How to Period Cup

October 26, 2022 2:44 PM

PEOPLE WITH PERIODS: I've been using my period cup for a few months, not fully to my satisfaction. What am I doing wrong?

I have been trying to reduce my trash/plastic use, and that applies to period products as well after using tampons for the last 27 years. After much research, I've been using Flex Cup since last spring with varying levels of success. I chose this brand/style bc it's black and has the ring to pull it out.

There is always a fair amount of spillage, enough that I feel I need secondary protection (liner/pad or whatever) and that is not something I want to deal with.

Info:

-I have used every method of insertion (C fold, 7 fold, punchdown, generally shoving it up there) but it always feels like it has a good seal and is fully popped open (I run my finger around the edge to check).

-I have tried pushing it really deep behind my pubic bone and trying to keep it lower down.

-I have tried angling it forward or backward.

-My periods are generally regular and normal.

-I have not ever been pregnant or given birth. My vagina by all accounts is also within the range of 'normal' or whatever.

-This is happening when both I'm sedentary and active.

And yet, on heavier days I tend to have spillage even after a few hours even though when I pop it out to empty it's not 'overflowing' or anywhere even close.

Is it like, shifting around? Am I doing something wrong?

The only thing of note is apparently I have a tilted uterus, but no idea what that actually means and if that has any impact on this issue. I have tried 'tilting' the cup various different ways but there's only so much room in there to maneuver.

I'm not looking for period panties or other protection recommendations, though I am open to other cup recommendations if this particular brand has posed a similar problem for you and you found another cup to be better.

Thanks period peeps.

posted by greta simone to Health & Fitness (29 answers total)

I've not used this particular cup, but two others (the original and now defunct Keeper, and Diva cup). It took me 3-6 months before I "got it" to work. It was sorta like riding a bike - it didn't seem like I was doing anything different, but all of a sudden it worked.

Perhaps you're already doing this, but once I know it has opened and seems properly in there, I give it a slight twist and pull down on it (but not full force) - that seems to cement the seal.

That said, I still sometimes get spillage, especially if I have to pee (a problem especially overnight) as I find that the pressure of a full bladder can make things shift.
posted by coffeecat at 2:54 PM on October 26, 2022 [5 favorites]

Hm I can't see anything you're doing obviously wrong, but if you're really stumped, it might just be worth trying a different size/style/shape of cup to see if that makes a difference. Obviously can be a bit of an investment but might make the difference. I have the large one of these kind of horn-shaped ones and like it - takes a bit of practice to get the right grip to get it out, but it works well.

One of the reviews on that amazon link suggests doing the quiz on the Put a Cup in It website and from a quick look at it, I see that it has an option to say you've been told you have a tilted uterus, so might be worth doing and seeing what they suggest. It also has a section where you can explain the issues you're having with your current cup.

I would add that I do always use them with a liner because at some point it's going to leak (even if just when it's full), always did that with tampons too, so I'm not sure how what the answer is if you want to totally never use liners as I've never achieved (or expected to achieve) that!
posted by penguin pie at 2:58 PM on October 26, 2022 [4 favorites]

Size up, the larger sizes are not only recommended for women who have given birth but also for women over 30 or so? Anyway, it would be within the realm of normal variation for some younger, child free women to need to use the larger size. I’ve only ever had leaks due to overflow or poor insertion. Nothing sticks out in your description so size would be next on my list.
posted by koahiatamadl at 3:07 PM on October 26, 2022 [7 favorites]

Sadly, I've had better luck with the Flex disposable discs--something about the hard plastic seal really keeps the gunk from going everywhere. They're not as great for the environment, but they do last longer than tampons.
posted by kingdead at 3:09 PM on October 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

Do you feel a vacuum release when you remove it? When I have a good seal, it is comfortable and unnoticeable to wear and upon removal there's a perceptible vacuum release that I cannot describe without getting even more TMI. Maybe that's just me. But I did have to try a couple models after I had a baby and everything inside got rearranged. With the one I have it does not leak, as described, but I wear period undies anyways because I'm fussy. Anyways I don't know if this helps but it's my anecdata and what I think is that you should try another brand. If you're comfortable running your finger around the edge I don't see why the ring should be a deciding factor.
posted by epanalepsis at 3:36 PM on October 26, 2022 [3 favorites]

Maybe the pull-ring is causing the cup to sit too high. I’m honestly surprised a design exists with so much going on at the base of the cup. Seems uncomfortable. If all of that is inside, the top of the cup might be flopping around instead of forming a good seal.
posted by Comet Bug at 3:40 PM on October 26, 2022 [6 favorites]

I agree with comet bug. That ring would be too long for me...when I have a good seal, the tip of my diva cup is not very deep.
posted by stray at 3:51 PM on October 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

Some cups are just better/worse shapes for individuals. I would try a different cup. I had the most luck with a Diva cup, and learned the hard way that bigger doesn’t necessarily mean a better seal. It can also mean it getting “wrinkly” around the lip and not forming a good seal. The trick is finding one sized for you. And then once it’s in, don’t check for a seal with your finger, check by tugging to make sure you feel a gentle suction feeling.
posted by Bottlecap at 4:31 PM on October 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

In addition to the disposable Flex discs mentioned above, there are (as of the past few years) a lot of new reusable discs popping up. For some people a disc is a better fit than a cup.

