Midwifery Today Community

 This is pretty sad, but I didn't realize that it wasn't supposed to be right on your cervix, lol. What do you do if you have a naturally low cervix? I just had a baby 4 months ago and am doing Kegles as often as I remember (which is not that often,lol). When I put it in, it feels like it hits my cervix very quickly! When I pull it out and feel the suction, that is not from my cervix? Sorry I am new to the Diva Cup world! Thanks for the help.

MissMamey:

 This is pretty sad, but I didn't realize that it wasn't supposed to be right on your cervix, lol. What do you do if you have a naturally low cervix? I just had a baby 4 months ago and am doing Kegles as often as I remember (which is not that often,lol). When I put it in, it feels like it hits my cervix very quickly! When I pull it out and feel the suction, that is not from my cervix? Sorry I am new to the Diva Cup world! Thanks for the help.

 

I may not be understanding your question right, but you want to be sure you are squeezing the cup enough to break the suction for removal... if I feels like it is pulling as you remove it then you'll nee to experiment with ways to relieve the suction.  

If you have a low cervix, it's hard to not have a cup right against your cervix, at least in my experience... but I was able to do fine with a Mooncup.

 So, I apparently have a low cervix since when I put the Diva cup in and the bottom of it is rubbing on my panties and the top is definately touching my cervix.  Would a mooncup work better for me?

I've had the problem of too much suction when removing the diva too.  It feels like its dragging my cervix down with it.  Ack.  I should really try to break the suction first, I guess.  I'll check on those little holes.  Maybe mine needs a little help too.

 I have a Diva, and a very low-lying cervix (always has been, i just am short inside).  When i have my period i can reach my cervix with as little as an inch of finger inside when i'm sat on the loo.  I cut the stem right off my cup, because it sticks out a little and digs in when the cup is in position.

For me i find it fine over my cervix, and it naturally rests over it if i put it high enough inside my vagina that it's all inside (without the stem) and gripped comfortably into position by my pelvic floor (i.e. i can't feel it in there).  I use 2 or 3 stages to get it out because having it over the cervix does seem to inevitably mean there is more suction.  So i grab the end, pull it down a little, wait, pull it down a little more, by which point i can tilt the bottom of it to one side or forwards which exposes the rim and breaks the suction (can spill a little if it's full though, so best done sat on the loo).

I'm not using mine at the moment because i have a Mirena IUS fitted and the suction can drag it down out of the uterus.  I have only very light periods anyway with the Mirena so it's not a problem for me to use my cloth pads instead.

Bec

I heard back from Mooncup UK... it is a trademark issue (the Keeper company is calling their silicone cup the Moon Cup) so as of Jan 31st they are no longer selling to the US.  :(  They can, however, ship worldwide including Canada and Mexico. 

I so wanted to love my Diva Cup, and kept it for three years trying it every couple of months for a few days.  I had the size B as I've had 2 kids, did all the trouble shooting with fitting, and it always ended up in positions where it "pinched" me on the inside....I still recommend that people try them though, as I know many many women have success with them.

I have now transitioned to homemade cloth pads, which I love.  I have also come to realize that during my moontime I feel vulnerable, and while at other times of the month I have no issues with putting my fingers inside of me, during my period I rather like keeping my vagina free of anything, and letting my flow come out naturally.

It truly is a matter of personal preference.

Does anyone know of a cup that is softer and shaped differently than the Keeper?  (I was thinking the Diva cup was the same just silicone?)  After having 3 kids, I'm having trouble with my Keeper (post pregnancy size).  Things are lower for me now and looser.  I don't think it is a kegel issue.  The trouble I'm having is that the bottom of the cup pokes me, and by day 4 I'm getting a little abrasion.  Usually I just give up on it by then and use pads since my flow is light.  But it takes a couple of days to heal up.  I'm pretty sold on the menstural cup idea, and hate to go to anything else (tried cloth pads and sponges), but I think I need a different design.

bluefish- you could try putting your Keeper inside out and see if that helps.... there wouldn't be any stem base to cause abrasion that way.  I may end up doing that with a DivaCup when it's time to replace my UK made Mooncup since they can't sell to me in the US anymore.  Good luck!

