The menstrual cup looks large — too large for comfort in fact. But, trust me, it only looks big. It can be easily and painlessly inserted and removed.
I use the Diva Cup; it is soft and yields with ease. The pictures below are of my Diva cup, which is a size 2. The Diva cup has a diameter of about 4.5cm and is much smaller when folded to insert. Also, the vaginal muscles are really elastic. The diameter of the entry to the vaginal canal has a range of 2.1 to 3.5 cm when relaxed.
The length of my Diva Cup is about 6.5 cm including the stem and the average height of the cervix is around 4.5 cm. Mine is a high cervix, so the length of the cup is just right for me. You can cut off the stem if the cup is too long for you or buy a smaller cup.
To insert the cup
Relax your vaginal muscles.
- Breathe in, breathe out. Stay clam. Do not think about anything else; keep your mind free. You have to relax your muscles if you want the cup to slip in with ease.
- Your cup should be completely dry on the outside when you insert it
- If you need the cup to be lubricated for insertion, apply a water-based lubricant only on the rim of the cup. If you apply it on the sides, it will be hard to grip it and insertion will not get more laborious.
- Sit down on the toilet seat to insert the cup. If that does not work, squat on the floor. If that too does not work, stand, lift one leg on a chair or the bed and insert. I have found it easy to insert while standing up with my leg on the bed.
To remove the cup
Always remember: The cup cannot get lost inside! There is no way that will happen.
- It is quite easy to access the stem of the cup with sitting on the toilet seat. You do not have to grope for it. It is right there.
- If that does not work, squat on the floor to access the cup.
- If the cup has moved up the vaginal canal during the day/night, do not worry. Bear down on it like you would when you do your kegel exercises. It will slide down a little, then you can grip it and pull it out.
- Pulling it out: The cup works on the principle of a vacuum seal. When it is inserted, it opens up and creates a vacuum seal with the walls of the vaginal canal. To pull it out, you will have to punch down on the side of the cup to break that seal and then pull it out.
- Do not pull it out without breaking that seal; it will then hurt a little . Not much, but that’s just not the right way of doing it.
To insert the cup, the cup can be folded in different configurations. The configuration you choose depends on your preference and what works best for you. I have tried a few configurations and settled on the C/U fold. I shifted to the C/U fold from the seven fold because I felt I was not inserting it right, and therefore the cup was not popping open on the inside completely. If the cup does not open up completely, there will be leakage.
All of this does sound scary and impossible. I completely understand that. It is only natural to be scared, because a sanitary napkin is a non-invasive method that many of us have been using for tens of years. The alternative is bound to sound scary.
I did not move to menstrual cups as soon as I heard of them, it took me nearly a year to try one. I read up a lot, watched many videos on using menstrual cups and other reusable menstrual products before I chose to try the Diva Cup.
I truly believe that menstrual cups can change how girls experience their monthy cycle. Try a cup once, be patient with it, and you will not go back to using pads.
Full Disclosure: This is not a paid review