New Cup User

Please forgive me if I get long-winded . . . tends to happen when I'm typing!

Here's my history: 35 years old & married, no children & no pregnancies. I used to use tampons when I was younger, but over the years, they became more & more uncomfortable & very often painful. I could never figure out why. Turns out, whether due to hormones, age or whatever, I somehow ended up with a retroverted (tipped) uterus. Through research I learned that many women with a tipped uterus find tampons difficult & uncomfortable to use. Doctors also suspect I have endrometriosis, but no definite diagnosis there. At any rate, I went to using pads only, which I hated. Felt like I was sitting in a dirty pile of mush. Just gross. Plus, pads never stay in place & I was constantly leaking at night, during work, out with friends . . . even though I was using overnight protection all the time.

Last month, I decided there absolutely MUST be an alternative. I started with the Instead Cup, which I had tried in the past. I followed all the instructions, but it just wouldn't sit right. I'm not sure if it's because of my tipped uterus or what, but it just would not "hook" onto my cervix. As a result, it would slip down & protrude from my vagina. Very uncomfortable & pretty much defeats the purpose. I contacted the company & their only suggestion was to have my gyn/ob fit it for me. No thanks. I did more research & found the DivaCup (at the time, I thought that was the only cup out there). I figured it was worth a try & bought the large. I had no idea there were more such menstrual cups on the market until I started trouble-shooting insertion & removal issues I was having.

So, this is my first cycle with the mentrual cup. I must be doing something right, because although I don't feel or hear it "pop" open, I haven't had any leaks (except minor ones during the night). And it's definitely more comfortable than tampons. For the most part, I don't feel it at all. However, I do feel some kind of pressure, internally that feels similar to cramps . . . pretty sure it's the cup because when I take it out, I don't feel the cramping sensation anymore. So, this has me wondering if I have the right cup for my body. They recommend large if you're over 30, but maybe a smaller width would be more comfortable even if that means I have to empty it more frequently. I really am not sure where to go from here, though I know I won't give up.

By the way, my name is Heather. Not sure how I forgot that! Hello, all you ladies in the cup club! LOL!

Welcome Heather

I have a low cervix and I find that longer cups (Diva is one of the longest), can sometimes give me cramps but it depends on my cycle. Some cycles are worse than others, its like there are cycles within cycles, lol. I think its because a longer cup reaches higher, and the rim can sometimes put pressure on the cervix, making it harder for clots to fit through, so the uterus has to cram harder to push them out?

Right now, I'm using a small Lunette. Its similar to Diva in stiffness and the grip rings, but shorter. I have less cramps with this cup than I did with Diva. I don't know if that would help someone else, just saying it helped me

I guess you could see if a shorter cup would help you. Maybe flip the Divacup inside-out to make it shorter, and see if that stops the cramping. But you should only do that is you are sure you will still be able to reach the cup, because you won't have the grip rings. That's actually how I discovered I needed a shorter cup, so I decided to buy one.

M

Thanks, Melissa! I'll try the small Lunette next month! I'll let you know the results!

Heather