Women have been using tampons to capture menstrual flow for thousands of years. In the past, tampons consisted of everything from wool to paper to plants. The modern tampon--which is made from cotton or a blend of rayon and cotton--was first patented and sold in the United States back in the 1930s, and it continues to be what most women today use.

But is there a better option than tampons? As our friends over at ASAP Science explain in the video below, the menstrual cup offers a number of distinct advantages over traditional tampons. Instead of absorbing menstrual flow, the menstrual cup captures it. These cups have many unique benefits, including the fact that they are reusable for several years, they create less environmental waste than tampons, and they can be worn for longer periods of time without causing problems. To learn more about the differences between tampons and menstrual cups, check out the video below.

Interested in getting your own menstrual cup? You can find them available for sale here on Amazon.