What not to do with Menstrual Cups that are too long

Is Your Menstrual Cup Too Long?

Menstrual cups that are too long can be very uncomfortable!

Even cup users who have never had a problem with cup length can experience a lowered cervix for example after pregnancy and child birth.

How would you know that your cup is too long? Generally when cup users can feel the handle of the cup or the bottom of the cup at their vaginal entrance, they assume the cup is too long.

A lot of times this is correct. Sometimes however there is a different issue.

One way to differentiate between the two problems is timing:

How quickly can you feel your menstrual cup?

a) right away. It's simply too long from the start

Yes. If your menstrual cup does not fit comfortably beneath your cervix, your menstrual cup is likely too long for your anatomy

b) after a while. It fits fine at the start

If your cup drops after a while but fits at first, the likely culprit is insufficient diameter. In other words, your cup does not make a sufficient seal, and a cup with a slightly larger diameter could seal better.

Your Menstrual Cup is Too Long

Your menstrual cup does not fit comfortably below your cervix, and you can feel either the bottom or the handle at your vaginal entrance. Now what?

After consulting the internet, many cup users have resorted to turning the menstrual cup they own inside out.

This blog post is about why this is a bad idea. Turning your menstrual cup inside out can be:

  • harmful to your cup
  • harmful to you
  • ineffective

For all these reasons, we strongly suggest that you do not turn your menstrual cup inside out.

We will show each of these points and things that work better and safer than turning your menstrual cup.

What's Bad About Turning Menstrual Cups Inside Out

Turning the Cups will Harm your Menstrual Cup

Because menstrual cups are made in molds, the allocation of the material is determined as soon as the cup is made.

By turning your cup inside out, you are compressing the larger outer surface area into a smaller space and forcing the smaller inside surface area to stretch over the more significant volume now located inside.

This leads to the cracking of the cup.

 

turning menstrual cup inside out

menstrual cup cracked because turned inside out

 

(actual customer cup, cracked from turning inside out)

Turning the Cup can Harm You.

If you do wish to turn your menstrual cup inside out, it is very important to remove the handle first.

For many users with very low cervix, part of the cervix could end up sitting in the cup.

Depending on your anatomy and the style of your cup, a very long handle remaining on the inside can point towards your cervix and potentially make contact with it.

This is not safe. Please permanently remove the handle first if your cup is too long.

cervix sitting inside menstrual cup

Turning Cups Is Often Ineffective

Once you remove the handle (and you should!), there will only be a height difference after turning the cup inside out if there is significant material in the cup's bottom compared to the side walls.

Turning menstrual cups inside out will only result in a shortening effect if there is much more cup material on the tip than all around.

For example, turning a MeLuna menstrual cup inside out will result in precisely the same measurements as before.

Turning the cup inside out will only be effective in shortening it if you have a menstrual cup with more material in the bottom.

illustration of menstrual cup walls

diva cup turned inside out

 

The Two Things You Do If Your Cup Is Too Long

Trim off The Handle on Your Menstrual Cup

The most cost-effective option is to shorten your menstrual cup by removing the handle. It's a great first thing to try if your cup is uncomfortable because you can feel the handle when wearing it.

Be careful not to cut a hole in the bottom!

If you are unsure how to do it, we have a tutorial for you here. Feel free to watch the whole video if you like. The link is set to start right at the trimming section!

Purchase a Menstrual Cup for Low Cervix

Of course, MeLuna is famous for being the menstrual cup with the most options for the low cervix.

If cutting off the handle was not enough to make your current cup work or you would like to make it easier on yourself and get a menstrual cup made for the lower cervix, you can learn more about MeLuna's low cervix menstrual cups, called Shorty, here:
Menstrual Cups Perfect for Low Cervix

Determining Cervix Height for Menstrual Cup Selection


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