.com/

Edited at 2012-09-05 11:39 am (UTC)

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serpent_849 on September 5th, 2012 12:43 pm (UTC)

i didn't mean only the small meluna and ladycup... there used to be the guideline at the sizecharts that 40-41 mm wide is teen size (and obv the small meluna's 38 mm too!), 43-44 is "small" and 45-47 is "large". at 27, you don't necessarily need the "large" but "small" is a safer option than teen size.

i'm fairly sure i could wear the cups i mentioned inside out (i can wear a large ladycup this way), and if i can, my cervix being RIGHT THERE, 1cm in, the OP will also be able to. i can't imagine how any tampon would work for me (though this comm also made me curious about them! i kinda feel like trying (not that i'd ever switch away from cups!!!) but i think it would be a waste of time and, well, tampons :D)), and my best case scenario would be something like this... http://amici-di-pallone.tumblr.com/post/9101798664/4-6-6-3-review-rant-playtex-sport-fuck-you-everyone#notes

@OP, as for reviews - there are NO bad cups. the lunette is just quite popular, because it's been around longer than most other short&soft cups and it has a higher capacity than the ladycup which is the only soft coloured cup that has been around just as long. don't base your choice on reviews, base your choice on the specific features of cups.

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juliiie87 on September 5th, 2012 04:20 pm (UTC)

Hum, I see your point, I'm sure 43-44 mm cups would fit OP just fine, it's the length of the Cuplee/Miacup/large Meluna I was slightly concerned about. Although they are technically the same length as a large Fleurcup/Ladycup/Lunette, only narrower.

For the record, I was mainly a Tampax user before, and although I could wear them with no leaks (probably thanks to my light flow), I remember getting the feeling I was hitting *something* mid-insertion and subsequently angling my applicator to one side, so tampons would most likely end up in a diagonal next to my cervix, somewhat like cups do, but just on one side rather than encircling it. I didn't realise that then, I just thought my vagina was curved. Yet another reason to favour cups ! :D

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serpent_849 on September 5th, 2012 04:26 pm (UTC)

i know but as I said, if I'm able to wear a large ladycup inside out then I don't see how they could be too long for the OP. of course it depends on whether you want to keep at least a bit of the stem, due to having an iud or for other reasons... i can't even imagine not cutting off the stem hehe.

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juliiie87 on September 5th, 2012 04:29 pm (UTC)

Good point. I'm just being cautious since I've read of people having trouble making a large fleurcup fit. I guess the room one has around the cervix may vary.

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serpent_849 on September 5th, 2012 04:36 pm (UTC)

really? i've never heard of that. for me the main problem would be that this particular cup doesn't get any shorter inside out.

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