How to choose the right menstrual cup size?

At Your KAYA, we try to make the choice simple: we offer only two sizes of menstrual cups ( you can buy our cup here ). But even so many options can be confusing. “How to choose the right cup size?” is still the most frequently asked question. So we’ll try to dispel the most common doubts 😉

Basic criteria

In short, the small size is suitable for young people whose periods are not particularly heavy, who have never given birth and have not used a cup before, and the regular size is for those with more heavy periods, who have given birth naturally and/or are used to wearing a cup of a similar diameter.

The problems usually begin when the criteria for selecting both sizes are met, for example, you are 17 and have very heavy periods or you are 38 but have never given birth and your bleeding is negligible. The matter is not made any easier by the fact that, especially in young people, after childbirth the vagina regenerates and returns to a similar state to before and in such cases, the natural childbirth should not affect the choice of a larger cup.

It is also important to know if you have any diseases or a different anatomical structure. Our article " Is a menstrual cup safe? " will explain many of these issues to you.

Important information is the dimensions of our cups:

- small - capacity: 18.5 ml, diameter: 4.1 cm, length without stem: 4.7 cm (with stem: 7.4)

- regular - capacity: 27 ml, diameter: 4.6 cm, length without stem: 5.2 cm (with stem: 7.4)

This is not a mistake, both sizes have the same, quite long length with the stem, so that you can easily find the cup in the vagina. However, if the stem sticks out and is bothersome, you can trim it or even get rid of it completely, without worrying that you will not be able to pull it out later 😉

Are you bleeding profusely?

The size of the cup and the amount of menstruation are, in our opinion, some of the most important criteria that should guide your choice. It is therefore worth familiarizing yourself with the comparison of cup capacity to tampon absorbency, which can help you deduce how often (more or less) you will need to empty the cup if you know how often you changeyour tampons .

The capacity of the small cup corresponds to an absorbency of approximately:

4 mini tampons (6-9 g) 💧💧

3 regular tampons (9-12 g) 💧💧💧

2 super tampons (12-15g) 💧💧💧💧

The capacity of the regular cup - absorbency is approximately:

6 mini tampons (6-9 g) 💧💧

4.5 regular tampons (9-12 g) 💧💧💧

3 super tampons (12-15g) 💧💧💧💧

We do not present a similar comparison for pads, because they do not have standardized sizes independent of the brand. However, if you change large tampons or pads every 1-2 hours or more often due to heavy bleeding, we suggest that the regular size will be more comfortable for you - such a cup will collect more blood and allow you to empty it less often. If, on the other hand, you mainly wear mini/regular tampons and change them every 3-4 hours (or less often), the small cup will be enough for 9-12 hours of wearing 😊 At this point, we remind you that 12 hours is the maximum wearing time of the cup, which should not be exceeded - wearing it longer may promote infections.

If you are struggling with leakage, be sure to read our guide " Leaking menstrual cup – how to fix it? ".

How high is your cervix?

The length of the cup (without the stem) is important especially for people who have a low cervix. A properly inserted cup should be completely inside the vagina and under the cervix to collect the blood flowing from it (it can be just below the cervix or much lower). Therefore, it is worth measuring the height of the cervix before buying a cup.

Note! The height of the cervix may change during the cycle, and is lowest during menstruation, so measurements should be taken during menstruation (preferably several times over several days). Simply insert a (washed and possibly slightly moistened) finger into the vagina and look for the cervix, tracing the front wall of the vagina (the one on the side of the pubic mound, not the back). The cervix should be smoother than the vaginal wall, to the touch it resembles a bit the tip of the nose.

When you find your cervix, check how much of your finger is in your vagina. It would be best if you could measure this part of your finger with a ruler or tape measure to determine if your cervix is ​​higher than the length of your chosen cup. If you don't find your cervix, it's likely that even during your period it's higher than your finger and both of our cups should fit you 😊

However, if you don’t want to wait until your period to look for your cervix, you don’t necessarily have to 😉 Our experience tells us that our small cup works for almost all clients who choose it, so most people have their cervix positioned higher than 4.7 cm from the vaginal opening.

If you want to learn more about cup insertion, read our articles: How to insert a menstrual cup ? and How to remove a menstrual cup ?.

Are you physically active?

Our cup in both sizes is soft and is primarily suitable for people who are less physically active. Harder cups than ours will be more suitable for people with stronger pelvic floor muscles. These muscles naturally strengthen during physical activity, and will be strongest in people practicing yoga, pilates, horse riding or pole dancing. A soft cup may have difficulty opening and sucking in people with strong pelvic floor muscles. In this case, it may leak and not fulfill its function. However, this is still an individual matter and especially for people who do not exercise very intensively, our cup often works great 😊 Thanks to its softness, it is also extremely comfortable for beginner cup users.

In summary, when choosing a cup, we advise you to first and foremost consider the abundance of your periods, but also, for example, the height of your cervix and physical activity. We also have a simple piece of advice for many people: if you are hesitating between sizes and have not used a cup before, choose a more universal one: small. We sometimes receive messages from people who are terrified by the size of the regular cup right after taking it out of the package or complain about the discomfort associated with its large diameter. On the other hand, the small cup is a safe option for most of those who are not sure 😉

If you have even more questions about the cup, we recommend reading the article: advantages and disadvantages of the menstrual cup and replacing the menstrual cup in different conditions .

And if you still need advice from us on choosing the right size, write to us at kontakt@yourkaya.com, on Facebook, Instagram or in the chat on the website. We will be happy to advise and dispel any doubts ❤️