Since you chose the cup you did for its removal ring: the new Hello disc is (AFAIK) the only disc that has a removal ring. Lumma discs have a long handle to pull them out by although IMO Lumma discs have a sort of cheaper feel to them even though they're silicone (as are the Hello discs.)
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:55 PM on October 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

I use a divacup and I have the same problem as you sometimes. It's only alleviated when after insertion, I can comfortably spin the cup with my fingers. Otherwise there's a ton of spillage and I may as well not use the cup at all.

To quote the DivaCup website:

Rotate: Once the DivaCup is in your vagina, grip the base of the cup (not the stem), and turn the cup one complete rotation - 360 degrees. This will create a seal.
posted by limbicdigest at 5:22 PM on October 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

Came in to highlight the necessity of rotating it around after insertion.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 5:25 PM on October 26, 2022

When I had issues with the cup, it turned out I had a large fibroid, so it's worth ruling that out. However, rotating the cup and sizing up helped with leaks.
posted by mkdirusername at 5:28 PM on October 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

That ring really does seem like a design flaw, or at least a fit risk. And it's hard to tell since it's black but to me it looks like it runs on the stiffer end of the spectrum, which I could never get to fit right and had a terrible time folding for insertion. (The original Diva was too stiff for me, as was another fairly popular cup.)

The cup I used for the final few years of needing it was a SckoonCup, which I chose at the time because it was rated pretty far over on the "soft" end of the spectrum. It just sat a lot more comfortably and made a better seal - so much that I wouldn't leak even when the situation got alarming up in there and removal was something of a horror film, but not so much that I routinely struggled to get the seal broken and get it out (which had been a real challenge with previous cups).
posted by Lyn Never at 5:35 PM on October 26, 2022

I do use this specific cup and don't have this problem so I disagree that it's something fundamental about the cup design—a mismatch between person and cup seems more likely. I do do the twist and pull maneuver that coffeecat mentions and I am using the larger size despite not having given birth. I suspect switching to the larger size might solve your problems.
posted by babelfish at 5:54 PM on October 26, 2022

Can you feel your cervix? If your cervix is to one side or the other you may need to tilt the cup before you open it. If you are having a lot of leaking down one side of the cup in particular then that is a sign. Also if a cup is too long for you it can bypass the cervix and end up suctioned to the fornix. It was really hard for me to wrap my head around the 3 dimensional reality of the vagina based solely on 2d diagrams.

I tried a cup for a few months and my impression is there are a ton of variables and there is usually a learning curve and trial and error.
posted by muddgirl at 5:55 PM on October 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

When I had issues with the cup, it turned out I had ... a cervical cyst.
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:11 PM on October 26, 2022

I'm a longtime cup user, and whenever I've had leakage problems it's been because of the positioning of my cervix relative to the cup. I don't know if this is how other people envision it, but my cervix basically has to be "inside" the cup. It's hard to describe in words, but these two websites have images that basically diagram what I mean: https://www.juju.com.au/blogs/juju-products/5-menstrual-cup-positioning-tips-to-prevent-leaks and https://www.menstrualcupsaustraliaonline.com.au/how-to-use-a-menstrual-cup/
posted by kjnet at 6:26 PM on October 26, 2022 [1 favorite]

You might want to try some different cups. I've tried a few, and for me the best one is a Sckoon Cup. I was using the Diva Cup before having a baby, but neither size worked for me post-baby. Some are just a touch too big or small or wide or something, so some experimentation is necessary.
posted by pised at 6:30 PM on October 26, 2022

Agree on trying the larger size.
As a side note, if you (or anyone else on here) wants to try the flex cups I would mail you a brand new pack if you memail me.

I tried them, they didn't work for me, and it took a couple cycles for them to properly cancel my subscription (at the time i think you could only order them as a subscription?
posted by wowenthusiast at 7:57 PM on October 26, 2022

This cup has a hole in the bottom of it

I would try using a cup that does not have a hole in the bottom of it
posted by phunniemee at 8:41 PM on October 26, 2022

I successfully used a diva cup through my 30s and almost the minute I hit 40, I started experiencing the issues that you are discussing. It must’ve been a size thing, but I just switch to period underwear. So I would try a different size or a different cup.
posted by joycehealy at 3:54 AM on October 27, 2022

This specific cup's vaunted killer feature (a pull-tab which breaks the seal so you can pull the cup out "like a tampon") really sounds to me like an anti-feature which is likely to break the seal when you don't want it to be broken. The tab could be pressing against the wall of your vagina in just the wrong way at the wrong time. So I would try a different brand of cup; a normal one which doesn't try to be clever and requires you to break the seal manually.

