Is It Time To Trim Your Lily Cup Stem?

Is your menstrual cup rubbing you the wrong way? Don’t panic! You might be able to solve your problem with a simple snip of the stem. Cup trouble can stem (ahem..) from a few different issues, so it’s vital that you diagnose the true cause of your discomfort before you grab a pair of scissors. So if your cup isn’t fitting you like that perfect ‘Goldilocks’ cup should, then it might be time to make the snip.

To trim, or not to trim…

The most important factor to consider before you cut your stem is cervix height, because this determines the length
of your vagina and whether your cup will fit. Once you know your cervix height, you can check whether you’ve inserted your cup incorrectly, or if it’s just too long for you.

This simple (and super useful!) bit of info is very easy to find out, by inserting your finger into your vagina when you’re on your period and checking how high your cervix sits. Once you have a rough idea of this length, compare it to the length of your cup.

Read our detailed guide on checking your cervix height here. Once you’ve figured it out, there are two options…

1. My cup is the right length!

If you find that your cervix height is perfect for your cup size – then chances are that you’re not inserting it correctly and it might be sitting a little too low in your vagina. To remedy this, we recommend using the half-V fold, which makes the cup smaller, more rigid, and easy to insert.

Insert your cup a little higher than it needs to be – you can use your finger on the rim to push it further inside the vagina. Once it’s there, you can squeeze on the body of the cup to get the rim to pop open and form a seal. Then, gently pull down on the base until the cup is in a comfortable position.

This method should ensure that your cup is sitting correctly and fully open – and should keep that pesky stem far away from poking at your vulva.

2. My cup is too long for me

Cervix too low for your cup? Don’t worry! Most cups can be trimmed and it’s super easy to do. Just make sure that you only trim a small amount at a time, so that you don’t snip too much. You can always keep trimming if it’s still uncomfortable.

How to trim the stem of a Lily Cup

Cutting the stem of a Lily Cup is quick, easy and effective. To trim your Lily Cup, cut the stem to just below the 3rd ring.  Make sure to use a clean, sharp pair of scissors for a neat cut. In general, we recommend leaving the final ring alone, both so that you still have something to grip for removal, and also to avoid puncturing your cup.

If you really need to, then you can try snipping a little more – just past the final ring.

Any more than this could compromise your cup, so don’t get too snip happy!

How to trim the stem of a Lily Cup Compact

The Lily Cup Compact is one of the shorter menstrual cups on the market, but there are a couple of ways to make it even shorter. But before you trim this cup – did you know that it’s reversible? Just turn it inside-out and you’re good to go – it’s just as effective, and only has a tiny decrease in capacity.

If you prefer to go ahead with the snip, then the same rules as the Lily Cup apply – just make sure you don’t cut above the 3rd ring.

Any higher than this and you could risk puncturing the cup and making it unusable.

So there you have it – a foolproof guide to trimming the stem of your Lily Cup or Lily Cup Compact! Just bear in mind that by removing the stem, you might make your cup a little more difficult to remove, since you won’t have as much to grip onto during removal.

Luckily, if you’ve been keeping those pelvic floor muscles in good shape, then a little push you should reunite you with your cup in no time. So now you know the how and the why, you can get snipping that stem… chop chop!