Menstrual Cup: Brisbane based Myoni on breaking period taboo

One cup can be used in place of hundreds of pads or tampons in its lifetime, but the Brisbane founders of this feminine hygiene product acknowledge people could be “a bit put off” by it

This Brisbane trio wants to break the “silly taboo” that surrounds women’s periods and they’re using a reusable menstrual cup to do it.

Matilda Marsh, 31, Fiona McKeague, 33, and Sarah Ripper, 32, are behind the social enterprise Myoni, one of only two reusable menstrual cups designed and manufactured in Australia.

They’re made from a recyclable, medical-grade polymer and are used like tampons but catch blood instead of absorbing it.

Matilda, a former community development worker, says one cup could be used in place of “hundreds” of pads or tampons in its lifetime, but she acknowledges people could be “a bit put off” by the product.

Myoni menstrual cups come in their convenient, colourful little pouches. Photo: Russell Shakespeare

“We still have a lot shame and silly taboo about menstruation and blood that comes from certain places,” says Matilda, who lives in Clontarf where she splits her time between her young family and Myoni.

“We want to start having more of a conversation around periods and making it a normal thing.

“Menstrual cups save so much time and money and space: you don’t have to have a month’s worth of product in your bathroom cabinet.”

The three co-founders say they prefer menstrual cups for different reasons.

Myoni creators Fiona McKeague, Matilda Marsh and Sarah Ripper. Photo: Russell Shakespeare

Fiona, of Woolloongabba, first chose a cup for practical purposes — she would always forget to buy tampons.

“Every month I would get surprised and have to make an unplanned trip to the shops. It made so much sense to buy something once and be done with it,” she says.

The company donates cups to domestic violence charity Share the Dignity and 50 per cent of its profits go to its community partners.