Menstrual Cups

One of the first versions of the ‘bullet’ shaped menstrual cup we know today was patented by a group of midwives in the USA in 1932.  The cup was impractical for daily use as it was heavy and made of metal, so never went further than the design phase. The next patent for a cup of similar size and shape was filed in 1937 by an actress, Leona Chalmers. Her product is seen as the first ‘user friendly’ menstrual cup and was made of rubber.  Unfortunately, the outbreak of the Second World War halted production of her product, as rubber was an essential material for wartime use. Despite these setbacks, Chalmers tried to continue to sell her cups, which she made in small batches, right up until the mid-1950s. Despite her own enthusiasm the cups were never commercially successful and people were very reluctant to use inserted menstrual products.