Menstrual cups found to be a safe alternative to traditional sanitary products

A review of 43 studies with data from more than 3,300 people globally finds that menstrual cups are a safe alternative to other sanitary products. Four of the studies compared leakage using menstrual cups versus other products, including tampons and pads, and found no significant differences. Women using cups also didn’t experience more harmful side effects, although some women did develop rashes or had trouble using a cup if they also had an intrauterine device. Nearly 200 brands of menstrual cups exist, and they’re also about 95% cheaper than using other products. But information about them isn’t easily available: Only about a third of educational websites that offer information on puberty and menstruation contained information about menstrual cups, prompting researchers to suggest that details ought to be made more widely available.