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How to Choose a Menstrual Cup – 3 Ways:
Just follow 8 simple questions and see all menstrual cups that best match your needs. Each matching cup will have a matching score.
Choosing your first menstrual cup can be a daunting task with so many choices available on the market .This article will cover EVERYTHING there is to know about choosing a menstrual cup.
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Top 5 Menstrual Cups – Full Product Reviews
Like everything else in life, it may take some time and practice to learn how to use a menstrual cup correctly. This is a the only complete guide online to using a menstrual cup.
Everyone has questions about menstrual cups and we’re sure you will, too! In this section, you will find a plethora of common questions that are asked by both new and experienced users.
Even though we have the largest FAQ section online, you still may have a question that is specific to your situation, or maybe we didn’t go into the details that you were searching for. Our experts will reply to any question you ask.
Menstrual Cup Brand Reviews (A-Z)
Menstrualcupreviews.net has you covered. We have investigated, researched, and comprised a list of the best menstrual cups currently manufactured and sold. It will not only save you time and effort, but also assist you in how to choose a menstrual cup so you can make the most appropriate choice possible.
Additional Products
- Tree Hugger Cloth Pads ® Menstrual Pads - January 28, 2019
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I’m having a lot of issues with my Diva Cup. It’s my first and only cup I’ve tried, and it’s the smaller size. I had it for over a year, but haven’t been using it exclusively because of the pain I experience while using it. With tampons, I’ll get very mild cramps only on the first day of my period that really never bothered me. Now, with the Diva Cup, I have horrible cramps that last for the first and second days of my period, and the pain is so bad it’ll wake me up from a dead sleep and keep me up. The pain radiates to my lower back and legs, and keeps me from doing much of anything until ibuprofen kicks in. Also, another big issue I’m having is leaking. It only happens during my two heavier days, and it’s not from the cup overflowing. I’ve tried every suggestion to try and make sure I’m actually getting it to seal correctly, but it still leaks even if it’s just a tiny bit. I can leave the cup in for as long as 12 hours, and some times I’ve gone even longer without overflowing. I’m not sure if the length of the cup is the issue? On one hand, I think the cramps I’m experiencing are a symptom of that. But on the other hand, after I insert the cup, and walk around, sit down, stand up, etc the stem of the cup is not sticking out at all. Also, I have noticed that sometimes when I go to remove the cup it’s tilted to one side or the other instead of straight up and down like when I inserted it. I just ordered a small sized Super Jennie hoping that a softer cup would help solve these problems, but now I’m having second thoughts…
Hi Gigi!
It seems those who experience cramping with the Diva Cup, find that a slightly softer cup ease those cramps. Does the cup fit you okay other than the cramping? The length?
The cup that eased those cramps for me was the EvaCup. It’s not even that much more soft but something just made it work with my body better. There’s a slimmer cup which again isn’t THAT much more soft, but I don’t experience any extra cramping with it either. It’s the Casco Cup (You can find this cup under the name of Green Cup of Maine, as well). I’m not sure where you’re located, but you might also check out the Soft MeLuna.
If the length is not comfortable for you, you may be more comfortable with a bell shaped cup with a regular rim (as opposed to a flared rim). Something like the LaliCup, Bella Cup or Juju Cup.
As for the leaking, you may not actually be leaking. After you insert your cup, there is still residual blood coating the walls of your vagina. People refer to this as “residual slobber”. This blood will eventual pool down and out ending up on your undies. If this is what’s happening, you can squat down, bear down and wipe the stem and/or grip rings with a wet wipe or cloth. This will clean up any excess blood and hopefully eliminate any spotting/leaking.
Tip #4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HeY8-c9zHA
Our cervix is not straight up. It goes more back toward our tailbone. Some notice that their cervix is more on one side than the other.
The Super Jennie small is nice cup. It’s softer but still opens pretty easy for most. Even the small has a good capacity so hopefully it’ll allow you a good length of time before needing to empty it.
Good Luck with the SJ. I hope it works better for you!! <3
I am trying to figure out which menstrual cup I should buy , and from what I read one of the biggest factors is if you have a high , low or medium length to your cervix. I did the finger test ( on the first and second day of my period), but I am still unsure, I wasn’t able to reach and maybe was just able to reach my cervix , but I have really short fingers, my longest finger is 2.5 inches long, so would that be considered a high cervix? I was reading a blog that mentioned 3-4 inches is what people where considering a high cervix . Also any suggestions for how I can try to see how far until I for sure can touch my Cervix besides my fingers, since they are too short?
Hi Kristen!
