Diva was my first cup. I'm a bit more sensitive than average and it put all kinds of pressure on my bladder. My experience was similar to yours as far as not being able to urinate much with the cup in. Unfortunately, I don't have a solution to offer because I moved on to other cups and threw the Diva away (four years ago). I went narrower (which leaked) before realizing I needed a wider but much softer cup.

Diva was my first cup too. It was a bit too long for me, even with no stem. Turned it inside out, but I kinda wanted a cup where I didn't have to do that all the time...

Shorter, softer cups certainly do help with bladder/urethra pressure. Sure, there's always taking it out, but sometimes you just wanna go to the bathroom real quick and get back to what you were doing, ya know?

Edited at 2013-05-18 10:53 pm (UTC)

Most cups will be shorter than the Diva, what you want to relieve the pressure is a softer cup. Compare them here : http://menstrualcupinfo.wordpress.com/cup-stiffness-comparison-chart/ and here : http://sizecharts.livejournal.com/
(fyi I don't think the small Fleurcup is *that* much softer).

While it may not be that much softer, the firmness on a Fleurcup is mostly found in the body of the cup, and I believe that in a Divacup it's mostly in the rim. So it might very well help to change to a Fleurcup.

Thank you!

I'm a little overwhelmed by all the choices. I think FemmeCup is a good choice? Problem is I'm in the US and they're out of the UK. Will shipping be insane? Is there a better choice?

There are some listings for Femmecup on Ebay or you can go to http://shop.menstrualcup.co/categories/Menstrual-Cups/ which drop ships orders with no shipping charge. I just ordered a Femmecup from them (because I'm curious and cup-addicted), but I have no idea how long it takes to arrive. And there could be one or two still available at http://mc-sales.livejournal.com/.

Femmecup only holds 15mls to the airholes because they are lower down (so it's essentially a softer Mooncup UK) This would be less capacity than your Diva (small: 20mls to the holes, large:25mls.)

It's also a very slick/smooth cup so it might be trickier to remove.

www.femininewear.co.uk sells many cup brands and ships to the US.

My vote would be for a large Fleurcup or a large Si-bell (ignore the 'small' and 'large' labels!) as they are both softer than your Diva (the small Fleurcup not so much), both shorter than your Diva, but the slight extra width will allow the cup to sit around your cervix rather than under it. The rounded bottom shape will increase capacity if you cervix sits in the cup slightly.

The Si-bell is softer than the Fleur and doesn't have pronounced grip rings on the base, which you may or may not want for removal.

The softest cups are Cuplee, Si-bell & Meluna soft. All ship worldwide and can't be found directly in the US (only a few specific brands are approved for retailers in the US). However, UK retailers will ship them internationally for a fair price :

http://www.femininewear.co.uk/menstrual-cups-2-c.asp
http://luxurymoon.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=58&zenid=9u39cp5kg5d343rh1o6j13ot74

It's the business they're in, so they're totally reliable (lots of people here can vouch for them) and offer personalized cutstomer service should you feel the need to ask them a question, etc.

I honestly don't feel comfortable buying a menstrual cup off ebay. Logically, I know there isn't an issue, but it just wigs me out.

Amazon had the LadyCup. The stiffness comparison says the rim is thicker. Has that been an issue for anyone here?

again the Large Ladycup (because smaller sizes won't do anything to help your cervix issue) has pretty low airholes so only holds 20, 22mls. It's also very slick, many say it's very tricky to remove because it becomes slippery but YVMV. I remember other posts about the rim being where the stiffness is concentrated: a thumbs down seeing as the rim stiffness plays a key part in whether you can feel the cup/pressing against bladder etc.

I would choose a cup based on what you need rather than what you can buy from Amazon etc (any shipping discount you get will be outweighed by paying top retail price for the actual cup) Femininewear.co.uk stocks most brands and ships to the US.

I had a LadyCup (*had* since I traded it away). The rim was just too firm for my bladder issues (similar to you). I had a Diva many years ago, so I can't remember, but I think the LadyCup's rim is close to the stiffness of the Diva, IIRC. Probably why the same bladder hesitation with it.

Don't hesitate to get the very softest cup you think will fit you. I do think that a Large Fleurcup may be a good fit for you. I love mine (2 cycles with it so far). I find it very easy to open (despite it being very soft--heck, I'd say a "1-2" in firmness rating). And absolutely no bladder issues, YAY!

As far as where to buy, Fleurcup is only available directly from their website (which was absolutely easy to order from). If you want to look at other brands, menstrualcup.co has a shop with practically every brand (except Fleurcup) available to ship to US.

I have a small LadyCup that I am very happy with. The top 1/3 is definitely quite firm, though -- it makes it easy to pop open but might not be good for your bladder issues. Weirdly enough, the small Lunette, which is uniformly firm throughout (softer than the LadyCup rim but firmer than the LadyCup body) feels more obvious when I have it in. The Diva is pretty uniformly firm like the Lunette.

Again, thank you all so much!

I can get 2 FleurCups (1 small, 1 large) for $33USD including shipping. And they're in purple, my favorite color! No pouch, but they're easy to come by.

Should I go for it? Seems like a good deal to me but I'd like another opinion.

I did. I already have one Large Fleurcup, but I couldn't pass up the 2 pack sale to get some backups, and try out the small (the large is a wee bit too big for me, even though it works pretty well). I don't know how long their sales last, but I didn't want to hesitate and lose out.

Even the worst case would be that one of the sizes doesn't work for you. You can always easily sell that one on mc_sales. Fleurcups are probably one of the most in demand cups on the sales board.

Have you thought about the Miacup? It is very soft but has great capacity same as DivaCup and does not press on the bladder at all. I find it easy to pop open as well. Check it out here http://shop.menstrualcup.co/brands/Miacup/?afcode=cuplife

I've decided on the Fleurcup. It's been ordered and should be here in time for my next cycle.

Thank you all so much for your help. I would have been completely lost without you!