[pepper]

part of it sticking out of you?!? oh, ugh, not for me thanks. i cut that stem Right off, it was an enormous pain. and i stick that sucker in as far as it will go, give it a twist for the best position and then run my finger 'round the edge to make sure i have it in exactly the right spot. and i use a panty liner most of the time too 'cause i'm bound to get a spot now and then just from changing it. if it's even half full when i take it out i make sure to change it more frequently, i don't want my cervix soaking in that blood for hours, i want to let it breathe as often as possible. though i have left it in for hours and even overnight without irritation, leaks or and other problems. really though, it's right up there on my cervix or as close as it can get. the mid-tunnel hang around doesn't feel good or work that well for me.
just goes to show, different strokes and all.

[lapis]

If you feel it pop open when it's in you should give it a full twist to try to make a seal and maybe pull it down a bit. Also, it should not be completely inside of you--read the instructions again--there's a certain amount it can sort of hang down and it's very little. Mine leaked the first couple of months and so I did Kegel exercises when I didn't have it in. This helped for me but it sounds like you are having placment issues. You could try the Kegels, too--they might just help.

[LoveMyPugs]

pileapumila -

I literally just started my period minutes ago. I'm giving my diva cup its 5th or 6th try. I usually get frustrated with the damn thing but I’m not giving up. Too many women love it. I’m just diva cup challenged but I know I’ll get the hang of it eventually. I cut half the stem off of mine and it sits in the right spot but sometimes I think it popped open and it didn't and I'll be out and about and then I’ll “blow a gasket” as Mr. Pugs calls it (he’s an auto technician so everything having to do with anything is explained in car terminology). I read somewhere that your vagina is horizontal when you sit on the toilet and I think I always try to insert mine like my vagina is vertical so it doesn’t pop. I just put mine in a few minutes ago and I don’t feel anything (usually I can sort of feel it so I know I’m doing something wrong). I’ll post back about it throughout the week to let you know how it’s going for me. Let me know how it going for you as well. I’m curious to know if it works better for you if you trim the stem. If you flex down enough you should be able to get your fingers around the end of it instead of pulling on the stem.

[pileapumila]

Today was the first day of my second cycle with the Diva Cup. As with my first cycle, I am still getting leakage, and I am hoping someone here can offer advice. It's not a whole lot of leakage, but it's enough to stain underwear if I'm not wearing a liner. There's a considerable amount of blood in the cup when I take it out, but not so much that it should overflow. I can feel the cup pop open when it's halfway inside, then I push it in the rest of the way until the stem is completely inside of me. The seal doesn't feel incredibly tight upon removal, but I think there is at least moderate suction going on. Maybe I am pushing the cup up too high? I have heard that it is supposed to sit rather low. The main reason I push it up to the height it's at is to allow the stem to be completely inside... anybody think I should trim the stem and let the cup sit lower? I'm a little hesitant to do so because I do use the stem to aid in removal, but I was thinking of trying this before giving up on the Diva and maybe purchasing a MoonCup UK. Thanks!

[pepper]

gumby, what about a switch from the keeper to the diva? the keeper can't be sterilized. either way change it more often, don't wear it over night etc.

[stephanie_erin]

yeah, i finally realized my problem was that i didn't let the diva "re- inflate" when i put it in... so when i tried to take it out it was trying to get more air in, but i was pulling out.
basically, ow.
but i fixed it all now, that's to you guys.

[emlikesart]

I just started using my diva cup this cycle...and I absolutely love it. The only problem I've had so far, is that I seem to let in too much air into my vagina, and it kinda makes me feel like I have a bubble in there...

Other than that, no leaks, totally comfortable, and surprisingly not that messy. I was really expecting to it to get gorey when I empty it out, but really, since the cup keeps everything on the inside, it's relatively clean.

Gumby, now you've got me a little worried though, so I will go to the gyno and see what she says. But in the mean time, I'm sticking with the diva, it freaking rocks...and no more trips to Walgreens for tampons, yay!

[LoveMyPugs]

Yeah, I'd definitely not use it if your gyno is telling you it may be the cause. When I showed my diva cup to my gyno he said that I could use it as long as I changed it frequently and not every 12 hours like the website suggests. He said the fact that it collects and doesn't absorb may cause problems. However, I haven't been able to get the hang of my diva cup anyway. I'm planning on giving it another go on my next cycle.

[gumby_cc]

I hate to just jump in and be the booger on the icing....but it has to be said....
I went and had my annual checkup at the gyno last Friday, and he told me that he noticed that I had an inflamed cervix, which is totally bizarre that no one had ever noticed it before (I'm 27 and have had abnormal paps before, but not this problem)....he said it wasn't a huge deal but he still wants me to come in in six months, instead of a year to check if it's worse.....I emailed him the next day and asked him if he thought it might be my keeper that has caused it, because I've only used it for a year and a half, so maybe that's why he didn't notice it at the previous annual checkup. I even sent him a link to the site. He responded that it is quite possible that the keeper caused it and told me not to use it until I go back and see him...if it's improved, then I'll know that was the cause. I'm sad because I love my keeper! But an inflamed cervix can lead to way worse things down the road, so I guess it's for the best
I donno, maybe I was wearing it too high or something.

