Common Reasons Why Your Menstrual Cup Is Leaking

Are you finally using a menstrual cup now in an attempt to favor an eco-friendly and clean alternative? Then we welcome and congratulate you! Surely you are excited to experience the much-praised benefits you get when it comes to using a menstrual cup.

However, there will be times that you’ll experience something bad. An example of that is a leak. Imagine your surprise when you find yourself drenched in menstrual blood—yikes! What could have possibly gone wrong? Before you go ahead and switch out your old tampon or sanitary pad, why don’t you give the menstrual cup a chance for your questions?

A leaking menstrual cup is considered as one of the biggest menstrual cups fears together with the cup-getting-stuck-fear or the menstrual Cup being lost inside the vagina. Also, adding to all stated concerns above is the need to empty the menstrual cup in a public bathroom.

With all of these menstrual cup fears, the scariest experience by far is probably the menstrual cup having leaks. It may be due to the result of damage that it may create to the menstrual cup user. Here are the common reasons why a menstrual cup can leak during use.

The Cup Wasn’t Securely Placed

This reason is by far the most common and the most overlooked step, especially for first time menstrual cup users. You need to make sure that your menstrual cup is secure. You should also make sure that a cup is properly opened when you insert it inside the vagina.

Menstrual cups only work effectively by preventing the blood from leaking when it can “pop” and fully open after the insertion. When your cup makes a “pop” sound, it’s a way to confirm that a suction has formed, thus preventing any blood from leaking out from a well-placed menstrual cup.

Getting the menstrual cup in place inside your vaginal walls is safe and easy to do. You can adjust the menstrual cup after insertion and by moving it from left to right or push it on one side of the cup. To check if it was properly placed, you can feel it by carefully trying to pull it out since you can feel the pressure of the suction.

It’s Probably Overflowing

A menstrual cup can indeed hold more menstrual flow volume compared to sanitary pads and tampons. However, it is still just a menstrual hygiene product that needs to be tended to. Thus, if you have a heavy period, and your menstrual cup is leaking, you should check if it is overflowing. Leaks can happen especially on days that your period is heavy, wherein the cup might not be able to go through the full 12 hour period without having to empty it.

So, what you need to do to avoid doing this is to make sure you know your flow whenever your monthly period comes to you. Having an idea of how strong your flow is can make you aware of how often you’ll need to empty your menstrual cup. Women with heavy periods are usually recommended to check the cup every 4-6 hours.

You might also want to know how much your menstrual cup can hold. For instance, Daisy cup’s regular Menstrual Cup can hold up to 38ml of menstrual blood. You can check out their site at daisymenstrualcup.com to know more about the specifications of their product.

The Menstrual Cup Doesn’t Fit Your Cervix

Knowing one’s cervix height is probably the deciding factor as to what menstrual cup size a woman should be using. The cervical height is like our feet to the shoe, and it needs to be fit lest it might fall out, or you might get wounded because it does not fit well.

Since your estrogen levels drop during menstruation, your cervix will also move its position accordingly. Additionally, the cervix also lightly opens or swells to allow the uterus lining and mucus to flow out of your vagina smoothly. Thus, it is natural that the cervix tilts a little to the side or move downwards in the vagina.

Bowel Movements May Cause Leaks

Bowel movements are one of the common causes as to why your menstrual cup leaks. This kind of situation often occurs during bathroom visits. It is especially common during the first few days of one’s period since you might be experiencing constipation or diarrhea as one of the symptoms of menstruation.

However, you do not need to worry about this since what can happen in this situation is that it might only cause leakage when the cup is full. You do not need to worry about the menstrual cup pooping out of your vagina like tampons.

Takeaway

A menstrual cup is indeed a good sanitary product to use. It’s more reliable than a tampon or sanitary napkin. However, menstrual cups can also leak. Ill fitting cups, increased bowel movements, wrong placement, and a full cup can be reasons why a leak can happen. Checking up on your flow and the placement of your menstrual cup can help you avoid any embarrassing leaks.