Cut the stem?

Hello everyone! I bought a Lena cup a couple years ago because I loved the idea of a menstrual cup. However, I’ve tried to use it with several cycles, and each time, I have a lot of trouble getting it in and in the right position. And it HURTS. I’m not sure if I’m just tense when I go to put it in or what, but trying to get the cup in and use my fingers to try and rotate it to get it to pop open causes a lot of pain. Not to mention trying to remove it. Everything just feels tight, no matter how relaxed I am. I’ve tried using water and saliva to lube it up before inserting, and I’ve also tried different folds.

I started my period yesterday and thought I’d give the cup another shot, and I seem to have gotten it in correctly (after much struggling) but I can feel the stem. Is it ok to cut the stem completely off? How much harder will the cup be to remove if I do that? I really want to be able to comfortably use my menstrual cup, but after this long, I’m beyond discouraged. :(