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03 September 2016 @ 10:57 pm
Another second cup question.
Obligatory first time poster long time lurker. You guys helped me so much for the past 9 months and I'm now a very happy menstrual cup user. However I do have a couple of questions. I already read the FAQ and a gazillion post. I'm looking for your opinions so here it goes.
1.- I am considering a second cup. I bought my first cup named "femcup" (the greek one?) and everything has been quite okay. I mean, I had to get through the learing curve and all that, but right now I feel very comfortable using my cup if not for a small detail: It won't open. I mean, it will, yeah, eventually. I am a master at "manually" opening the cup. I push, pull, twist, take out, fold again, get in, push with a finger, rotate, the whole deal. I am ALWAYS able to open the cup, but as you may know or imagine, it gets bothersome. Thing is, the first couple of months of my use of the cup I could actually feel the thing pop open without me having to do a thing. I got it in, let it go and "pop", but for the past 4 months it just doesnt happen. Everytime I empty the cup I have to do the whole deal. And now that I am a master at opening it, I want a second cup. I would guess mine is quite soft, but that is just a guess since the cup is not on the charts and since I am in Mexico I have close to 0 oportunities to compare cups. So, a stiffer cup should be just what I need to make it pop open easily, right? I don't want super duper stiff but a "middle of the road" would be fine. I was considering a MeLuna Classic. You think that's a good "middle ground" one? My cup holds 15 ml to the second mark and still has some room to spare before the holes and I am okay with that capacity, although of course more capacity good be okay too.
2.- The shape of the cup. Mine looks exactly like a Mia cup and I consider it quite pointy. Now, my cups tends to ride tilted to the right side. like this: /, so I had to trim a bit of the steam to make it comfortable. Do you guys think a different shape cup like the Meluna which is more rounded at the bottom would be better? Would that make it tilt less? Or will the cup do the same? I don't mind it, I know how to reach it and take it out, I´m just quite curious.
3.- I don't have leaking per se, but I do always have to wear a pantiliner to catch drops here ad there. Not much, less than a tea spoon would be my guess (throghout the day). So only residual? If I could stop wearing them then it would be awesome, you think a different shape of cup would help? Is it maybe because my cup is too soft? I don't know, I sometimes kinda feel like my cups is floating in a lot of space everywhere, like, it goes past my pelvic bone and there is a lot of space for the cup to tilt and stuff. Maybe that's just me.

Anyway, basically thoghts? opinions? Maybe I need something rounder like a Lena? a Sckoon? I though about the Meluna because its not that expensive and It's got a lot of options on sizes and stiffness, and that it looks a bit rounder, but if you have any thoughts please share.

EDIT: Also, are there any more "middle of the road" on stiffness cups? Cause the chart https://menstrualcupinfo.wordpress.com/cup-stiffness-comparison-chart/ does not have any cups on 5 and only one on 6.