The Diva is longer and bigger than the mooncup, overall, I think.  I was thinking about downsizing to a mooncup.  Looks a little shorter than the Diva.

MotherNurtured has pictures of both here:

http://www.busybusymomma.com/MC.html

 Just wanted to report that I turned my Keeper inside out, and it works great!  (The Keeper is kind of stiff, so I didn't know if it could be done, but I did it!)  I've had a little issue of leaking some clear fluid - kind of weird, don't think it's urine.  Don't know if maybe the ribs - that are usually on the inside of the Keeper, now on the outside - are causing the vaginal walls to make some lubricant or something.  Actually it's kind of nice, cause another issue I was getting was that the Keeper was catching everything, and I was experiencing some dryness by the end of my cycle.

I started with a Keeper, loved it, but switched because of irritation.  I have a Diva Cup now and it's nice, but I miss the firmness of the Keeper.

My cervix is low and I don't have an issue with it.   I make sure that the opening of the cup is around the cervix - you shouldn't be able to feel your cervix anywhere around the cup.  I spin it a bit to ensure that it stays in place.

I've been using a Diva Cup for over a year now and I love it! I recommend them to all my friends.

Anyone ever used Instead? 

I've been using it for years and think its wonderful.  The keeper didn't work for me, I could feel it all the time, it was very uncomfortable. Instead is a plastic ring with a 'cup' made of very thin plastic, sort of like saran wrap.  It is very flexible and there is absolutely no suction involved, for those who have issues with the suction.  Instead is supposed to be disposable single use, but I keep mine for months before throwing it away and using a new one.  I keep it clean with warm water and some combination of soap and or vinegar, like you would a keeper or diva cup.

Need some Diva Cup advice!!!  You'd think I'd have it covered after using it for 5 years.  I've had two babies in that span and I'm sure my insides have changed a bit in that time, so maybe that's why I'm having some new troubles.

This is the deal.  I can wear the cup comfortably for the first couple of days of my cycle, which are usually a pretty heavy flow.  Then by the third day, I begin feeling these pains that come and go, almost as if my uterus were contorting and flipping into wierd  positions.  Today it got so bad that, that I had to rush to the bathroom doubled over and immediately take it out, which was extremely painful.  I found the cup had crept upwards and back and the suction was incredible.  I felt like I was dragging my uterus out with the cup and it was really hard to break the suction.  Knowing that my uterus is normally tipped forward as it should be (I can feel the underside of it above the anterior vagina when I'm checking my cervix), I was suprised after removing the cup that I couldn't feel it there.  I fished around in the cul-de-sac area and felt the firmness of my uterus there instead.  My cervix was at a different angle too.  I'm pretty sure something with the cup is causing my uterus to retrovert, and it's extremely painful when it happens.  Any sort of bowel disruption or gas during one of these episodes triggers the pain too (like my uterus is bumping against my bowel).  This is the second cycle (out of the 4 I've had postpartum) this has happened.  I took a month off from using the cup last cycle because I was scared of this happening again.  My uterus has already tipped itself back into place (forward), but I feel tender in there.  My cervix is so different since having my 4th baby.  Its kinda mushy and very wide with a big slit that's quite open, and its fairly low.  I feel like the cup sucks it right into the rim when I'm wearing it. I'm wondering if I should try to alter the cup, or if there are any other brands you could recommend. 

I've heard of flipping the Diva inside out and I want to try that...maybe in a couple of months after I "recover" from this bad experience.  I really want to make this cup thing (or any non-pad thing) work because the months I've not used the cup, I've been struggling with yeast infections at the tail end of my period--an aggravation from the pads, I think.   

Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks.