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What Are Moon Cups?

When a woman is menstruating, she has a choice of products to use to absorb or catch her flow. Besides tampons and menstrual pads, women can use a product known as The Moon Cup. The Moon Cup, along with a similar product called The Keeper, is a menstrual cup made in the United States. The Moon Cup, made by women for women, is sold by an Ohio-based company, The Keeper, Inc.

  1. Features

    • The Moon Cup arrived on the United States market scene in 2006. The cup is FDA approved and is made from a non-latex medical-grade silicone, so it may be a good choice for women with sensitive skin or latex allergies. The Moon Cup catches blood flow rather than absorbing it as a tampon or a menstrual pad would. The Moon Cup is bell-shaped and comes in two styles, Style A (for women who have given birth vaginally) and Style B (for women who haven't given birth or who have had a cesarean section). At the bottom of The Moon Cup is a stem that allows removal from the body.

    Use

    • To use The Moon Cup, you fold and and insert it into the vagina. The cup rests below the cervix, and the stem remains outside the body. The Moon Cup's rim creates a suction that keeps the product snug and secure against the vaginal walls. When you wish to remove cup, little holes around the rim help release the suction to allow the cup to slide out. You remove, empty and rinse The Moon Cup about every eight to 12 hours, or sooner if you are experiencing a heavy flow. The cup should always be inserted and removed with clean hands.

    Benefits

    • The Moon Cup is marketed as an eco-friendly and easy-to-use product. Since it is reusable, you do not have to dispose of it as you would menstrual pads or tampons. Also, since you can reuse it, you not have to buy menstrual products every month. Since the product is nonabsorbent, toxic shock syndrome (a potentially rare fatal illness caused by bacterial toxins and associated with the use of superabsorbent tampons) should not be a great concern. The Moon Cup can be worn at all times -- during the day, overnight and during physical activities such as sports and swimming.

    Purchasing

    • The Keeper, Inc. website offers three options for purchasing -- by mail, by phone or by secure online ordering. The Moon Cup is not shipped to Britain or Canada. For people who live outside of the United States, a U.K.-based company, Mooncup Ltd., sells a similar product called Mooncup. Mooncup Ltd. distributes the product in over 50 countries, but since The Moon Cup name is already trademarked in America by The Keeper, Inc., the British company does not distribute its product in America.

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