The questions I normally ask someone when they’re looking for a cup are:
-Cervix Height
-Physical Activities
-Bladder Sensitivity
-Light or Heavy Flow
If you’re having troubles finding or reaching your cervix, I would start with an “average” sized cup or a “medium” sized cup. Sorry to say, but you won’t know which way on the scale to choose until you at least try one. If you get a cup that’s on the longer side it will likely feel uncomfortable if it’s sitting too near the opening of your vagina. However, it’ll still have enough length for you to reach it easily (as a new user).
If you start off with a cup that’s too short for you, you might have troubles reaching it.
If you’re very active, you might rather have a firmer cup. A lot of people who do strenuous work outs find a firm cup stays open and in place better than a softer cup.
If you have a sensitive bladder, you might want to go with something softer or a cup without a flared rim. If you get a cup that’s too firm and you have a sensitive bladder, you might feel like you need to urinate more often or that you didn’t empty your bladder all the way when you do urinate.
If you have a light low, you can go with a size small. A heavy flow, then you’ll probably want something larger.
Some cups I would suggest looking into that are “middle of the road” are: Diva Cup, EvaCup, LaliCup, Casco Cup, Fleur, MeLuna Classic (large for heavy flow, medium for light flow), Lunette (on the shorter & firmer side), Yuuki (soft).
If you answer the other three questions that I normally ask, I might be able to narrow these cups down for you even further.
Good Luck and don’t hesitate to ask more questions 🙂
I just purchased my first cup and am not happy with it.
My friend gave me a softcup (unused of course) to try about a year ago and it was EXTREMELY uncomfortable and unbearable to wear.
It sealed fine and didn’t leak but man it pushed on everything and HURT, made cramps worse, and hurt even after taking out.
Some back story, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis so I have a swollen colon and anything that presses against my vaginal walls therefore presses against my colon and hurts. Cramps worsen the colon pain and then the pressing of the firm cup worsens it even more so …
I purchased the Lena Sensitive small because it stated it was designed specifically for “sensitive anatomies and bladders” so I imagined it would be super soft and perfect. It’s still too firm ! Has anyone used this cup and found an even softer one ? It’s a relatively new model by then though so it’s hard to find anyone that’s used it and had the same issue. And when I have to go to the bathroom (1 and esp 2) it begins to push itself out.
Also, the stem sticks out and is uncomfortable. I could trim it but I’m so paranoid that I won’t be able to grab it to take it out. The entire cup itself feels as if it’s too long to me.
Can anyone please help with this dilemma ?! I’m not sure how all these people can buy almost every cup on the market and try them when they’re around $30 a piece. I can’t manage to do that so I’d like to try to get it right instead of this trial and error buying.
Sadly, menstrual cups are not a “one size fits all” thing. It’s a rare thing when someone buys one blindly and it working out perfectly for them. You already know that there’s a big difference between the SoftCups by Instead/Flex Cups and the other type of cups like the Lena Cup.
A lot of it depends on the height of your cervix. If a cup is too long for you, it may sit right inside of the vagina and can be felt anytime you move around, or actually protrude from your body.
Normally a bell-shaped cup fits a low cervix better. A bell-shaped cup with a flared rim tends to ride up and sit higher. However, you may find a bell-shaped cup with a “regular” wide rim allows your cervix to sit inside of the cup better and still allows you the extra capacity.
Sometimes people find that a cup with a wider rim also helps to keep the cup in place. Others just feel more comfortable removing their cup to use the bathroom when they have a bowel movement, but can usually find a cup that is comfortable enough to use while urinating.
It sounds like you have a very low cervix since the Lena (bell-shaped w/flared rim) in a size small still feels, as you said, too long. You can trim the stem a grip ring by grip ring until you’re comfortable reaching it and comfortable wearing it. You can also try to flip your cup inside out and try it that way. If your cup is that low, you shouldn’t have any problems reaching for it though. If for some reason you can’t reach your cup at first, do a series of bear downing while squatting. This should bring your cup down little by little until you can reach it. Don’t forget to break the seal by pinching the cup or collapsing the rim before pulling. With some sensitivities I don’t want you to experience extra pain.
Double check to make sure, and try to do this while you have your period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNoiRIMAhY0
There are several cups that are shorter than the Lena and some are softer.
Some cups that you can look into are:
Sckoon – small than most small cups, “gummy” silicone which makes it feel softer
Super Jennie – soft, wider rim, good capacity even for size small
Ruby Cup – smaller than most small cups, soft
MeLuna – Classic small or medium, or even the “Shorty” versions for a super low cervix
As for buying several cups, I wait for sales (almost every single holiday), I buy “destashed” cups and sanitize them to my liking, and/or I just save a bit here and there. I also have on going discount codes for certain sites that sell cups as well as other menstrual items.
