How to insert a menstrual cup (beginner guide)

How to get started inserting a menstrual cup

How to insert a menstrual cup for beginners. Tips you haven’t heard before. Learn exactly where to place it in the vagina, how to get your cup to open, and how to get your cup to stop leaking.

Two purple menstrual cups balancing on each other

I have been using menstrual cups on and off since 2005. It took me a few years to finally get the hang of them and now I absolutely love them.

There is a large learning curve with menstrual cups, but this article will help you to shorten that time.

Once I learned a few tricks of using the menstrual cup, it made my periods completely effortless.

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Menstrual cups are safe, reusable, and eco friendly because they create a lot less waste than disposable products, according to this New York Times article. They will also save you tons of money since one reusable menstrual cup can last you 5-10 years.

#1 Completely relax vaginal muscles

If you’re having a hard time inserting your menstrual cup into the vaginal opening, it may be because you’re clenching up your vaginal muscles.

It’s really important to completely relax the vaginal muscles the whole time that you’re inserting the cup. This will help to make it painless.

Keep reminding yourself to relax as well, because it’s really easy to unconsciously tighten up when the cup is in you.

#2 Try inserting in the shower

An easy way to insert the cup, especially if you’re a beginner and this is your first time, is to try it either squatting down in the shower, or standing with your leg on the back of the tub, or in a squatting position.

Inserting the cup in the shower helps to lubricate everything up, especially the cup, and it makes it a lot less painful.

Another option is to get your cup wet with warm water or a water based lube and try inserting it while sitting on the toilette in a comfortable position. Whatever you do, do not insert the cup when it’s completely dry, if this is your first time.

#3 Pick your favorite cup fold

So, we’re relaxed, the cup is lubricated and it’s time to insert.

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Pick your favorite cup fold. There are many different folds. Mine is the punch down fold because it folds the cup into the smallest width and it’s easier to get it to open once it’s inside of you.

To do the punch down fold, punch down one side of the lip of the cup with your finger and then squeeze the sides together once the lip is folded down. Watch the video for a demonstration.

This is my favorite period cup. It’s called the Super Jennie. I love it because the large size is a high capacity cup that’s great if you have a heavy flow and it’s soft and comfortable.

So we’re relaxed, and the cup is lubricated and folded up. It’s time to insert the menstrual cup.

Keep in mind that your vaginal canal goes back toward your tailbone and it doesn’t go straight up. So when inserting, insert the cup back toward you tailbone.

Keep pushing the cup up until it’s all the way inside of you.

The lip of the cup will pass the pubic bone shelf, and once it does, the vagina opens up into a little more space.

Once the lip of the cup passes the pubic bone shelf and the cup is all the way inside of you, it’s time to get the cup to fully open.

#5 Get the cup to open

To get the cup to open, pinch at the base of the cup, twist and you push the cup high into the vagina, and then twist as you pull down, pinching at the base of the cup the whole time.

Repeat this movement until the cup opens.

You may have to do this movement 10-15 times before the cup fully opens.

You know the cup is open completely when you feel the sides of the cup and you won’t feel any indentations.

One thing to note is that the cervix is at its lowest point on first day of period.

Because of this, you may have less room to get the cup to open on the first day of your period, as opposed to the last.

It will feel slightly different every day that you insert your cup because the cervix slowly rises every day until you ovulate.

So be aware that on the first day of your period, it may take a little bit of time to get your cup to open completely.

If you have a low cervix, you may need to make sure you have a shorter cup. Take the cup quiz at Put a Cup in it to find your best fit. They have an excellent size guide. To know if you have a low cervix, then insert your finger until you feel something that feels like the tip of your nose, that’s the cervix. If you could only insert up to your first knuckle, your cervix is low.

#6 Make sure cup is placed in the right position

Now that the cup is fully open, it’s time to make sure that the cup is in the right place and isn’t placed too high in the vagina.