EDIT2: Also, for a while I was drawn to the Lily cup, the classic one, but reviews lead me to thik it is also a VERY soft cup and I will have the same problems opening it, right?
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rebecca2525rebecca2525 on September 4th, 2016 08:34 am (UTC)
I'm not sure that less tilting should necesserily be a goal? The reason it's tilting is probably because your cervix sits on that side, off-centre. Personally, I'm having the opposite problem on some days, when my cervix sits so snugly on one side that I have trouble getting the rim of the cup around it because for me, there isn't that much room to tilt the cup and maneuvre it very far off-centre. (It always tilts a little on its own, though.) Unless your cup tilts so much that it leaks or causes discomfort, I wouldn't worry.
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Alfadarkdirtyalfa on September 5th, 2016 02:24 am (UTC)
Hi! Thanks for taking the time to answer.
Well no, less tilting is not exactly a goal, but it something I was curious about. You see, when I first started using the cup it would till quite a bit, I remember once I reached in to take it out and my finger touched the side of the cup (above the rings) and it took quite a bit of reaching before I could grab the stem. After that I enlarged the holes of the cup per suggestions found here and the cup tilts less and it also doesnt go as deep as it did the first couple of months. So the question would be more on the lines of that, if a diferent shape of the cup plus bigger or more holes would help it not to tilt so much, cause it did before. As I said, it's not a big deal because right now I feel quite comfortable reaching for the cup and also know that it wont get lost ot something. And of course I notice that it doesnt really matter how straight I try to put it in, it will go wherever it wants to go.
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Selmamarsianka_selma on September 4th, 2016 10:55 am (UTC)
I had a Meluna Soft and after a few years I also got a Meluna Classic, exactly because I wanted it to pop more easily. And it does, but I still need to do some twisting sometimes. To my surprise, I don't feel it inside at all, just like the first one.
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Alfadarkdirtyalfa on September 5th, 2016 02:28 am (UTC)
Hi! Thanks for answering. I have a feeling the one I have is VERY soft, and I'm also a tiny bit worried a stiffer one will feel uncomfortable, I know every one of us is different, but I feel more confident with your answer. I don't mind having to twist and pull sometimes, it's just that right now it doest matter which fold I make (have tried them all) or in which position I am in, or the position of the cup it just won't open on its own and I'm getting kinda tired of that, specially when I just want to go to sleep but I know I have to spend the next 5 minutes trying to open the cup for the night when I know for a fact it could be as fast as just pulling it in.
Do you have other cups? Maybe another that opens easy for you?
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Kai: 2Cupskuradi8 on September 4th, 2016 02:30 pm (UTC)
My personal opinion is that you are putting too much importance on stiffness and not enough of physical size.

Judging by its capacity, you have a small Greek Femcup which is a "medium" length at 52mm. Yet the Lily cup you're interested in clocks in at a whopping 77-82. Compare the dimensions of the other cups that interest you. And yes, also compare their shapes.

One set of size charts can be found at http://sizecharts.livejournal.com/ to compare dimensions. If you don't like that one, there are MANY others online. That site also links to a post with answers to common questions that debunks many of the points of misinformation that you've repeated and offers tidbits of advice that might help you get the cup that you have "pop" open more easily.
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Alfadarkdirtyalfa on September 5th, 2016 03:04 am (UTC)
Thanks for your response.
Well no, I wouldn't say that I put much importance to the stiffness and not enough to physical size, but I am more settled and comfortable about choosing on a size than I am on softness/stiffness. I measured my cup cause I had no idea nor had I seen at the moment it's dimentions listed. The cup itself is 5 cm, the stem I left on it its 2 cm and it's 4 cm wide. I am comfortable with it and I'm quite confident a bigger cup will be okay too based on the fact of the "space" I feel. Hard to explain, but anyway, I'm quite sure based on that and my cervix that a bigger cup will be fine. Specially a "chubbier" one and not a longer one.
I'm not interested on the Lily anymore. To be honest I was drawn to the silicon, but it being too soft puts me off and since I know it is big I have a few doubts about it. Specially since there isn't much you can trim of in case it is too big to be comfortable. It also doens't look like you could just turn it over and wear it like that. I also have the "issue" that it tilts so I'm not sure a cup that long would be the best choice. Hence I said "for a WHILE" I was drawn to it. With that edit my intention was to get comments on the cup if someone has tried it.
I'm not interested in smaller cups like the "Meluna shorty" because its way too small and my cervix is high. Same with smaller cups than mine.
I do like that chart, thanks, I was just asking because that one does not list squishines of 5 and only has one on 6, and it seems it hast been updated in a while. I would not expect someone to have every cup out there, so it's okay. I like it and it has been useful to compare the sizes.
I'm not sure what "points of misinformation" I have repeated. I don't actually think I repeated anything more than my experience, but you might have different thoughts. Was it my thoughts on a stiffer cup might pop open easily? Lots of post lead me to believe that is a factor since I'm pretty sure is not my technique since I can actually open it, just not as fast an easy (read all the tips_/tricks and folds, postions and manouvers, my pelvic muscles are on the strong side, nothing I can do about it. It is helpful to take the cup out and to pull it in place once it's open, though), because my cup is way soft maybe? I got the great idea of enlarging the holes of my cup from there and it worked wonders. It doesnt ride as high anymore, but it does not help it to pop open more easily. I migh need to add more holes but I don't have the tools and the cup works well with the enlarged holes.
The question about shapes and tilted cups is because I was looking for experiences of people who may have the same situation (not issue). My cup used to tilt quite a bit before I enlarged the holes. Now it is less but still does and I understand that's how it's supposed to be. Nothing I can do against nature.
And lastly about the drops here and there, I read people had them with some cups and it stoped with their "goldilocks" I was thinking how influential is the cup shape on that, since I know it's on the right place and I always take out a VERY full cup, so my cervix is not using up space of the cup.
Anyway, sorry if all of that was not clear on my OP. If you still see misinformations I would love you to point them to me.
Thank you.

