Smart periods: you can now get a menstrual cup that send alerts to your phone about your flow

The Looncup sends texts to your phone when your period is coming, when the cup is fun and when you need to visit the doctor

Changing periods for the better? The Looncup

Loon Labs

Kate Lough6 October 2015

It's official, periods are getting smarter. A Kickstarter appeal has been launched in the US for the world's first smart menstruation cup, the Looncup.

Menstruation cups already exist as a cheaper and environmentally-friendly alternative to tampons and sanitary pads, but the Looncup will be the first one to measure, analyse and track your flow.

Period can be notoriously stressful for women - especially worrying about spillages when using non-smart cups. But this new device, placed in your vagina during your cycle, will tell you exactly when the cup is full and when to refresh if.

How does it do this? A securely embedded sensor sends text messages via Bluetooth straight to your smartphone - or Apple Watch.

As well as sending you notifications about when it's time to refresh - handy if you've got a date or an important business meeting coming up - the Looncup also analyses your fluid and flow, noting day to day changes and signals when it might b time to see the doctor.

It also acts like a personal period diary that automatically takes notes, meaning it can give you a gentle nudge just before your next one is due. So in theory, you'll never be caught out again - or have to worry about Toxic Shock Syndrome.

The only snags are, the developers have just created one size of cup (set to be sold in the US for $30 per cup) and uses non-rechargeable batteries, so you'd need to replace your cup every six months or so.