FEMCUP is also supporting individuals experiencing period poverty by donating three menstrual cups for every set purchased to individuals who don’t have access to sanitary products.

FEMCUP founder Julie Fitzpatrick, 42, from Glasgow, a former pole fitness instructor who previously owned a chain of pole fitness studios across Scotland, decided to start up her own menstrual cup company while studying for a Nutritional Therapy Diploma.

Learning more about her own health and the impact plastics and toxins have on the body and the environment, as well as effect of lack of proper sanitary products was the catalyst to creating a company founded on the idea of supporting those that don’t have access to the most basic of sanitary products.

Julie Fitzpatrick, FEMCUP founder, said: “FEMCUP is more than just a sanitary product. It has been created to offering a product that is safer for people’s bodies, better for the environment and a one purchase alternative for those in need who can’t afford or aren’t able to access sanitary products.

“Shockingly, 1 in 10 of the 800 million people, daily, that have their period cannot afford menstrual care products, in many cultures causing them to miss out on schooling, education and work every month for fear of being ridiculed if they were to bleed through. In addition, there are immense health risks that come with using rags & cloths as an alternative which can lead to bacterial infections, infertility & possibly even death.

“For people to be faced with these circumstances in this present day is unacceptable, which led me to also set up the charity Change4GlobalChange where £1 for every product purchased which will go towards supporting women & children.

“The initial plan is to focus at a grass roots level, supporting Scottish women’s charities raising £20,000 from contributions from sales in year one, and supporting at least 10,000 individuals in UK with their own cups.”

The environmental impact of single use sanitary products was also a significant factor in creating FEMCUP. Approximately 720 million people go through over 3 billion single use sanitary products each day, which end up in landfill or being flushed down the toilet, taking hundreds of years to break down.

FEMCUP, made from reusable medical grade silicon comes in a trio set; three cups that can be carried out and about in a convenient carry purse, meaning there is no need to reinsert a used cup.