npr:

Stroll down the menstrual products aisle of your neighborhood drug store and you’ll see a dizzying array of disposable pads and tampons in dozens of brands, shapes, colors and sizes.

Tucked away on one of the shelves, you might see a lesser-known option: the reusable menstrual cup.

It’s a bell-shaped container, made of silicone, latex or rubber. Like a tampon, it’s inserted into the vagina when people have their period. But instead of absorbing menstrual flow with cotton, the cup collects the flow in its receptacle, which stays in place around the cervix through the power of suction (more on that later). And it can be used for up to 12 hours before being emptied. The cup isn’t cheap — the Diva Cup, for example, which sells at CVS, costs about $40. But the lifespan is about 10 years.

Although the menstrual cup has been around for decades — some early commercial models date back to the 1930s — it’s not as popular as pads and tampons. The device has had a reputation for causing possible health problems and being uncomfortable. And for religious and cultural reasons, some believe that it is inappropriate.

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