Menstrual Cup Sizing Guidelines

Menstrual cup sizing
While each brand of menstrual cup may differ slightly (please refer to the specific sizing guidelines for your specific brand), when it comes to sizing your menstrual cup, there are two main factors to consider:

  1. Are you under or over the age of 30?
  2. Have you had a vaginal birth?

These two factors are important, since as we age, and after having a baby, our pelvic floor tone becomes weaker. If you have not had a baby but are over the age of 30, it is still recommended that you purchase the larger size menstrual cup. This is due to the fact that as we age, our hips widen and our pelvic floor muscles begin to lose their elasticity. Since it is our pelvic muscles that hold the menstrual cup in position, you don’t want to use the smaller one, and then risk having it leak!

  • If you are over the age of 30 and have had a vaginal birth, most brands will recommend you select the large model cup.
  • If you are under 30 and have not had a vaginal birth, you will usually select the smaller model cup.
  • If you are under 30 years of age and have had a c-section, consider the smaller size cup.
  • If you are over 30 years of age and have had a c-section, consider the larger cup.

Occasionally, you may need to consider other factors before determining your correct cup size. These include:

The tone and strength of your pelvic floor

Perhaps you are one of those very dedicated women who heeded the advice of your care giver to ‘regularly do your kegel exercises’! If so, or if you regularly undertake Yoga or Pilates routines, you may have developed particularly strong pelvic floor muscles. In this case, many menstrual cup manufacturers will recommend you select the smaller size cup – regardless of whether you have delivered vaginally or not.

Where your cervix is located

Before using a menstrual cup, we recommend you check the position/height of your cervix. If you have a low cervix (short vaginal canal), then you may find that the smaller cup model provides a better fit. Conversely, if you have a high cervix (long vaginal canal), then you will most likely find the larger model more suitable.

Are you a virgin or teenager?

Most brands will recommend the smaller size menstrual cup for virgins or younger menstruating women. This is due to having tighter vaginal and pelvic floor muscles. The smaller cup is also better for young women wanting to reduce the risk of breaking their hymen. In this instance, it is worth mentioning that the hymen can also sometimes be broken while participating in various forms of sport such as cycling etc, when using tampons, and in some instances a woman may in fact be born without a one.

Level of flow

While even the small size menstrual cups will usually hold a substantial amount of menstrual fluid, women with exceptionally high period flows, may wish to use the larger cup. So, if you are under 30 years of age, have not had a vaginal birth, but do have a very high level of menstrual flow, you may wish to select a larger model cup.

Brand specific sizing

You can view the specific sizing guidelines for each of the menstrual cups below:

Diva Cup sizing

Juju Cup sizing

Keeper Cup sizing

Lunette Cup sizing