Is your menstrual cup constantly leaking? This can be caused by different things:
🚫 full
🚫 inserted wrong
🚫 wrong size
With these 5 tips you can use your menstrual cup without any nasty surprises!
Menstrual cups often leak or don't seal. This has different causes. A lot of the time it just takes a bit of time for you to get to know each other. But in the meantime, if you don't want any nasty surprises, double up! Period underwear is a great add on to a menstrual cup and makes sure to catch any blood that leaks out of the cup.
Many people who menstruate can actually avoid their menstrual cups completely by using period underwear, because one pair of panties can absorb up to 30ml blood, which is roughly as much as a small cup of 3 normal tampons. Sweet, right? And for those heavy bleeders among us, Period Panties and a cup create a dream team when it comes to sustainable hygiene. Bye bye waste, hello sustainability!
Leaking menstrual cup: is it the wrong size for your vagina?
Menstrual cups can leak if the size doesn't match your vaginal anatomy. It's very possible that you miscalculated the size you needed. And honestly, hand on heart, how are you supposed to know how big your vagina ist and which cup will fit perfectly and create a seal?
The vagina is inside the body and not to be confused with the vulva, the external female genitals, and its length, width and elasticity is different for everyone. There are a few tricks to knowing which size menstrual cup could be a good fit for you: have you given birth vaginally? In this case it's best to go for a slightly larger cup!
Menstrual cup overflowing: too small a cup?
Menstrual cups overflow when they are too full. Makes sense, right? They tend to overflow when the cup is too small and doesn't have the right capacity for your flow. If your cup seals properly but starts to leak after a few hours, it's probably because it just doesn't have enough capacity for your bleeding. In this case, size up!
Lots of menstrual cup producers offer different sizes, so just choose a bigger one. To be extra sure you can combine your cup with period underwear, that way there's no nervous trips to the loo, no blood stains on your clothes or underwear and you'll feel much more relaxed during your period.
How do I insert my menstrual cup properly so it seals?
Correct insertion of a menstrual cup is a science in itself, and it can often take a bit of time to figure it out. There are lots of techniques - folding the cup into a C shape, the punch down fold, shaping it like the number 7. But they all have one thing in common - folding the soft cup so it is easy to insert into your vagina. It's very important that it unfolds itself just below the cervix. Then it forms to the walls of your vagina, creates a vacuum and can fulfil its job: catching blood and staying sealed. So after you've put it in, insert your longest finger into your vagina and run it around the edge of the cup to check it has unfolded properly. If you notice it is not sitting properly or is still folded, you can try to help it unfold with your finger.
Why does my menstrual cup leak at night?
Your menstrual cup may leak at night if it is too small for you. Does your cup stay sealed during the day and only leak at night? The reason for this is that at night, your pelvis relaxes and your muscles can't hold the cup tightly enough. During the day, if we are sitting upright or doing sport, we intuitively tense our pelvic floor, keeping the cup sealed. If the pelvic floor support is gone, the cup cannot create a stable vacuum. You have two options: either you use an additional hygiene solution like a pad or a pair of period pants, or use a bigger cup at night. Comfort is key!
Menstrual cup leaking even though it isn't full?
Do you sometimes notice your menstrual cup is leaking, but then when you get it out of your vagina there's hardly any blood in it? So annoying. There probably wasn't a vacuum, which is critical for the cup to sit well in your vagina and not leak any blood. You can test if the cup has unfolded properly - we've already described how in this article, so just scroll up :)
