A menstrual cup that reports your flow to your phone

The “world’s first smart menstruation cup” links with a phone app to provide women with information about their periods (+ movie).

Lee says this is because Loon Labs (which is based in San Francisco, with a research and development office in Seoul) wanted to make the Looncup in one piece for hygiene reasons, but will explore wireless battery charging for future versions and a new placement for the antenna so the handle is optional. A securely embedded sensor sends text messages via Bluetooth straight to your smartphone – or Apple Watch.

After a simple signup and log-in, your LOONCUP automatically pairs with your app, and is ready to give your menstrual cycle information in real-time and at a glance, both current and past.

If you’re interested in tracking the color and volume of your menstrual flow, then cool, this product may be for you. I track my symptoms every month and am rarely hesitant to talk about periods with close (and even not so close) friends.

It’s time to take your period to the next stage.

It works exactly like a regularly menstrual cup with all its benefits: reusable, odorless, versatile, and can be used for up to 12 hours at a time. It’s unclear at this time how much the Looncup will retail for, but early bird Kickstarter backers can pay $30 for one cup plus free shipping.

The menstrual cup is starting to gain traction as an alternative to sanitary pads and tampons, and for good reason: it’s cheaper, more environmentally friendly and there’s no risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome, like there is with tampons.

Whether or not Looncup can achieve its own stated goal of helping women better understand their own periods is also up for debate. But if it delivers on its promise, it has the potential to be a slightly better offer – at least as long as the battery, and not just the cup, stays full.