Have you ever experienced your menstrual cup leaking? It can easily happen when you first start using a period cup and you're still not quite sure how to insert or handle it. The leakage is usually due to the cup not being placed correctly or it being overfilled. A menstrual cup positioned correctly should not leak.

Why does the menstrual cup leak?

Your cup should fit comfortably and not leak if it's positioned correctly. In the beginning, when you are using a cup and you are not used to it and not relaxed enough, it is easy for the cup to get a little out of place and not find the right position.

Your cup may leak for the following reasons: 

1. The cup is full

If your menstrual cup has been in for too long or if you have a heavy period, the leakage may be due to a full cup. The cup can be used for up to 12 hours, but if your period is heavy you may need to empty it more often. In the beginning, you can empty the cup more often to learn how often your body needs to empty. 

Most people have no problem sleeping through the night without the cup leaking, but if you have a very heavy period you may need to get up earlier the first night to see how much blood has come. If your menstrual cup leaks at night because it gets too full, you can try supplementing with a pad or period underwear to avoid bleeding through. 

2. The cup does not unfold

If the ring (the top part) of your menstrual cup has not unfolded properly, the cup has not been able to be positioned correctly and can cause leakage. The cup needs to be folded enough to insert easily and the ring needs to be folded out against the vaginal walls to keep it in place. You can use your fingers to check whether the ring of the cup has unfolded or not. If it does not feel like the ring of the cup is forming a round circle, but instead is still folded, it has not fully unfolded. If this is the case, try relaxing and then wiggling or twisting the cup a little. The bottom part of the cup is soft, so it adapts to the shape of your vagina. Therefore, it may look a little flattened, even though the cup has folded out properly and the ring has unfolded. 

3. It's not positioned correctly

The reason your cup is leaking may be because it's not positioned quite right in your body. In the beginning, it can be difficult to find the right position, so the cup may leak. In this case, test it out by taking it out and putting it back in again until it fits comfortably and securely in your body. Keep in mind that the vagina is facing backwards, towards the lower back. The cup should therefore be inserted at a backward angle, not straight up. You can feel if the cup is in the right position, because there should be a slight resistance when you gently pull it downwards. Read more about inserting your cup here!