Edited at 2016-09-05 03:10 am (UTC)
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yeb90 on September 4th, 2016 03:54 pm (UTC)
I would say that while size does matter, IME, stiffness definitely does make a difference in how easily a cup pops open. My favorite two of the cups I have tried are the Fleur and the Lena. I would call both of these middle of the road in stiffness but I haven't felt the femcup so I don't know how they compare. Another that is stiffer than either of those (but not like a rock) and which I have never had a problem opening is the Yuuki soft. I don't like the feel of the silicone on the Yuuki as much but it's still a good cup. All three of these are more rounded, bell-shaped cups as that's what works best for my body. They're also on the less expensive side and Lena's customer service is phenomenal.

I wouldn't worry about the cup riding tilted. Mine tilts to the left because my cervix is to the right and it doesn't seem to be an issue. Like rebecca2525 said, it's most likely just due to your anatomy.
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Alfadarkdirtyalfa on September 5th, 2016 02:33 am (UTC)
Hi! Thanks for your answer.
I really do think mine is VERY soft. I've seen a ton of reviews and mine just looks way more squishy than a lot out there.
Thanks for the suggestions. Since I am in Mexico I really don't know which brands will send cups here, so I need as many options as possible.
What was it about the Yuuki silicone you didn't like?
Could you tell me what diference do you notice between more rounded cups and "pointy" ones?
I'm gonna copy paste part of my answer to rebecca:
...Less tilting is not exactly a goal, but it something I was curious about. You see, when I first started using the cup it would till quite a bit, I remember once I reached in to take it out and my finger touched the side of the cup (above the rings) and it took quite a bit of reaching before I could grab the stem. After that I enlarged the holes of the cup per suggestions found here and the cup tilts less and it also doesnt go as deep as it did the first couple of months. So the question would be more on the lines of that, if a diferent shape of the cup plus bigger or more holes would help it not to tilt so much, cause it did before.
Thanks for taking the time to answer me :)
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yeb90 on September 9th, 2016 03:59 am (UTC)
I can't speak to hole size and cup shape in relation to cup tilt. I haven't noticed a difference but it's also not something that's been on my radar.

The Yuuki silicone is shiny and smooth not matte and velevty like the Lena and Fleur. I find the matte silicone makes it easier to insert the cup (it glides more easily, rather than sticking).

As far as cup shape goes, I find it easier to insert and remove more pointy cups but for some reason, the ones I've tried all leaked. The bell shape just seems to work better for my anatomy.

Also, I wanted to address stiffness and comfort. I had a Si-bell and loved it until I became more active, my pelvic floor muscles got stronger, and it started to leak. It's quite soft but as long as I ran it under cold water, I didn't have much trouble getting it to open. So if you want to try a bell-shaped cup and are worried about the possibility of a cup being too stiff, it may be worth a shot. That being said, I was worried that a stiffer cup would be uncomfortable but I personally don't feel the difference when I have a stiffer or softer cup in.

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Alfadarkdirtyalfa on September 20th, 2016 02:02 am (UTC)
Thanks so much for answering again! Yeah, I guess the shape of the cup and the tilt it has is not something a lot of people would notice or think about checking, but, worth a shot at asking :)
My curren cup also is shiny and smooth, and I do feel it kinda "sticking" insted of just gliding.
Thanks for the suggestion about the si-bell, still I don't think I want a soft because I also have a bit of leak and it migh have to do with that too. And I had the teory that running the cup under cold water helped, it's good to know it was not just my imagination! But thank your reasuring me on the stiffer cups not being uncomfortable.
In the end I just ordered a Lena and the new cup is on it's way, hopefully I will get it before my next period.
Thanks for the suggestions and the time you took to answer my questions!
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