FeminineWear.co.uk, MenstrualCup.co and/or SuperJennie.com = 10% off code: RedHerringTV
If you find that a cup doesn’t work for you, you can always resell them on one of the Menstrual Cup FB groups. There are people there that would be happy to find a deal and you recoup some of your funds back.
I hope that I covered all of your questions/concerns. Please let me know if there’s anything else I might be able to help with or elaborate on. 🙂
I bought a Lunnete size 1, I’m not completely happy with it… It’s really comfortable for me, after I cut a part of the steam I can no longer tell it’s there and it’s more or less easy to get out. During the day it didn’t support me as much as I could have wanted… had to change it between up to four hours (I guess I should have bought a size 2 but I was afraid it’d be too big, now I know better) but it did its job. My real problem is that it LEAKS A LOT AT NIGHT!! Part of the problem must be that I sleep upside down and the blood catches its holes.
Therefore I ask for your advise, do you know of a cup that is similar to the lunette cup (may be bigger but not much longer) that has no holes? Do you think that could be a solution? Sleeping at night with confidence of not leaking was my main motivation behind buying myself a menstrual cup in the first place…
Hi Mel!
I can’t think of very many cups that do not have holes; Lily Cup Original, Silky Cup (newer version), FemmyCycle. There’s a cup that has one single pin hole but it’s a “cheapie” cup and likely made out of food grade silicone if you’re worried. Mine doesn’t have a name, but it is known by several names as well as, “Ivita”.
Having no holes in a cup may or may not produce other problems. The most common is having the cup seal tightly around your cervix making it hard to remove. Some people can use them perfectly fine, others find it painful or too much trouble to deal with.
If you had to cut the stem on a size small, you probably have a medium to low cervix. You might find Bell Shaped Cups to “fit” better and supply you with a bit more capacity. The base of the cup is rounded and even if your cervix sits inside, there’s still space to collect. A better fit, and a higher capacity might help with leaking.
I’m not sure what you mean by “upside down”. I’ve know people to use inversion tables, yoga/handstands and aerial silk acrobatics and have been leak free.
Is this leaking happening every night that you use it?
You stated that during the day you have to empty it around four hours. If you’re sleeping for eight, then you’re probably just overflowing it. You’ll want to look into a higher capacity or bell shape.
Some cups you can look into would be Super Jennie small, Lena Cup small or medium, LaliCup medium, Ruby Cup medium, Fleur small, Sckoon large.
I recently picked up a Diva Cup size 1 and it’s currently getting its first “trial”. I wore a pad as backup the first two nights because my flow tends to be heavy then and it did overflow the first night. I practiced inserting and removing it a few days before the blood started and that really put me off on it, shoving it in and pulling it out hurt and I could feel it pushing on my bladder. I’m a 24 y.o. virgin and even large tampons can feel too big sometimes so this thing looked huge to me. It feels fine to wear during my actual period though, I guess I’m looser or more tolerant of foreign objects up there then, especially when the object isn’t drying like a tampon. It seems to open fine every time although I can’t always feel it do so (I run my finger around the bottom to make sure it’s round all around) and I haven’t had any leaks other than that one time it overflowed. I didn’t really have any cramps this time around, just an odd pressure that felt like the beginning of them, but that could have just been the cup suctioning to my cervix. My periods vary in whether they hurt or not so I can’t say whether the cup has anything to do with this, it’s just an observation. This is my first time using a reusable menstrual cup, I’ve used Instead soft cups before without problems and prefer them to tampons for swimming or other activities, but they’re messy to remove (even messier than Diva has been so far), a bit pricey per count compared to other disposables, and my local stores don’t consistently stock them, so when I saw a Diva Cup on sale for $20 US at a local supermarket, I decided to take the plunge and I’m glad I did. Personally this seems like a great investment, both for my clothing/bedding and my wallet, and I know it’s safe because it’s been made and tested in a country with good quality control (Canada) and I didn’t buy one of those Chinese knockoff cups made of lower quality silicon or plastic (or who knows what else) with no quality control or consumer safety concerns (although I know those can look very lucrative). I’d definitely recommend anyone curious about menstrual cups to do some research (such as on sites such as this one), look into your anatomy, and then shop around. Good quality cups come in the same price ranges as the Chinese ones do on some sites, so researching brands is more important than looking at prices. In fact, a lot of “brands” are just the cheap Chinese cups given a cute name and nice packaging, so be wary of any cup that’s made in China, or that looks just like the Chinese knockoff ones found on EBay or Aliexpress! (Or, on the other hand, if you really don’t care about where the cup came from, you can find the same exact cups on there for way less, sometimes as low as 50¢/cup.)
