By Aleksandra Oklińska, CEO of Lunette · Last updated 14 November 2026
Yes. You can poo and wee with a period cup in, and you don't need to take it out first. Your period, wee and poo leave your body through three separate openings, so a cup in the vagina blocks neither. One thing to know: straining can nudge a cup lower, so check it's still in place afterwards.
That's the short answer. The longer one matters, because the toilet is where a lot of first-time cup users quietly lose confidence. A cup that slides down mid-poo, a strange pressure that feels like you need to go when you don't, a cup that drops into the bowl: none of these mean cups aren't for you. They usually mean the cup is sitting slightly wrong, or that it's the wrong size for your body.
Why doesn't a period cup get in the way?
It helps to picture what's down there. The urethra, where wee comes out, sits at the front. The vagina, where the cup goes, is in the middle. The anus is at the back.
A period cup sits low inside the vaginal canal, below the cervix, held in place by the vaginal walls and a light seal. It isn't in the path of anything else.
Jean Hailes for Women's Health, the Australian women's health organisation, puts it plainly in its guide to using tampons and menstrual cups for the first time: wee, poo and your period come out of different parts of your body, so you don't have to remove your tampon or cup to go to the toilet.
Lunette's own Australian instructions say the same about weeing: there is no need to remove your cup when you urinate. If you're brand new to cups, start with what a period cup is and how it works.
Will my period cup come out when I poo?
Usually not, but it can move. When you bear down on the toilet, the same muscles that push a poo out also push down on everything around them, including a cup. Jean Hailes notes that doing a poo can sometimes push a tampon or cup out of place.
That's not a design fault. It's the same mechanism Lunette recommends using on purpose when you want the cup out: bear down gently, as if you were doing a poo, until you can reach the base. So if your cup "pops out when you poo", as people searching our site put it, your body is doing exactly what it does during removal, just without your hands involved.
A few things make it more likely:
- The cup is sitting too low. A cup that's only just inside has less room to move before it reaches the entrance.
- It didn't fully open. A cup with a dent or a flat side has a weaker seal and slides more easily.
- Constipation or heavy straining. The harder you push, the more pressure the cup gets.
- Strong pelvic floor muscles. These grip and push more than average, which is one reason Lunette recommends the softer Size 1 for people with a strong pelvic floor.
If it happens often, don't push less. Try the fixes below.
What should you do when you need to poo?
Most of the time, nothing special. Go as normal, then check the cup.
- Go as you normally would. Don't hold back. Constipation makes the pressure on a cup worse, not better.
- If you can feel the cup moving, hold it in place. Some people press one clean finger gently against the base of the cup while they push. It's not essential, but it stops the cup sliding on days when you're straining.
- Check it afterwards. With clean hands, feel for the base of the cup. If it has slid lower than usual, push it gently back up and run a finger around it to make sure it's round and sealed.
- Wipe front to back. This keeps bacteria from the anus away from the vagina and your cup. Then wash your hands before you touch the cup again.
If you'd rather take the cup out before a poo and put it back afterwards, that's fine too. Many people time it: they empty the cup during their morning toilet visit anyway, so the poo-and-empty happen in one go. With a Lunette cup in Australia, you'll empty it at least every 8 hours, so it often lines up naturally.
What does "it feels like I need to poo" mean?
A cup that makes you feel like you need to go, when you don't, is one of the most common early complaints in cup communities online. It's also been measured. In a 2026 survey of 1,221 healthy cup users in Spain, published in Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 14.6% reported changes in how bowel emptying felt while using a cup, compared with 6.2% when they weren't using one. For weeing, the figures were 26.0% with a cup and 9.0% without.
The researchers are careful about what this means. The figures are self-reported, by women without any diagnosed pelvic floor condition, and they suggest these sensations are situational rather than a sign that anything is wrong. In plain terms, the cup is something new in a busy neighbourhood, and you notice it.
If the feeling doesn't fade once you've worn the cup for a few hours, it usually points to one of two things:
- The cup is pressing on the back wall. Try rotating it gently, or inserting it at a slightly different angle, aimed towards your lower back.
- The cup is too firm for you. Lunette's Size 2 is made of firmer silicone. If you feel pressure on your bladder or bowel, the softer Size 1 is often more comfortable.
Does going to the toilet make the cup leak?
A wee won't, because nothing passes through the vagina. A poo can if the cup moves and breaks its seal. That's why the check afterwards matters: a cup that has slid down with a broken seal will start to leak a little later in the day, and people often blame the cup rather than the toilet trip.
