Museum of Menstruation

“About the Author,” Leona Chalmers, The Intimate Side of a Woman’s Life, 1937.

In 1935, Leona Chalmers, a former actress turned self-taught inventor and author, invented the first reusable menstrual cup, the Tassette cup. Chalmers wrote about feminine hygiene in her advice book The Intimate Side of a Woman’s Life, which suggested happiness could be achieved through better hygiene and “sanitary” menstrual practices. Suggested methods for maintaining proper hygiene included regular douching and use of her patented menstrual cup.