Not sure if I need a shorter or longer cup...

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06 February 2015 @ 08:20 am

Hi everyone,

My first cup was the Diva 1, and it took me a while to get used to inserting/removing (I don't think I ever really got used to it lol) but the problem was that it was difficult to pop open, and hard to remove because of length - I could easily reach the base, but it took a long time for the seal to break despite enlarging the holes). It would leak, even though it wasn't full. Sometimes I had trouble inserting it. I thought these issues might be due to it being too long and I couldn't get it to pop open causing leakage.

So I got the Lunette small cup, which is way shorter than the Diva and easier to pop open and remove (no troubles reaching the base - even though I trimmed the stem, it's not so short that it rides up so it's unreachable. And the seal breaks way quicker than with the Diva). But now I experience leaking after only a few hours - it fills up rather quickly. Not sure if my flow just got heavier all of a sudden or my cervix is taking up too much room. It leaked a bunch overnight and when I was doing some exercises and movements (e.g. lunges) I felt kind of bubbly/leaky. Some of this might be residual slobber, but not all!

When I remove the Lunette after it's been leaking, I find that it's filled to the 'line' under the Made in Finland text (not the rim), but that a glob of blood kind of comes out beside/around the cup along with it so that makes me think my cervix is filling up too much of the cup.

I'm not sure if this means that I need a shorter or longer cup compared to the Lunette so that my cervix won't take up too much volume so I'll stop leaking?? So that I can wear it more comfortably during the day? With the Diva I would wear it for 12 hours with less leakage.

One more question, when I feel/hear the cup pop open it actually feels flat like it's been deflated initially inside me. Is this normal? I use the punch-down fold if that makes any difference. It's the only way I can get it inside because it's the smallest. I also feel kind of bubbly initially, like I can feel the flow at times and never know if I'm actually leaking for sure, until I check in the bathroom. Does this have to do with the suction/seal not forming correctly?

Any advice would be appreciated, you are all so helpful!

Tags: lunette

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dhrachth on February 6th, 2015 03:56 pm (UTC)

If its your cervix taking up room, you may want to consider a wider cup. There are cups about the same length as the Lunette that hold a little more.

Also, I'm not sure about the relative firmness of the Lunette/Diva, but if one is much firmer than the other it may be a texture of the silicone issue rather than a size/shape issue causing your insertion & removal problems with the Diva.

I'd also advise not getting stuck on the model 1 vs model 2 manufacturer guidelines. Just look at the size chart and pick based on the number of mm you think will be comfortable. My L-Sckoon is only very slightly bigger than my S-Lunette.

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ohelloflo on February 6th, 2015 07:50 pm (UTC)

The lunette and diva are pretty similar in firmness, with the diva being maybe slightly firmer.

Is a cup likely to pop open more easily if it is soft or firm?

Thanks!

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dhrachth on February 6th, 2015 11:45 pm (UTC)

Firmer cups tend to pop open more easily, but it can vary based on cup design and what fold you use. I've handled cups with a firm rim and softer bottom that are harder to open than ones that are middle softness all the way through (and the different suction holes may have been a factor too).

Really, you just have to do some messy self inspection with the cup in to figure out if the cup isn't opening/overflowing because its bumping into your cervix, the muscles are squeezing it too tight, it's just staying folded up, or what.

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ohelloflo on February 7th, 2015 04:30 am (UTC)

hmmm. I wonder if it's my muscles squeezing it too tight, because i do feel it a bit when i'm exercising or moving, the lunette more so than the diva. And as soon as it pops open once i've inserted it, it feels flat, not round at the base, but I don't know if that's just because it's empty? Is that normal? If it is the case that the muscles are squeezing it too tight would you recommend a firmer cup?
Thanks!

Edited at 2015-02-07 04:31 am (UTC)

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dhrachth on February 7th, 2015 04:47 am (UTC)

If it's being squished a firmer cup might be just the ticket. (Flatness could also be too much suction not letting in enough air for it to properly open.) When properly inserted mine are always round.

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serpent_849 on February 6th, 2015 04:47 pm (UTC)

it's also about the shape. a more rounded cup like a fleurcup or meluna should help. also, the higher the total capacity, the more of it you'll be able to use.
my cervix is so low that i can fill any cup only by 1/3 or maybe 2/3 at most. the small lunette is actually the one with which i achieve the highest capacity, but it's uncomfortable for me and i only use it if my flow suddenly gets heavy. and filling to the "made in finland" line is quite a lot tbh.
but i only use the shorty and mini melunas, and something the fleurcup or XL meluna would be too long for me.

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ohelloflo on February 6th, 2015 07:52 pm (UTC)

Thanks for your reply!
What is it about the lunette that you find uncomfortable? I've only tried this and the diva - can't spend much more on cups so I'm really hoping I can make this one work for me.

How often do you have to change the cup on your heaviest days?

I also thought it was a lot of blood, filled up to the Made in Finland line 3x in about 24 hours!

