Another Diva Cup question

[chantald]

I have a Diva cup question and didn't want to highjack the other post with it.

This is my second cycle using the Diva cup. I was rather intimindated but it was super easy to use. I had no problems with it last cycle.

This cycle is different..I am having problems getting it to open up properly. I spin it, twirl it, run a finger around it.. sometimes it just won't open up all the way around.. one side seems flat.
I'm having leaking issues too. I take it out, thinking it's full and there is hardly anything there.. so it must not be opening right.

I switched to the Lunette cup, as that is stiffer and opens easier for me.. but it seems to hold less and overflows even when it isn't all the way full..

I have heavy cycles..and the diva cup really made life bareable last month.. I'm really upset that it isn't working as well this month.

Any suggestions??

[spughy]

It's weird, my diva cup seems to go through phases of not wanting to open properly. But I find if I do *something* different - take it out and reinsert it, or run it under cold or hot water, sit differently while inserting it... something changes, and then it's ok.

You might also be trying to insert it too far in. I found after I got comfortable with it I would just try to mash it waaaaay up in there, but it doesn't work so well if it's further in - the stem should (at least in me) be pretty much at the opening of the vagina.

[kvan]

I would call the company and return it if it has developed a "flat side" that quickly. Since you probably aren't "flat" anywhere inside there, you will always have leakage if your cup is just warped from a manufacturing defect

I have had a few years of cup experience, Mooncup and Keeper, but not Diva. How far it should go in to rest, and which way it should tip, etc. I believe is very dependent on your internal shape...and therefore you may just need to experiment over the next few cycles. For me, I need to insert, and tip the cup forward, so the "tail" aims toward and almost touches the back wall of my body. I have cut off the tail of both cups. If inserted correctly for me, that tail would be outside my body...not comfy! You don't need it for removal anyway.

Wear cloth pantiliners as backup. I always do anyway, in case I have a sneezing fit or a laughing fit or something

[Ola_]

Have you tried the different folds for inserting it? I think the livejournal menstrual cup community has a photo guide to them (found a link for you). I tried a few and found the "punch down" fold opened way easier for me than the "c" or the "7" fold.

What I usually do is insert the cup part of the way in folded, then just hold the bottom and push it all the way in unfolded. This seems to position it the best for me, but of course that varies for everyone. I've also found that doing a couple of kegels before releasing the bottom of the cup gets it "sucked" up where it should be most of the time. And I often do a little wiggle dance (just moving my hips around and forward) to make sure it has popped all the way open - sometimes I feel it pop when I do this.

Ok, this is kinda TMI, but make sure you don't need to pee or have a bowel movement before you insert the cup. Things are in very close proximity in that area and I was surprised how much that can affect things.

[chantald]

I think it was more user error than defective cup. I was trying to get it rather high. Seems to work fine if I go lower, as Spughy suggested.

I've only tried the 7 fold.. I was thinking I needed to explore the punch down one. I did find that I preferred the Diva cup to the Lunette, although the lunette is stiffer and opened easier.. but it seemed to leak more

[naturalthinker]

i find i have to push my muscles toward the back and down to get the cup to sit below the cervix otherwise the cup just sits to the side catching only some of the flow. It took me a while to figure that out. I don't know if it is stress or BM related, but sometimes the muscles are stiff and just need a gentle nudging downward with my fingertip. I do this with the cup inserted and open.

I didn't know about the different cup folds - need to try that out!