I know that the slightly different shapes, stiffnesses, etc., of different cups make a big difference to some people, so that's another good reason to try a different one. But while all the positioning advice given here is really useful, you may be inserting it flawlessly, and it may be losing its seal later because of the design flaw.

FWIW I have used two different cups, both pretty generic, and they both worked well for me; even during a period (ha ha) of heavy flow when I was trying out different BC variations (currently my flow is too light for me to need the cup). But there is definitely a knack to getting the insertion right, and even after years of experience I would sometimes think I got it when in fact I had not. On one memorable occasion I completely missed the cervix, and suctioned it onto my vaginal wall -- hilarious in retrospect, but alarming at the time.

My main positioning tips I think have mostly been mentioned already: make sure your cervix is fully on the inside; make sure it's up high enough; make sure you can spin it around easily, otherwise it's not pressurized correctly. It should be stiff. If you try to pull on the stem without breaking the seal (on a normal cup, not this specific model) you should feel suction, and it should not want to come out until the seal is broken. Depending on the shape of your body, you may find the stem mostly useless, and want to trim it off so it doesn't poke you -- but I personally found that if the stem was poking me it meant the cup was sitting too low, and when it was in the right place I didn't feel it at all.

I also suggest trying different body positions. I have to be sitting; squatting puts everything at the wrong angle and/or clenches the wrong muscles.
posted by confluency at 4:00 AM on October 27, 2022

I'm no longer a period-haver (*happy dance*) but when I used to use a Diva cup, the following things could cause leaks:

(1) Not clearing debris out of the little holes below the ring before reinsertion. I have no idea what the mechanism there was, but it was consistent;

(2) Not giving it a couple of turns after insertion. I would actually count to six while twisting it, to make absolutely certain it had the freedom of movement it needed.

(3) -GROSS-OUT WARNING-:. Passing really big, solid chunks. If I felt one of those things coming through my cervix, I always had to make for the bathroom right away. Even if a chunk (plus any pre-existing contents) didn't exceed the volume of the cup, it would always manage to somehow swamp the thing if not dealt with immediately. (I guess I was lucky in being able to feel them?)

Best of luck!
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 4:44 AM on October 27, 2022 [2 favorites]

I am nearing the end of period-having, and I have been using a cup for about eight years maybe? It took me at least three months to get it "right" and for no discernible reason. I do use backup period underwear but that's because my flow is unpredictable at best these days.

I have to echo the idea of trying a different type of cup, it just seems like it's a bad fit. Also, the debris issue that palmcorder_yajna mentioned is real - it's not a true vacuum seal, otherwise blood etc would not be collected and just...I don't know, hang out there and leak? The little holes allow air to be pushed out of the cup and liquid to enter it, which is why they're right at the top, so fluid doesn't leak out of the holes until the cup is right about full....and THAT is how I know I'm gonna overflow, lol.
posted by wellred at 6:21 AM on October 27, 2022

My periods were too heavy for cups. I have endometriosis ultimately it wasn't until I was on an hormonal IUD that my symptoms were manageable. I got a lot of push back when discussing using cups about how it must be form or cup size but I could go through a heavy tampon in less than an hour, and cups just are not built for that .

I tried and regretted it seriously when a full cup dumped on me in public and I nearly left a murder scene in a bathroom.
posted by AlexiaSky at 6:23 AM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]

I started with Flex cup and stopped because I think it has design flaws. The material is too stiff and leaks can occur because of the gap around the ring pull.

I switched to Lena cup which worked better - more flexible. Unfortunately not using one at the moment due to endo and heavy flow.
posted by tiny frying pan at 8:42 AM on October 27, 2022

My best suggestion is to try discs and see if they work any better for you.

Cups just did not cooperate well with me, but discs are magic.
posted by stormyteal at 10:18 AM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]

One of the reasons why I stopped using my cup was because the seal on it was TOO good, so much so that I had to yank it really fucking hard and/or squeeze the cup in order to pull it out, which often caused (at that point, and never before) the blood to spill everywhere. In over two years of use I never figured out a way to guarantee it would not spill during this struggle to yank it out.

My point is, that's how good a "good" seal is. It sounds to me as if the shape of this particular cup is not fitting the contours of your body very well. When you have a good seal, a menstrual cup will not only not leak but might indeed be very difficult to unstick from your insides. (As for me, I'm sure there is a menstrual cup out there which adheres to the contours of my cervix slightly less well, but I am unmotivated to try to find it. But go you!)
posted by MiraK at 12:54 PM on October 27, 2022

Nthing that the size and/or shape of that particular product just might not be a good fit for your body. I was a cup user for ~20 years (first Diva Cup, then Moon Cup) and always had to wear a backup pad for the first couple days of each period because I would leak no matter what I tried. Recently, I switched to a Cora disc and have not had a single leak since.
posted by purplemonkie at 1:07 PM on October 28, 2022