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serpent_849 on February 7th, 2015 07:30 pm (UTC)

it sticks out :( well any cup does at least sometimes, but somehow the small lunette is a poor fit for my really low cervix. which is a shame because i love everything finnish :P
i have hormonal issues so i probably have many cycles without ovulation, and i may also have spotting for weeks sometimes :( but in these cases i can even go 14h without emptying the cup on my heaviest day. but my previous cycle... omg, in the second half i felt so creative and hyper etc that i'm absolutely sure i ovulated (had the more usual signs too), and if i got pregnant i'd probably have twins or triplets lol. i was absolutely dreading my period, but it wasn't painful at all, just very heavy. and my cervix was even lower than usual i think, so sometimes i would reinsert after every bathroom visit just because the cup was uncomfortable. i also MANY times had to rush to the toilet with a hand in my underpants to prevent spilling blood all around (fortunately i live only with my parents). thanks to the same "technique" i also didn't make too much of a mess after 5-6 hours of sleep. but when i was awake, emptying every 3-4h was much better.

but i definitely second the comment below, if your cup is flat you need to get some air in. see this post about popping open http://menstrual-cups.livejournal.com/2618390.html
also, how old are you? i once gave mum my small lunette to try and it was flat inside her and leaked. we figured she needed a wider cup and indeed she's now a happy cup user :) but if you're below 30 this shouldn't be a problem.

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ohelloflo on February 7th, 2015 10:30 pm (UTC)

interesting! i thought my cervix was low due to cup leaking when not full, (not sure i can feel it with my finger, so i don't know for sure) but the diva cup, which is really long, didn't stick out and neither does the lunette after i trimmed the stem!

i'm under 30 btw, and today i tried the 7-fold rather than the punch down and i think i got it to be round rather than flat when it popped open! yay, thanks to all the advice from everyone here. still not sure if this is enough to solve the leaking problem because today my flow was pretty light and most of it usually ends up in the cup anyway, even when my cervix takes up a lot of room or when it's an issue of bad insertion. So I'm excited to try the seven fold on a heavier day next cycle to see if this round rather than flat insertion helps with leaking! or if it's just an issue of cervix occupying too much space, and maybe i do need a wider cup!

Edited at 2015-02-07 10:32 pm (UTC)

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serpent_849 on February 9th, 2015 03:56 pm (UTC)

well your cervix may be dangly rather than low :) http://menstrual-cups.livejournal.com/3317047.html
ohhh the punchdown never worked for me AT ALL. i think it's well-known because previously all cups used to be quite firm/stiff.

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yayforcups on February 6th, 2015 05:11 pm (UTC)

I vote Luv Ur Body small. Its 42mm rim a fraction bigger than lunette and 65mm length which includes stem. It has a capacity of 28ml on the charts which i think is due to the rounded base and the "swell" or tiny bulge under the rim which is very effective at adding capacity when the cervix fills a bit. Sounds like a good fit :)

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xquizite_insom on February 6th, 2015 11:23 pm (UTC)

The cup manufacturers say you only have to empty them every 12 hours. I find that is only true for light to moderate days. If you had to empty 3x in 24 hours, it really is not that bad.

If you can only get the cup 2/3 or 3/4 full before leaking, your cervix may be sitting in it, reducing capacity. I would go for a larger cup with a rounded base.

If you feel that the cup after opening is somewhat initially deflated inside you, have you tried using some water based lubricant for insertion? I find that applying some carefully to just the rim makes a huge difference in helping the cup go in and pop open very easily.

If you decide to purchase a new cup, some economical alternatives are possibly the large fleurcup and Large Yuuki economic.

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ohelloflo on February 7th, 2015 04:28 am (UTC)

I guess 3x a day isn't bad, but I haven't mastered the art of removing/inserting in a public washroom yet (i.e. at work) so that makes me nervous - i'm working on it!

But the other issue is that it's leaking when it's not nearly full and so I think i'm not putting it in properly. I haven't tried water-based lubricant, only water. The lunette cup opens, but it feels "flat" inside me as soon as it opens, like its' deflated - do you know if that's normal? maybe that's why it leaks?

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kathlyne on February 7th, 2015 05:43 pm (UTC)

If the cup is flat, maybe you need to get some air into it by pushing the side of your vag away from the cup, which can allow the cup to inflate. Also, see if you can sweep/stir around the cup and feel your cervix. If you can, then the cup is sitting next to it, rather than around it and you need to readjust/reinsert. I find the large Fleur best for my dangly cervix and I don't have many problems with it popping open.

Practice makes perfect for removing/inserting in a bathroom stall. I had to do it in the airplane lavatory yesterday and managed it. Definitely not my favorite place to do it, but it had to be done. And if you have a onsie bathroom (stall and sink in one private room) at work, that's ideal.

Best of luck.

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ohelloflo on February 7th, 2015 10:36 pm (UTC)

Thanks! I did manage it once at work so far, so I've come a long way.
And I tried the 7-fold rather than punch down for the first time, since I read people have trouble getting it to pop open with the punch down fold, and I think that helped because it oopped open as round rather than flat, which I hope will help with leaking. It's hard to tell since today's a lighter day but I will be able to check next cycle if that solves some of the problem!

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xquizite_insom on February 7th, 2015 04:51 am (UTC)

In the beginning when I went back to menstrual cups, that happened quite a few times. I would insert the cup in a manner that made it completely miss the cervix and because the cup was behind my cervix, it would not open correctly and yes, I had leaks if I ignored it. If my cup was in a funky position where it would only catch half of my flow. The cup might be only 1/4 or 1/3 full but my back up pad would be saturated. Sometimes I would insert the cup and it would only partially open. I'd remove and try different folds but the cup never opened completely. I would remove if it was a large cup and go down to a small cup and it most times it would still remain partially folded. I used one finger to push out against my vaginal walls to give it space to open and that was successful only half of the time. I never thought lubricant would make a difference since I was menstruating. Out of desperation, soreness and with the threat of being late to work, I applied water based lubricant around only the rim and inserted the original large cup I wanted and like magic, it slipped in, opened and glided when I spun the cup 360 degrees.

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