Is it too small?
Hello! I am an 18 year old, non-virgin. I have never had a baby. I’ve been trying to get my Diva cup size 1 to work for me for months but every single cycle I experience leaks (the cup is never full). After insertion I always run my finger along the top to make sure it has opened fully. I’ve tried wearing it high, low, and in the middle. I’ve tried different folds. Pretty much every suggestion I could find on the Internet I’ve tried. Do I just need a cup with a bigger diameter?
Hi Again!
The diameter of the small Diva might be sitting just right (or wrong) that it’s not positioning itself correctly. It could be allowing your cervix to sit on the rim catching only part of your flow and letting some of it pass around and out 🙁
I couldn’t say for certain what’s going on, but you might benefit from using a cup with a wider diameter. Some people feel that it helps “scoop” up their cervix easier.
A few cups that I would recommend checking into are:
LaliCup (large) – This would be the softer bodied cups but still have a medium-firm rim and secondary rim to help the cup pop open. These cups have a unique channel pattern that goes all the way around the cup. These channels help the cup to fold up smaller and easier as well as helping the cup to pop open when pressure is released. The large has a larger diameter and the length is about the same as the Diva Cup. This cup is bell-shaped and may sit a little higher than a “V”-shaped cup, but has a regular style rim that hopefully keeps the cup from riding up too high.
Fleur Cup (large) – This cup has a flared rim and may ride up and sit a bit higher. The flared rim will hopefully spread out and position itself into the vaginal fornix around your cervix and not on top of it. In the group of cups that I’m suggesting, the firmness of this cup would be the closest to the Diva 1. The Fleur Cup is slightly shorter than the Diva.
Saalt Cup (large) – A bit more firm than the Diva, the Saalt Cup has a wide diameter and a rounded body. Like the LaliCup, it is bell-shaped but has a regular style rim and secondary rim. This cup is slightly shorter than the Diva.
You and view and compare cups here: Cup Comparisons
I don’t have the Diva small uploaded here yet, but I’ll try to add it today.
In case you’re worried about size = age and not having been pregnant before, my daughter (who is now mid 20’s, sexually active, but no pregnancies), has always preferred a large sized cup and has used them comfortably over the years.
Let me know if you have any questions about these cups or any others that catch your eye.
Happy Cup Hunting!
@Red Herring
(Kelci here) It definitely isn’t just residual blood. This is enough leakage to effectively bleed through my underwear and ruin my pants. I have previously measured my cervix and it’s medium. I don’t feel it’s a capacity issue though because even on super light days when there is barely anything at all in the very bitty bottom of the cup I leak. The Diva cup size 1 is comfortable.
Hi Kelci!
If you’re sure that the cup is completely open and around your cervix (or didn’t push your cervix to the side)…..
It might just be “residual blood”.
Residual blood is the blood that’s coating the walls of your vagina even after you insert your cup. This blood pools down and ends up on your undies. Many people think that they’re leaking or spotting out of their cup when this happens.
See if this doesn’t clear it up for you:
After you insert your cup, squat down and bear down with your muscles.
Wipe the grip rings and the stem (if it’s intact) with a wet wipe or cloth.
Doing this will get rid of some of the excess blood and hopefully eliminate any “leaking” that you’re experiencing.
If that’s not the case, I would probably suggest locating and measuring your cervix if you haven’t already. If your cervix is medium/low, it might be dropping down into the cup, compromising the capacity. If you feel this is what’s happening, you might want to check out a cup that’s bell-shape and probably the size large instead of small.
Does the Diva 1 length and firmness feel comfortable to you?
