Corpus luteum is essential for establishing and maintaining pregnancy in females. The corpus luteum secretes progesterone, which is a steroid hormone responsible for the decidualization of the endometrium (its development) and maintenance, respectively. It also produces relaxin, a hormone responsible for softening of the pubic symphysis which helps in parturition. If the egg is not fertilized, the corpus luteum stops secreting progesterone and decays (after approximately 10 days in humans). It then degenerates into a corpus albicans, which is a mass of fibrous scar tissue. The uterine lining (endometrium) is expelled through the vagina (in mammals that go through a menstrual cycle).
Menstrual cup investigated whether silicone menstrual cups are a viable alternative to tampons and found that approximately 91% of women in the menstrual cup group said they would continue to use the cup and recommend it to others. In a 1991 clinical study involving 51 women, 23 of the participants (45%) found rubber menstrual cups to be an acceptable way of managing menstrual flow. In a randomized controlled feasibility study in rural western Kenya, adolescent primary school girls were provided with menstrual cups or sanitary pads instead of traditional menstrual care items of cloth or tissue. Girls provided with menstrual cups had