My diva doesn't catch!

[Marlet]

Anything. Flies, softballs, blood. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

It's not a placement issue. I can get it in perfectly, it might take me more than one insertion but I can do it. It's not a closed cup issue. I make sure to pop the rim and march in place and every other trick I've read about to make it pop. If it doesn't it gives me a funky cramp so I'm aware if I need to try again. I make sure I wipe after insertion to make sure I haven't worked anything loose (ew! ).

Yet it's not catching ANYTHING. I have had it in all day long and just went to get in the shower to find my underware soaked (thank heavens I had something in place!). I took out my diva and there was nothing on the inside of the cup, though there was plenty on the outside of the cup.

This is not the first time I've had this issue. I have only had a few cycles worth of use (maybe 6-8 months worth) but I've only had a handful of times where it's worked properly. Nothing was done differently so I can't say what it was.

This is really bugging me. It's gross and frustrating. I DO NOT want to use pads. I don't like them (cloth or otherwise) and am getting more and more angry at the fact that I'm needing one as backup. When I was using tampons this wasn't ever an issue (and even after 2 kids and a copper IUD my cycles/flow is the same as when I was a teen). I don't want to go back to tampons but am rethinking that desire. I don't want to buy a new/different cup since I already have this one. the couple times I've gotten it to catch anything it ends up working it's way down and within an hour or so is poking out of my vagina. It's not just the stem, it's the bottom of the cup too.

What is wrong with my dang diva!? Could it be me? My cervix likes to hide in my inner thigh...could my diva and cervix not be lining up enough? I mentioned that once before on a thread and someone said no since it doesn't go near your cervix but that doesn't make sense to me. In order for my diva to be in high enough so as to not be sitting at the entrance of my vagina it IS up by my cervix.

Man, rereading this I'm thinking I should just go back to tampons.

[cornflake girl]

After you have it in it helps to feel around and make sure that you can't feel the opening of your cervix. Sometimes mine appears to be properly in place, except that if I feel around I'll feel the opening of my cervix pointing in some weird direction. Does that make sense?

[Marlet]

It does. I've done that before but that makes the diva slip out of place. Between the diva, the vaginal walls, and my fingers I run of space by the time I get to my cervix. It seriously sits far to the side. I have to pull it over in order to check if it's open when I chart.

[cornflake girl]

Well this can't be a good thing, but I have plenty of space to check.
Seriously though, I only use my index finger. I kind of have long fingers, though.

[Marlet]

Ahh that might be it! I have short fingers. Even when there isn't a diva in there I have to bear down to bring my cervix lower in an effort to help me reach it. I stopped charting cervical position because umm...well...it's always "high" for my short little fingers.

[cristeen]

My first thought would be that you're inserting it too high. It really should be fairly low. Low enough that it is just inside. It takes a little getting used to in that position, especially if you're used to tampons which go much higher. It does tend to work it's way out for me, but I've discovered that if when I go to the bathroom, it feels too low (protruding past the labia), I just put a finger on the bottom of it and push up at the same time I do a few kegels, I can slide it right back into place. It really should be sitting at the introitus, so that it is essentially "sealing" the opening - it's not like a cervical cap or diaphragm that need to be covering the cervix.

[Ola_]

I've read your post a few times now but unfortunately this isn't something I've come across so I don't have any advice to offer. It may be that you need a different cup I guess? Try the menstrual cup support board on livejournal, they seem to know their stuff:
http://community.livejournal.com/menstrual_cups

[Marlet]

Originally Posted by cristeen

My first thought would be that you're inserting it too high. It really should be fairly low. Low enough that it is just inside. It takes a little getting used to in that position, especially if you're used to tampons which go much higher. It does tend to work it's way out for me, but I've discovered that if when I go to the bathroom, it feels too low (protruding past the labia), I just put a finger on the bottom of it and push up at the same time I do a few kegels, I can slide it right back into place. It really should be sitting at the introitus, so that it is essentially "sealing" the opening - it's not like a cervical cap or diaphragm that need to be covering the cervix.

See I've read that more than once. However. Any lower than "high" and more than the stem is protruding. Not only that but it dips down into the skin/muscles/floor right there and cuts into it. I've decided to give up on it. I'm ok with using something else and this is just proving to be either messy or painful for me.

[naturalthinker]

I cut the stem off of mine because it would sit too low and interfere with some scar tissue stuff. But, that doesn't make it hard to get out as i can just grasp the bottom of the cup (which i use fully inserted high like a tampon - can't use it lower b/c of scar).\

i had occasionally experienced leaking from not putting it in right even though by all 'directions' it appeared i did, however i just figured out that sometimes the cervix was to the side of the cup!!! to fix it, i have to push the back of one side of my wall to re-angle the cup and once i figured that out no more leak!!! (yeay!)