[stephanie_erin]

yeah, erinjane, that's pretty much what i've gotten stuck doing. just like.. ripping it out. it still hurts like hell though.

i'll try these suggestions during my next period, they all make sense and i'll do my best to keep them in mind. thanks, guys.

[erinjane]

Wow, I've never had that much trouble getting it out. The button sits very low for me so I just put two fingers in, pinch the whole cup, and pull it out fast. Never really hurts as long as I do it really fast.

[guzzy]

Dear goddess it sounds like trying to pull a spacehopper out of your gee (ok, that's pure inner-city Dublin but I think you know what I mean)http://homepage.eircom.net/~nobyrne/g.htm. I was on the verge of trying divacup after seapearls weren't so comfy but now I'm not sure........is it THAT hard to get it out again?

[tyger]

stephanie_erin, what I do is bear down until i feel the bottom sticking out. If it hasn't ridden up very far and the seal isn't uber-strong, i pinch the bottom while doing a kegel to break the suction. If that doesn't work/I feel the uterus-sucking action, I continue to bear down while sliding my finger up to break the seal (the back in most convenient for me, but whatever works. then I sort of just wrassle the thing out of there

[LoveMyPugs]

I think you have to squeeze it to get it out. That's the only way to break the suction. One girl said it felt like she was pulling her uterus out. I stick a finger up there and just push the lip in a little so as not to squeeze the contents out. Then I just slide it out. Sometimes mine rides up deeper into me throughout the day and when I get home and go to remove it I have to sit there and relax for a few minutes to get it to come back down so my short stumpy fingers can reach it.

[stephanie_erin]

heh, same here on that first bit, stephanie_erin.

okay, first time in, no leaks until i had had it in for 12-13ish hours. but i found that if i take a dump i seriously push that sucker out. i have to re-insert it (though i think it was maybe not in far enough that time) i do the punch-down thinger, and it goes in fine. also, it hurts like a mofo when it pops out of the opening, but i figure i'll get better at controlling it

YEAH! getting it out still sucks. literally. i tend to squeeze it too hard to break the suction.. but it just ends up making it stronger. i finally figured that out at the end of my last period, so hopefully next time around i'll fix that.

anyone have suggestions on getting it out without killing any reproductive organs?

[fina]

My Keeper is now 10.5 years old and to be quite honest is very smelly and I'm tired of it stinking up the medicine cabinet the rest of the month. I ordered a Divacup that should be here in a couple of days. I'll be 34 this year so I ordered the older ladies' version but I doubt it'd be much of a difference. The website I ordered it from said the difference between the sizes was 1/8th of an inch.

Good to know about the angle insertion tip. Will see how it goes the first cycle. I never had any leaks with the Keeper and I only usually change it once or twice over 4 days. This is not recommended but works for me.

[lapis]

I used the Keeper for almost 10 years but would give up and switch to pads form time to time after there were too many leaks and it started to get kind of old. The divacup's my new favorite. I had the same problem with the divacup as Tyger--every time I would bear down it would shift and the floodgates would open. One thing is the divacup says it should be positioned differently--you are supposed to put it in at an angle, kind of horizontally--it says it on the insert but I haven't found the quote on the site. This has made a big difference for me--no leaks! I am also traveling to places where menstruation is not too easy--there aren't always trashcans and there's never tp, so the divacup rocks because it doesn't leave a trace. the only thing I am not keen on is how the little airholes sometimes have some blood residue on them, so I have to clean them out with a needle.

Now, my question is: the divacup says you should switch up when you hit 30--do people really do this? I mean, how much muscle change would there be from year to year? Does it make that much difference? Or, has anyone used the larger size compared with the smaller one?

I usually pull it out a bit more than I want it and give it a twist and then push it back in to get it unfolded and check it every four hours or so. Also, I can't really put it in standing up or squatting, just from the toilet.

[tyger]

heh, same here on that first bit, stephanie_erin.

okay, first time in, no leaks until i had had it in for 12-13ish hours. but i found that if i take a dump i seriously push that sucker out. i have to re-insert it (though i think it was maybe not in far enough that time) i do the punch-down thinger, and it goes in fine. also, it hurts like a mofo when it pops out of the opening, but i figure i'll get better at controlling it

[stephanie_erin]

when i first got my divacup, i couldn't even get it in. it was only after i "loosened up" we'll say, that i got it. getting it out was hell though.
i actually lost it.. and of course that totally freaked me out. i find it's easy to get out if you can pull with one hand, and reach the top with the other and push it a little.
hope that helps!
[i added the beginning because i was asking about that before. thanks guys!]

[hamburg]

I find it rather interesting to see the blood and stuff with the diva cup, which I'm using for 2 cyrcles now. You don't really see how it looks like when using other products.

In terms of usability, I'm not able to rotate the cup fully to get it pop open. It then stays folded, but if i move it a little, it'd pop open and be leak-proof and reliable.

Here in Germany, one can order the cup from an outdoor and survival supply mailorder , but it's barely known.