Positioning my cup is just a case of fold, insert, pop in, et voila! Isn’t it?
Well, yes, and sometimes no.
Your vagina, cervix and uterus are as unique to you - just like the features on your face. We all have eyes, nose and mouth but no two faces are the same, right? That’s how it is for your vagina, cervix and uterus. The position, angle, length and width of these body parts varies from person to person and it can affect the way your cup needs to be positioned when you insert it.
If you’re a top notch research type who is gathering info before you buy a menstrual cup then you’ll want to make sure that you know the height of your cervix before you progress. We have a great blog “Hello Education: Cervix basics and how it pertains to using a menstrual cup” where you can learn more. Also - try our cervix measuring guide to find out specifically where your cervix is.
Maybe you’ve been having some trouble with the position of your cup and now you have discovered that your cervix is low or high? We’ve got you covered if you have a low cervix (you can find our Low Cervix Hello Cups here). High cervix cups are in the pipeline too - so keep an eye out!
The majority of menstrual cup users fit into the “average” cervix height category, which means that to find success with a menstrual cup you can use a regular Hello Cup and try out some of the following pointers.
After factoring in cervix height, there are 3 more things to consider when positioning your cup: angle, toggle position and pushing the cup in too far.
Angle - It can be a surprise to some cup users to discover that the vagina isn’t strictly vertical! It angles back towards the spine for most (at roughly 45 degrees) and therefore, angling your cup when you insert can make quite a difference! Check out the below pic to see what we mean.
Toggle position - Users who have previous experience with tampons or other menstrual cups may find it confusing or worrying about where their toggle (the rounded end of the cup) should be after the cup is inserted. There is no need to push the cup in as far as you can reach - Hello Cups are designed to sit with the toggle just inside (about 1 cm) the entrance to the vagina. Pushing the cup in further can result in a couple of things. A heavy cramping ache (like period pains) might be felt, this is your cervix coming into contact with your cup. Or you may experience significant leaking (even though you are certain the cup is fully open and sealed). This is because the cup is blocking the cervix and not collecting any blood. See the pic below. In both of these cases, reinsert your cup lower in the vagina so that the toggle is just inside the vagina entrance.
If you are a young person or first time cup user you may be interested in reading these blogs “Can teenagers use menstrual cups? Yes they absolutely can!” and “Notes for newbies - Mastering your menstrual cup”.
As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us at hello@helloperiod.com if you have more questions!
