No sooner do I do that, than I notice an unexpected result: the Gaia seems to tilt to one side or another more often, it can be hard to find the true bottom to remove it. And one morning (good thing I was wearing backup during the night) it had even completely turned itself sideways! It did not open like usual (this cup I never check), stayed in a C-fold all night and by the morning, was horizontal. Hmmm.
Makes me wonder whether those short stems aren't just for removal, but sort of "anchor" the cup and keep it from turning sideways?