How do I break the seal if my cervix is in the cup? (and other questions)
My cup works well for me, I can get 12 hours out of it without overflow leaks, and other leaks only happen when it ends up squished next to my cervix instead of around it (at least I think that’s the issue). Removal is not painful for me, but there is a bit of a tugging sensation (indicating suction). This would not bother me except now I’m worried about how that could effect an IUD, and I’m a little worried that I’ve been pulling my cervix lower over the last 8 months. I’ve been told not to worry about pulling on the cervix, but it still seems plausible that this could be bad.
Everybody talks about breaking the seal as you remove the cup, and that prevents suction. And I thought I knew what that meant but now I’m not sure. Usually to remove, I grip the stem with my nails and pull it down gently until the base is in reach and then I’ll pinch the base and pull it farther, folding it a little before removing the rim. The issue is, the actual “seal” doesn’t break until the “folding it a little” part, when the cup is already half way out of me, and that’s when a hear the sound of a little air rushing into it. I’ve read some people say they insert one finger all the way up to the rim and push it inwards, but when I tried that, I could tell that me cervix was in the cup. So if my dangly cervix extends a few cm into the cup, then I can’t break the seal that way, I just end up squishing the cervix and not accomplishing anything. So even if I’m able to break the seal a little earlier than I have been doing, I’ll still be getting suction and pulling on my cervix. This is concerning to me for two reasons. First, I’m trying to get an IUD next month, and I’ve heard a lot about how it’s just fine to use a menstrual cup with an IUD… as long as you break the seal before removal! Second, I’m worried because I didn’t know until recently that I had a dangly cervix, and I don’t know for sure that it’s always been this way. I checked a few times in the past and never found it, though never on my period, and often while I was aroused, which can make the cervix higher. But now I’m about a week away from my period starting and my cervix is within reach, I’m just a little afraid that it didn’t used to be that way, although I can’t be sure. So I’m thinking about enlarging the holes, don’t know if that will help. I have a diva size 1, which I know is long, but I don’t want to look for a shorter cup because I think it will just ride up around my dangly cervix and then I won’t be able to reach it and will get bad capacity. I thought about trying one with a smaller rim diameter, but it would have to be much smaller, and then I would worry it wouldn’t be gripped by the vaginal walls well enough to prevent leaks.
TL;DR here are my questions:
If you have a dangly cervix that hangs down into the cup, how do you break the seal?
Any dangly cervix people with IUDs? Could my cervix position make an IUD and a cup a bad combination?
Will enlarging the holes on my cup mean I can get away with not “breaking the seal” as long as I pull slowly?
Is there any possibility that using my cup, or maybe using it carelessly, could be pulling my cervix farther down?
What should I look for if I want a cup that my cervix will not hang out inside of?
Everybody talks about breaking the seal as you remove the cup, and that prevents suction. And I thought I knew what that meant but now I’m not sure. Usually to remove, I grip the stem with my nails and pull it down gently until the base is in reach and then I’ll pinch the base and pull it farther, folding it a little before removing the rim. The issue is, the actual “seal” doesn’t break until the “folding it a little” part, when the cup is already half way out of me, and that’s when a hear the sound of a little air rushing into it. I’ve read some people say they insert one finger all the way up to the rim and push it inwards, but when I tried that, I could tell that me cervix was in the cup. So if my dangly cervix extends a few cm into the cup, then I can’t break the seal that way, I just end up squishing the cervix and not accomplishing anything. So even if I’m able to break the seal a little earlier than I have been doing, I’ll still be getting suction and pulling on my cervix. This is concerning to me for two reasons. First, I’m trying to get an IUD next month, and I’ve heard a lot about how it’s just fine to use a menstrual cup with an IUD… as long as you break the seal before removal! Second, I’m worried because I didn’t know until recently that I had a dangly cervix, and I don’t know for sure that it’s always been this way. I checked a few times in the past and never found it, though never on my period, and often while I was aroused, which can make the cervix higher. But now I’m about a week away from my period starting and my cervix is within reach, I’m just a little afraid that it didn’t used to be that way, although I can’t be sure. So I’m thinking about enlarging the holes, don’t know if that will help. I have a diva size 1, which I know is long, but I don’t want to look for a shorter cup because I think it will just ride up around my dangly cervix and then I won’t be able to reach it and will get bad capacity. I thought about trying one with a smaller rim diameter, but it would have to be much smaller, and then I would worry it wouldn’t be gripped by the vaginal walls well enough to prevent leaks.
TL;DR here are my questions:
If you have a dangly cervix that hangs down into the cup, how do you break the seal?
Any dangly cervix people with IUDs? Could my cervix position make an IUD and a cup a bad combination?
Will enlarging the holes on my cup mean I can get away with not “breaking the seal” as long as I pull slowly?
Is there any possibility that using my cup, or maybe using it carelessly, could be pulling my cervix farther down?
What should I look for if I want a cup that my cervix will not hang out inside of?