So, you have given a big green flag to menstrual cups. After reading rave reviews, surfing through how to use a menstrual cup with pictures or being relentlessly suggested by a cup-loving friend, you have decided to give menstrual cups a chance. Although at first, using menstrual cups might feel different, they are quite convenient. Cups are crafted with many distinct features, but the stem is one of them. 

What Is the Purpose of the Stem?

When you search for how to use a menstrual cup with pictures, you will come across a stem located at the end of the cup. It helps you reach and pull the cup down low enough so that you can get a firm grip on the base of your period cup. It is for menstruators who want to wear or remove their cup easily. The stem acts as a guide to locate your cup when you want to remove it. Unlike a tampon’s string, stems aren’t designed to completely pull the cup out. By pulling the stem, you can break the suction of the cup or shear off the stem. 

For the new users, the stem is also like a reassurance, so they don’t have to worry about the cup getting lost in their vagina. Until you are confident enough to locate or remove your cup, don’t trim the stem because it will be acting as a removal backup. 

Where Should Your Menstrual Cup Ideally Sit?

For some women, it is just confusing to determine where their menstrual cups should ideally sit or how deep their menstrual cups should go. To break your bubble, a menstrual cup must ideally sit in your vagina just below the cervix. When you place your cup too high, like a tampon; it makes the period cup slide into the wider part of the vagina, otherwise called the vaginal fornix; hence causing leaks. 

On the other hand, if your cup sits too low, then also it might cause leakage. Wondering where should your menstrual cup sit? Well, that depends on your cervix and vagina. If you are a beginner cup user, wait before you cut the stem because shortening the stem would lead to nothing but confusion and leakage. 

The Bottom Line

Given that the stem is quite helpful in removing the soft menstrual cup for beginners, ensure to pick a cup with a long stem. Note that if you can feel your menstrual cup when you sit, you have placed the cup too low, or you have a short vagina. To understand if you have inserted the menstrual cup correctly. You can run a finger around the inserted menstrual cup and see if there are any creases. This shows that your cup didn’t open. You can also gently pull on the cup’s stem, and see if there's any resistance, your cup is sticking fine. Once you learn how to use soft menstrual cups for beginners, the cup won’t slide down or leak menstrual blood.