vary widely, from us$0.7 to $47 per cup (based on a 2019 review of 199 brands of menstrual cups available in 99 countries). reusable menstrual products (including menstrual cups, but not disposable menstrual cups) are more economical than disposable products. money will be saved using a menstrual cup, compared with other options such as tampons. if a woman menstruates for 40 years, the lifetime expense for pads and tampons is us$2,400. if the average silicone menstrual cup lasts between one and five years, then between eight and 40 would be needed in 40 years. if a menstrual cup costs us$30 (costs vary by manufacturer), the lifetime cost for a menstrual cup would be between us$240 and us$1,200. the up-front cost of a menstrual cup may be expensive for women from low-income households, especially in developing countries. buying pads or using rags monthly may seem more affordable than purchasing a menstrual cup, though the lifetime cost is higher. environmental impact since they are reusable, menstrual cups help to reduce solid waste. some disposable menstrual pads and plastic tampon applicators can take 25 years to break down in the ocean and can cause a significant environmental impact. biodegradable sanitary options are also available, and these decompose in a short period of time, but they must be composted, and not disposed of in a landfill. when considering a 10-year time period, waste from consistent use of a menstrual cup is only a small fraction of the waste of pads or tampons. for example, if compared with using 12 pads per period, use of a menstrual cup would produce only 0.4% of the plastic waste. each year, an estimated 20 billion pads and tampons are discarded in north america. they typically end up in landfills or are incinerated, which can have a great impact on the environment. most of the pads and tampons are made of cotton and plastic. plastic takes about 50 or more years and cotton starts degrading after 90 days if it is composted. given that the menstrual cup is reusable, its use greatly decreases the amount of waste generated from menstrual cycles, as there is no daily waste and the amount of discarded packaging decreases as well. after their life span is over, the silicone cups are put in landfills or incinerated. menstrual cups may be emptied into a small hole in the soil or in compost piles, since menstrual fluid is a valuable fertilizer for plants and any pathogens of sexually transmitted diseases will quickly be destroyed by soil microbes. the water used to rinse the cups can be disposed of in the same way. this reduces the amount of wastewater that needs to be treated. in developing countries, solid waste management is often lacking. here, menstrual cups have an advantage over disposable pads or tampons as they do not contribute to the solid waste issues in the communities or generate embarrassing refuse that others may see. history menstrual cups may have been inspired by other types of vaginal inserts used throughout history. vaginal inserts had various purposes from birth control, enabling abortions, to supporting a prolapsed uterus. the first version of what we would now call a menstrual cup was a rubber sack attached to a rubber ring created by s.l. hockert in 1867, which was patented in the united states. an early version of a bullet-shaped menstrual cup was patented in 1932, by the midwifery group of mcglasson and perkins. leona chalmers patented the first usable commercial cup in 1937. other menstrual cups were patented in 1935, 1937, and 1950. the tassaway brand of menstrual cups was introduced in the 1960s, but it was not a commercial success. early menstrual cups were made of rubber. in 1987, another latex rubber menstrual cup, the keeper, was manufactured in the united states. this proved to be the first commercially viable menstrual cup and it is still available today. the first silicone menstrual cup was the uk-manufactured mooncup in 2001. most menstrual cups are now manufactured from medical grade silicone because of its durability and hypoallergenic properties, though there are also brands made of tpe (thermoplastic elastomer). menstrual cups are becoming more popular worldwide, with many different brands, shapes, and sizes on the market. most are reusable, though there is at least one brand of disposable menstrual cups currently manufactured. some non-governmental organizations (ngos) and companies have begun to propose menstrual cups to females in developing countries since about 2010, for example in kenya and south africa. menstrual cups are regarded as a low-cost and environmentally friendly alternative to sanitary cloth, expensive disposable pads, or "nothing" – the reality for many females in developing countries. while numerous companies all over the world offer this product it was still not well known in around 2010. it may be difficult for companies to make profit from this product as one single menstrual cup can last a girl or woman five years or longer. most women hear of menstrual cups through the internet or word of mouth, rather than through conventional advertising on tv for example. society and culture developing countries further information: menstrual hygiene management women in meru, kenya, examining a menstrual cup. menstrual cups can be useful as a means of menstrual hygiene management for women in developing countries where access to affordable sanitary products may be limited. a lack of affordable hygiene products means inadequate, unhygienic alternatives are often used, which can present a serious health risk. menstrual cups offer a long-term solution compared to some other feminine hygiene products because they do not need to be replaced monthly. the municipality of alappuzha in kerala, india launched a project in 2019 and gave away 5,000 menstrual cups for free to female residents. the purpose of this was to encourage the use of these cups instead of non-biodegradable menstrual pads to reduce waste production. in 2022, kumbalangi, a village in kerala, became india's first sanitary napkin free panchayat under a project called "avalkkayi", which gave away 5,700 menstrual cups for free. cultural aspects further information: culture and menstruation feminine hygiene products that need to be inserted into the vagina can be unacceptable for cultural reasons. there are myths that they interfere with female reproductive organs and that they cause females to lose their virginity. use of a menstrual cup could stretch or break the hymen. since some cultures value the preservation of the hymen as evidence of virginity, this can discourage young women from using cups.