Abstract
Innovation in menstrual cups and panties addresses "period poverty" and ecological sustainability. However, menstrual cups and panties are not currently subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review. We used data from three U.S. FDA databases and found an increase in adverse event reports associated with menstrual cups and that one-quarter of registered establishments have generic menstrual cups without brand names. Menstrual cups may be beneficial ecologically and economically because they replace single-use devices. However, there are health issues associated with cups, which may increase in incidence as their usage increases during a time when the FDA has reduced safeguards.