I’ve always got scared to try them because I have a Tilted uterus. nothing seems to stay in place! I am very curious if anyone else out there has similar problems and uses them? I would really appreciate your input thanks 🙂
I wish that you would put the different cups in a row, side by side, per size, so we could more easily see the shapes and differences between them. I currently use the disposable Softcup menstrual cup and absolutely love it because it is shaped like a diaphragm with a fairly rigid ring that easily snaps out and around the cervix and the collection area is basically a thin membrane that forms kind of a dish shape that is easily dumped out at removal (it is nice because it dumps into the toilet).
I am trying to figure out which shape would be the least irritating for me to try, it seems most of these are rocket shaped and pretty much the same. So having side by side comparisons would be helpful. Especially if you put the small sizes all together in one pic and then the large size together and then added the short or other options so they can be compared.
Check out previous star pads on YouTube. She does that.
Hi Vic,
Although a lot of menstrual cups look the same, there are slight differences in each. Those little things can make a big difference to certain people.
You can “spin the wheel” and buy any menstrual cup and give it a try. It may or may not work and fit with your body. The most popular cup for first timers is the Diva Cup. Only because it’s the one we hear about the most, might see on the shelf at the store and maybe even saw commercials of it.
However, the Diva Cup is a longer cup and may not fit someone with a medium to low cervix. It also might be a little too firm, putting pressure on a persons bladder or cause cramping. It could be a combination of the two or even more features on the cup, that would make a person not be able to use a particular cup.
There are a few questions I normally ask someone when they’re looking for a menstrual cup of “this” type (not SoftCup/Flex).
1. How high or low is your cervix?
-Someone with a high cervix might be happier with a “V” shaped cup. Normally they’re a little longer making it easier to reach for insertion and removal. Some “V” shaped cups are: Diva, Eva, CupLee.
-Someone with a low cervix might be happier with a “Bell” shaped cup. The bell shape allows a persons cervix to sit inside of the cup with out compromising all of the capacity. These cups can ride up and sit higher around your cervix so that it doesn’t sit too low or even sit outside of the vagina. Some “Bell” shaped cups are: Super Jennie, LaliCup, Si-Bell, Fleur, Lena.
-Someone with a very high cervix might want the longest cups on the market: LilyCup “Original” or LuvUrBody
2. Is your menstrual flow light or heavy?
-Small: light to medium flow
-Large: medium to heavy flow
Some cups come in more than two sizes such as the LaliCup, MeLuna, SilkyCup, LuvUrBody
3. Are you physically active?
-If you do sports, yoga, cycling, Zumba…anything with a lot of movement or bending you might want a cup that’s more firm. This will help keep your cup from collapsing while doing these movements.
Some firm cups are: Yuuki both soft & firm are more firm than most cups, Lunette, Lena, AmyCup “Crystal”.
4. Do you have a sensitive bladder/urethra?
-If you do, then a softer cup might be best. It will eliminate the pressure that a firmer cup & rim can apply to the bladder & urethra. If a firm cup makes you feel like you have to urinate more often or that you can’t empty your bladder all the way when you do, then the cup is too firm for you. This can also cause discomfort and/or cramping. Some softer cups are: Si-Bell, Super Jennie, Sckoon, UniCup, CupLee.
So now the combinations…
I know this seems like a lot of things to think about but once you can answer those, you can narrow down the selection of cups that might work best for you for your first try.
Remember that even if a cup doesn’t work for you, you know what you want or don’t want in your next cup. There are Facebook groups that you can sell your gently used cups to others to recoup some of your funds back if you need to try another cup. If you are not oppsed to buying and trying a used menstrual cup for less cost, you can also check these the Facebook pages. You can boil or microwave the used cups to sanitize them, as well as soak them in peroxide/water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNoiRIMAhY0
Good Luck!
Hi Vic,
Currently, the best solution we can provide you with is our on-site comparison tools – https://menstrualcupreviews.net/comparison/. You can sort the results by different size parameters.
Good luck 🙂
I am 36 YO, not married women. What size should I wear.?
Please post your question here – https://menstrualcupreviews.net/questions/category/menstrual-cups-size-and-features/
I really think the Lena cup should be on here, it’s an amazing cup! I own a large and have a low cervix but it’s perfect. I had trouble with so many cups especially the diva cup, after 3 years of trying different cups and almost giving up the Lena is perfect for me!
I am using the cup for the first time. No leakage, it was uncomfortable for a little while, then I cut most of the tail off, now I don’t feel it at all! I have emptied it twice, gross but neat in a weird way. Ew.
I practiced a few times before my period, never thought it was opening properly. It must be opening though, as I am not leaking and even the outside of the cup doesn’t seem to be messy.
I am 46, had one C-section 24 years ago and I have to wear the smaller size. I bought and tried both. So don’t let anyone tell you that just because your older, you will need the larger one. Not true.
Im pickled tink that this is working. Cool! No more tampons for me!!!