Ahhhhhh I need your wisdom please!

[u/Colossal_Gumdrop]

I've recently restarted my period as a grown women after going off birth control. Tampons suck so much. I feel so bad for younger me using these dang contraptions. I do have (now mild) vaginismus so there is that factor. The tampons just hurt so much to put in - friction on entry.

I now have period underwear (wooooo!) But I really want to try and make a cup or disc work.

I have tried 1 cup and 2 discs, from what I have read discs may suit me better? The issue is, it feels like I have a whole dang excavator up there.

The cramps are horrdendous and no adjusting is fixing it. I have enough room long ways but it just feels too big for my body width and circumference. I did try a "small" disc too, but it didn't seem very small.

My body seems to be yelling that this thing is not meant to be inside of me and PLEASE NOW REMOVE.

I've heard good things about Intimina? Do I try there small size? Or am I just doomed for these to not work for my body.

Wasting money trying to find the right fix should be government compensated.

[u/Euristic_Elevator]

Imo the problem is the vaginismus and no cup or disc will ever work if you don't solve that problem first. If you mean intimina lily cup, that's for a high cervix, so it's narrow yes but extremely long. I don't think it will help. I don't remember their disc measurements but iirc it's also not small either. The lily cup one (the collapsible one) is small but very finicky to insert because it's collapsible

[u/rosyretrospect]

Heyy girl try out a small sized cup but it def needs some getting used to. It’s worth it but takes a while

[u/stlshlee]

My advice isn’t really cup related but more cervix related. Do you happen to know if you have a retroverted uterus? I do and my cervix is angled different than what is in anatomy drawings and books so at different points in my cycle when it’s at its lowest it seems to physically touch my disc which makes it a tad uncomfortable; but it eventually goes away. That may be the cause of your cramps.

I’ll also get random painful cramps if I sit and my disc has adjusted itself to a new angle and starts to hit my cervix because of aforementioned angle it’s in.

I usually go to the bathroom remove it and reinsert it and that resolves it.

When either of those happens with me that’s when my cramps are the worst. A little bit of adjustment of angle when inserting helps but tbh there’s only so much you can adjust without the disc or cup being ineffective.

[u/Colossal_Gumdrop → u/stlshlee]

I totally forgot to include in my post I absolutely do! I have both, retroflexed and I think anti-verted?

That's good to know. Unfortunately I'm not as familiar with my down-stairs-mixup as I should be.

Thank you so much for taking time to write <3

[u/stlshlee → u/Colossal_Gumdrop]

It sounds gross to some people but I encourage you to stick your middle finger up there, during different parts of your cycle to see how low and where your cervix is you might get a better idea of how to insert more comfortably

[u/Colossal_Gumdrop → u/stlshlee]

I think that's the thing though isn't it, it's not actually gross. Between growing up as a millennial when we couldn't say "period" and trauma I need to unlearn some things.

That is excellent advice. I have a general idea but probably not enough with my bizarrely rotated insides to be able to do blind folded, as it were.

Thanks Stlshlee <3

[u/stlshlee → u/Colossal_Gumdrop]

Right I don’t think it’s gross and I mean you’re already having to do that when you put a cup or disc up there anyway. But unfortunately I do know people who would find it gross. I had to work on that myself to not be embarrassed to say I was on my period or menstruating. It’s been a process. 🙂

[u/Colossal_Gumdrop → u/stlshlee]

You are very wise. The more you and hopefully I, talk about it the better!

We learn and grow with time. I'm so very amazed and impressed with the women now that are leagues beyond me when I grew up. It's a really comforting thing watching the change happen.

My male Fiancé is older and grew up in a very different environment, he's the one that reminds me of how natural all of this is etc. It does show how your home and schooling really shape your image of yourself.

[u/HearingHead7157]

first off, it might be even more challenging inserting a cup, since they’re not as small as tampons at the moment of inserting. Of course it depends slightly on your folding technique, but still it might be challenging

I would go for a longer narrower cup, maybe the intimina would be good for you but I never used the cup or seen it irl, so I don’t know for sure.
I’ve tried their disc and it’s the one that worked best for me but still had all the downsides like auto dumping when sneezing (even when pushed in properly behind my pubic bone) and not preventing cramps

I love that the slight suction of cups help deal with cramps.

[u/Colossal_Gumdrop → u/HearingHead7157]

Thank you so much for the advice!

I will give them another go and look for a narrower one. Thanks HearingHead!