The History of Menstrual Cups
Menstrual cups can feel like a modern period-care innovation, but the basic idea is nearly a century old. Long before today's medical-grade silicone cups, inventors were experimenting with reusable internal cups made from rubber and other materials.
The story is more interesting than a single “first menstrual cup” date. Several early designs appeared, disappeared, and evolved as materials, manufacturing, social attitudes, retail access, and period-care habits changed.
A menstrual cup timeline
| Period | What was happening |
|---|---|
| Late 1920s | Commercial menstrual cups were being marketed in the United States. The Smithsonian's menstrual-history collection identifies the Hy-Kup as an early example introduced around 1928. |
| 1937 | Actress and inventor Leona Chalmers received U.S. Patent 2,089,113 for a catamenial appliance, an internally worn reusable cup design. Chalmers' cups were later associated with the Tassette name. |
| 1939–1940 | The Smithsonian documents the Foldene menstrual cup, which was offered in three sizes—evidence that fit and sizing were already recognized as important considerations. |
| Mid-20th century | Inventors continued refining cup shape, flexibility, insertion, positioning, and removal. Chalmers received another menstrual-cup patent in 1950. |
| Late 20th century onward | Reusable cups gradually returned with newer materials and manufacturing methods. Modern designs expanded in size, capacity, firmness, shape, and stem style. |
| Today | Menstrual cups are available in medical-grade silicone and other suitable materials, with options intended for different cervix heights, flows, sensitivities, and activity levels. |
Early commercial cups: the idea predates modern silicone
The Smithsonian National Museum of American History notes that menstrual cups were commercially marketed by the late 1920s. One early example, the Hy-Kup, appeared around 1928. Its construction was different from the soft silicone products familiar today, but the core concept was recognizable: collect menstrual fluid internally in a reusable cup rather than absorb it in a disposable product.
That matters because it shows that the menstrual cup was not invented as part of the recent sustainability movement. The concept existed alongside the early development of many modern disposable menstrual products.
Leona Chalmers and the 1937 menstrual cup patent
One of the best-documented milestones came from Leona W. Chalmers. She filed a U.S. patent application in 1935 and was granted Patent 2,089,113 on August 3, 1937. Her design described a self-supporting internally worn receptacle intended to collect menstrual flow.
Chalmers' work became closely associated with the Tassette cup. Her patent is important not because it proves she was the only person experimenting with cups, but because it provides a clear historical record of a sophisticated reusable-cup design in the 1930s.
Even early cup makers were thinking about sizing
A particularly interesting item in the Smithsonian collection is the Foldene cup from around 1939–1940. It was marketed in three sizes. Nearly a century later, size is still one of the most important parts of choosing a cup.
Today's sizing is more nuanced than simply choosing small, medium, or large. Cervix height, flow, cup diameter, sensitivity, pelvic-floor strength, and ease of reach can all affect which dimensions feel best.
Our menstrual cup size chart and firmness guide explains how those factors work together.
Mid-century designs kept evolving
Menstrual cups did not simply appear in the 1930s and remain unchanged. Patent records show continued attempts to improve flexibility, folding, insertion, positioning, and comfort. Chalmers received another U.S. patent in 1950 describing refinements intended to make a cup more flexible during insertion while helping it maintain its working position afterward.
These design problems will sound familiar to modern cup users. A cup still has to be flexible enough to fold for insertion, resilient enough to open, comfortable enough to wear, and accessible enough to remove.
Why did menstrual cups remain relatively niche for so long?
There is no single reason. Disposable pads and tampons became deeply established in retail and everyday culture, while reusable internal cups required a different kind of learning and body familiarity. Earlier cups also had fewer material, sizing, and design options than consumers have today.
Social discomfort around discussing menstruation likely mattered too. Cup use involves understanding anatomy, insertion, removal, cervix position, and cleaning—topics that were not always discussed openly in advertising, schools, or healthcare conversations.
Modern users have something earlier generations did not: easy access to detailed fitting guides, user communities, multiple cup dimensions, different firmness levels, improved materials, and many stem designs.
The shift to modern menstrual cup materials
Many early cups were made from rubber. Modern menstrual cups may use medical-grade silicone, thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), or other materials designed for this type of use, depending on the manufacturer.
Silicone allowed designers to create cups with a wide range of flexibility and firmness while keeping them reusable and easy to clean according to product instructions. Modern cups can now differ not only in size but also in rim structure, body shape, capacity, firmness, texture, and removal stem.
From straight stems to rings, loops, and other removal designs
Traditional menstrual cups often use a straight tab or stem extending from the base. Modern designs have experimented with balls, flat tabs, loops, ladders, and rings to give users different ways to locate the bottom of the cup.
Peachcup uses a circular ring pull stem. The ring is designed to provide a distinct point for locating the cup and gently guiding it downward once the seal has been released. It should not be used to pull forcefully against an intact seal.
You can read more in our guide to ring-stem menstrual cups.
Modern cup choice is much more individualized
Early cup advertisements could offer only a handful of models. Today, cup choice can be adapted much more closely to anatomy and lifestyle.
Peachcup, for example, is available in three sizes:
| Size | Capacity | Total length | Diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 24 ml | 6.6 cm | 4.1 cm |
| Medium | 28 ml | 7.2 cm | 4.4 cm |
| Large | 32 ml | 7.5 cm | 4.7 cm |
The Peachcup line also includes Soft, Medium Firm, and Extra Firm options, with availability varying by size. That separation between size and firmness is one of the biggest advantages of modern cup design: the dimensions can solve one fit need while silicone firmness solves another.
What has not changed
Despite all the material and design evolution, a few basic principles are remarkably consistent. A menstrual cup still needs to:
- fold or compress for insertion,
- open and collect menstrual flow,
- fit comfortably within the vaginal canal,
- remain stable during normal activity,
- be reachable and removable without force, and
- be cleaned and cared for appropriately for repeated use.
The technology has evolved, but the goal is essentially the same one early inventors were working toward: reusable internal period protection that can be comfortably worn and emptied.
The menstrual cup is both old and still evolving
What feels new today is often not the concept itself, but the amount of choice available around it. Modern materials, more detailed fit guidance, varied firmness, higher-quality manufacturing, and redesigned stems have made it possible to tailor a cup much more closely to the individual user.
That is why menstrual-cup history is not just a story of one invention in 1937. It is a long sequence of people trying to improve the same basic idea.
