Menstrual Disc That Can Be Worn During Sex Receives $1M

September 10, 2016

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Flex acquires rival Softcup with funds from seed accelerators.
FLEX_8
The Flex Company, on a mission to improve feminine hygiene products, is gaining ground.

The company, which sells Flex, a menstrual aid that can be worn during sex, recently raised $1 million and acquired its rival company, Softcup.

Both companies had manufactured menstrual discs. Superficially resembling a diaphragm, these discs are disposable feminine hygiene cups manufactured out of a medical grade polymer. Unlike traditional tampons or pads which absorb fluid, menstrual discs collect the menstrual flow, needing to be removed, cleaned, and re-inserted every 4 to 12 hours.

Flex advertises itself as being able, through the user’s body heat, to conform to the contours of a vagina and thus create an almost-perfect seal. So perfect, in fact, that it is advertised as allowing woman using it to be able to experience “mess-free sex.”

Better, more comfortable products

Since its debut in 2015, The Flex Company has sold 250 million units. CEO Lauren Schulte told TechCrunch: “Advancements in medical-grade materials that are used inside of the body have finally made a product like FLEX possible. What’s equally important — women are demanding better products. And investors are waking up to the fact that women’s health is not a niche market.”

Part of a fellowship with startup amplifiers Y Combinator and Amplify.LA, the company was able to raise $1 million and subsequently purchase its menstrual disc competitor, Softcup.

Flex is currently available as a single use product,You can buy an eight-pack for $20 ($3.95 shipping/handling), purchase a subscription of 24 Flex cups for $15 a month (free US shipping), or buy an eight-unit monthly subscription, good for one cycle, for $20 a month.

For those interested in trying the Flex, the company also offers a free trial (not including shipping and handling) for one unit, good for 12 hours during a cycle.

Effective and comfortable

Regarding the comfort of the product, Schulte says “…women tell us they forget they’re on their period while they’re wearing it.”

Though men have had a rather uncomfortable relationship with menstruation, that attitude may be changing. Men comprised 25% of the signups for the initial trials so far.

Image source: Flex

M. Christian

M.Christian (they/them) loves nothing better than exploring the intersections of sex and technology—and speculating on the future of both. A highly regarded erotica writer they have six novels,12 collections, 100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies as an editor to their name. Their non-fiction regularly appears in many sites, but they're most proud of being a regular contributor to Future of Sex.

Of their erotic fiction, Tristan Taormino said that “M.Christian is a literary stylist of the highest caliber: smart, funny, frightening, sexy—there's nothing [they] can't write about… and brilliantly.”

Reflecting their unique ability to sympathetically and convincingly write for a range of genders and sexual orientations, their stories have appeared in multiple editions of Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, The Mammoth Books of Erotica, and others. Their collection of gay erotic fiction, Dirty Words, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.

While a majority of their stories have been collected into books like Dirty Words, their fondness for combining sex and science fiction is clearly evident in collections that include Rude Mechanicals, Technorotica, Better Than The Real Thing, Skin Effect Effect, Bachelor Machine, and Hard Drive: The Best Sci-Fi Erotica of M.Christian.

As a novelist, M.Christian’s versatility is on full display with Running Dry, The Very Bloody Marys, Brushes, Painted Doll; and the somewhat controversial queer BDSM/horror/thrillers Finger's Breadth, and Me2.

M.Christian has worked on the industry’s production side as an Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books and as a Publisher for Digital Parchment Services. The latter dedicated to celebrating the works of science-fiction legends such as William Rotsler, Jerome Bixby, Jody Scott, Arthur Byron Cover, Ernest Hogan, and James Van Hise.

Covering topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, plus reviewing a variety of sex tech products, M.Christian’s non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert, Queer Majority, Sex for Every Body, and—of course—their ongoing work for Future of Sex.

If there’s anything M.Christian enjoys more than writing, it’s teaching. A featured presenter, sometimes with their friend Ralph Greco Jr, at national sex and BDSM events, they have lectured on kink play (with an emphasis on safety), polyamory, boosting sexual creativity, and erotica writing--for beginners or those wanting to go pro.

M.Christian is a cohost on two popular sex-education podcasts: Love’s Outer Limits with Dr. Amy Marsh and Licking Non-Vanilla with Ralph Greco, Jr.

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