Leaks are also part of the learning curve for almost everyone. In a 2025 Australian survey of 530 young cup users aged 15 to 24, published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 54% reported leakage in their first cycle with a cup, and these figures went down in later cycles. Users who knew beforehand that different cups fit different bodies were less likely to give up.
If your cup leaks even when it isn't full, the most common reasons are covered in why your menstrual cup might be leaking.
Which size is better if the toilet is a problem?
Size matters more for toilet comfort than most people expect, because firmness and width decide how much a cup presses on its neighbours.
| Size 1 | Size 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Light to medium flow, a low cervix, teens, strong pelvic floor muscles or a sensitive bladder | Medium to heavy flow or a higher cervix |
| Capacity | 25 ml | 30 ml |
| Diameter | 41 mm | 46 mm |
| Silicone | Softer | Firmer |
If you feel bladder or bowel pressure, or your cup keeps sliding when you go, Size 1 is the better place to start. If you have a heavy flow and no pressure problems, Size 2 holds more. The period cup size guide walks through flow and cervix height in more detail.
What if you drop your cup in the toilet?
It happens, usually while emptying the cup over the bowl. If the toilet hasn't been flushed and the water is clean, fish the cup out, wash it well with soap and warm water, then boil it for 5 minutes before you use it again. If you're not at home, empty your cup into the toilet and wipe or rinse it, then give it a proper wash and boil when you can. Lunette's guide on how to clean a period cup covers washing, boiling and storage.
The easiest prevention is to empty the cup while sitting well back on the seat, with the cup low over the water, and with a firm grip on the base, not the stem.
Using a period cup in a public toilet
This is where the 8-hour wear time does most of the work. Many people simply empty their cup at home in the morning and again in the evening, so they never have to deal with it in a shopping centre toilet. If you do need to empty it out, tip the blood into the toilet, wipe the cup with toilet paper or a cup wipe, reinsert it, and wash it properly once you're home. There's more detail in Lunette's guide to cleaning your cup in a public toilet.
And if your period comes with a change in your bowel habits, you're not imagining it. Lunette has a separate article on why you might poo more on your period.
When should you check with a doctor?
Pressure that comes and goes in the first cycles is normal. See a GP or gynaecologist if you have pain that doesn't go away when the cup is out, difficulty weeing or emptying your bowels that continues after removing the cup, or any sign of infection such as fever, unusual discharge or itching. A cup that sits in the wrong place can, rarely, press on the urinary tract. A 2019 systematic review in The Lancet Public Health recorded nine reports of urinary tract complaints among cup users across all the studies and case reports it found, which is rare but is why an uncomfortable cup should be repositioned or resized, not ignored.
Frequently asked questions
Can you poo with a period cup in?
Yes. The cup sits in the vagina, and poo comes out of the anus. Check the cup is still in place afterwards, as bearing down can move it.
Can you wee with a period cup in?
Yes. Lunette's Australian instructions say there's no need to remove your cup when you urinate, because urine comes from the urethra, not the vagina.
Why does my period cup pop out when I poo?
Bearing down pushes the cup lower, the same way you bear down to remove it. It's more likely if the cup sits low, hasn't fully opened, or if you have strong pelvic floor muscles. Try inserting it slightly higher, check it has opened fully, or consider the softer Size 1.
Do I need to take my cup out before I poo?
No, but you can if you prefer. Many people empty it during a toilet visit they'd make anyway.
Why does my period cup smell after going to the toilet?
Blood exposed to air can smell, and so can a cup that needs a deep clean. Always wipe front to back, wash your hands before touching the cup, and boil it for 5 minutes after each cycle.
Is it normal to feel like I need to poo with a cup in?
In the first cycles, yes for many people. If the feeling stays, try repositioning the cup or switching to the softer Size 1.
Ready to try one? The Lunette period cup comes in Size 1 and Size 2, costs $49.95, and shipping in Australia is free on orders over $100.
About the author: Aleksandra Oklińska is the CEO of Lunette, the Finnish menstrual cup company founded in 2005.
Sources
- Jean Hailes for Women's Health. How to use tampons and menstrual cups for the first time.
- Sirvent-Pinar MÁ, Meléndez-Oliva E, García-García A, et al. Urinary and bowel perceptions during menstrual cup use among healthy women. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 2026;49:101268.
- Hennegan J, Orozco A, Head A, et al. Menstrual cup acceptability and functionality in real-world use: a cross-sectional survey of young people in Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2025;65:382–389.
- van Eijk AM, Zulaika G, Lenchner M, et al. Menstrual cup use, leakage, acceptability, safety, and availability: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health, 2019;4(8):e376–e393.
This article is general information, not medical advice.
