Removal help!

[atremendousfish]

I recently got my first menstrual cup, a Lily Cup size A, and I'm currently on my first period using it. I've got insertion down at this point, but it still usually takes me forever to get it out. Does anyone have any tips for removal when I can only comfortably get one finger any appreciable distance into my vagina at once? I can grab the stem

Comments

[honeypie3251]

When I remove my cup what I do is to pinch the bottom of the cup and that releases the seal. Then I gently rock it side to side and remove it slowly so I won't spill the contents out. Try to pinch the bottom of the cup before pulling the cup down.

[atremendousfish]

I've tried doing that, but the base of the Lily Cup is pretty solid. It doesn't get squeezable until a little bit above the base, and it's pretty much physically impossible for me to get both my thumb and forefinger in far enough to squeeze before pulling the cup down because my hymen is in the way--I can't usually squeeze with two fingers until the cup is like halfway out of my body. At this point I'm trying to sort of hook and pull with one finger because that's all I can really fit, but so far that isn't working super well for me.

[honeypie3251]

Have you tried bearing down so that you could reach it easier? If I bear down I find for me that I can dislodge the cup easily and it helps to bring down the cup.

[honeypie3251]

I guess one can call it birthing the cup down.

[nannad89]

Hi

I read that someone uses a spoon to break the seal.

Are you okay now?

[yayforcups]

Some lily cup users find twisting the cup kind of unlocks its suction a bit, then gently rocking it down or stirring it down until you get it to a point where you can grab it. Or just cave in a side with a finger while grabbing the stem with another .

[por_que_no]

Some users have actually used a piercing/drill bit to put holes near the rim of their Lilys (because it doesn't have holes and yes, that will tend to cause serious suction). I have never tried this because I ended up selling off my Lily but if you look for tags on enlarging suction holes those probably detail what kind of equipment to use.

When I had my Lily, yes, twisting worked sometimes, but I think at that point my hymen was gone enough that I could get up over the solid part of the base with 2 fingers and pinch. The more you use your cup the more the hymen should deteriorate.

[atremendousfish]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I've been able to wrestle it out several times so far using a combination of pulling, pushing the side in with a finger, rocking it back and forth, and finally pinching/folding when it's far enough out. I think I might end up selling my Lily and switching to something shorter and softer, though--I realized last night that my cervix is way lower than I thought it was (I assumed it was really high because I couldn't find it, but I just didn't know what I was looking for), plus I can feel a lot of pressure and discomfort when I wear the Lily Cup (which I've been lead to believe would be alleviated with a softer cup, but correct me if I'm wrong).

[por_que_no]

It doesn't get much softer than the Lily (this coming from a soft cup connoisseur who owns some of the softest brands available). What might be happening to you is that, like in my case, the Lily's inner rim is hugging your cervix because it's just about the same diameter as your cervix. That can cause cramping and often did for me whenever my cervix decided to be a little bit dangly. That was one of the reasons I sold mine (other than my flow got heavier and I needed better capacity). Someone with a cervix not so closely matched to the inner rim in diameter may not have this issue.

[atremendousfish]

Can I ask which cup you switched to (assuming it was another cup on the soft side)? I almost definitely need a shorter cup, so I'm probably done with my Lily and would appreciate some suggestions!