If the cup is too high, it will go past the the opening of the cervix, and you will bleed right outside of the cup and leak everywhere.

To get your cup in the perfect position, you want the rim of the cup to sit in the pubic bone shelf and below the cervical opening:

push the cup up one more time
Grab the stem of the cup and gently pull the cup down until the lip of the cup catches on something
That something that it catches on is the pubic bone shelf.
We want the rim of the cup to rest right above that pubic bone shelf. This is the perfect position to place the cup. Watch the video above to see graphics of where the cup is supposed to sit.

Hand putting a menstrual cup into a cloth bag

#7 Create a suction seal

This is the step that no one really talks about.

To stop cup leaks, you need to create a suction seal. When you do this, you expel the air out of the cup, creating a seal, and it will make it virtually impossible for your cup to leak any menstrual blood (unless it reached its capacity)

To create a proper seal you can do one of two things:

Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles tightly around the cup 10 times. These are called Kegels.
Or (my favorite way that gets me a leak free cup every time) place your thumb at the base of your cup, but still on the side, not the bottom, and place your index finger on the opposite side, higher up on the cup.
Press your index finger into the side of the cup, pressing the cup against the vaginal walls, using your thumb for leverage, until you push in the side of the cup and you hear a slight sound of air releasing from the cup.
Release your fingers and check one more time that the cup is still open, and in the right position.

#8 Wear menstrual underwear for spotting

Spotting is normal on the heavy days of your period, especially after you empty your cup and reinsert it. Sometimes there is blood on the walls of your vagina below the cup and it will spot in your underwear.

This is normal so it’s a good idea to wear menstrual underwear on the heavy days of your menstrual cycle.

Period underwear are also good to wear overnight, in addition to your cup. Since you’re not able to empty your cup for at least 8 hours, this will protect you in case you leak overnight.

This is my favorite leak proof period underwear. Use that link for $15 off. It holds about the same amount as two regular sized tampons plus they’re soft, comfortable and can be cleaned in the washing machine.

#9 You won’t get it right every time in the beginning, it takes practice

Learning how to insert a menstrual cup the right way every time takes a little practice. It may take you a few cycles before you start to get it down.

As I mentioned before, your cervix slowly rises up every day of your cycle until you ovulate (about two weeks after the first day of your period). Because of this, it will feel slightly different every day that you insert your cup.

To sum it all up, here are the steps to inserting your menstrual cup:

Relax your vaginal muscles the whole time
Get your cup lubricated with clean water or a water based lubricant.
Sit on the toilette or squat in the shower. Take a nice deep breath to relax.
Fold your cup into your desired fold
Insert the cup into the opening of your vagina and keep pushing up until the cup is all the way in and the lip of the cup passes the pubic bone shelf
Get the cup to open by pinching at the bottom of the cup, twisting as you push up and twisting as you pull down slightly (all while keeping the lip of the cup above the pubic bone shelf)
Repeat this motion until the cup opens up. You know it’s open when you don’t feel the sides indented in.
Now that the cup is open, make sure it’s not placed too high.
Push the cup up one more time, grab the stem of your cup and gently pull down until the rim of the cup catches on something. That something that it catches on is the pubic bone shelf.
Create a suction seal to prevent leaks by either squeezing you vaginal muscles tightly around the cup.
OR (the best way) place your thumb at the base of the cup, but still on the side, not the bottom, and place your index finger on the opposite side, higher up on the cup.
Press your index finger into the side of the cup, using your thumb for leverage, until you push in the side of the cup and you hear a slight sound of air releasing from the cup.
Release your fingers and check one more time that the cup is still open, and in the right position.
Once the cup is opened, sitting so that the lip rests right above the pubic bone shelf and you’ve created a seal, you’re good to go!

I hope this article helped you to fall in love with period cups as much as I love them. Leave me any questions you have in the comment section below and share this article with a friend who is just starting out using cups.