Leona Chalmer's 1937
book with a drawing of a cup.
And read comments from people who have used a cup.
Do cups cause endometriosis? Not enough
evidence, says the FDA.
 
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A History of the Menstrual Cup (continued)
The Keeper of the Tradition
 The direct descendent of the Tassette
and Tassaway is the reusable The Keeper, which Lou Crawford of Cincinnati,
Ohio, has made since 1987. A smaller version, called B, for women who have
not had children, appeared in 1989. (The cup end of
A is about one-eigth inch - about three millimeters - wider than B. The
two varieties are otherwise the same.)
Because The Keeper is an ongoing business, Lou was reluctant to reveal
much about her company in an interview (1998), including sales.
She did say that she has not heard of any serious medical problems associated
with its use, a positive aspect reported by most cup manufacturers. Lou
has asked that Dr. Philip M. Tierno, Jr., a member
of the board of this museum and probably the most prominent investigator
of the safety of menstrual hygiene products, to test the cup for safety.
Here are some of Dr. Tierno's comments.
The cup is made of natural gum rubber.
(Readers have sent comments about The Keeper,
Instead and other cups to MUM.)
Early on, in searching for a name for the cup, one group of women suggested
Liberty Bell, because of its shape. Over the advertised life of the cup,
ten years, it also liberates its users from debt, costing around $4 a year
- pretty cheap.
Lou mentioned that the cup and the bag that carries it are made in America.
Women in neighboring states make the bags by hand.
Call 1-800-500-0077 (U.S.A. and Canada),
Worldwide voice mail: 1-877-AKEEPER,
Fax: (513) 221-1464, e-mail: thekeeperinc@aol.com
or write The Keeper, Box 20023, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45220 U.S.A. It costs
$35 plus $2 shipping.
© 1997-2006 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute
any of the work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written
permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org
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