How a Smart Menstrual Cup Works

How a smart menstrual cup works

Emm is the first smart menstrual cup of its kind, designed to do more than just collect flow. Backed by years of research and user testing, it quietly tracks your period while you’re wearing it, giving you insights into your body that were never possible before. But how exactly does it work, and what happens from the moment you put it in to the moment you check your app? Let’s walk through it together.

It all starts with correctly inserting your cup

If you’re new to cups, that’s completely okay. Like anything new, it can take a little time to get used to, and every body will find its own rhythm. Our community research shows it often takes around three cycles before things feel second nature. Trust the process, we promise it gets easier, more intuitive, and more comfortable with each period.

The Emm app is there to support you, with step-by-step guidance on insertion, removal, and cleaning using tried and tested methods. The cup itself is soft, flexible, and designed to move with your body. Once it’s in place, you can get on with your day without giving it a second thought.

Quietly working without noticing

Safely sealed in medical grade silicone, the Emm smart sensors track your flow, without ever coming in direct contact with your skin, or your menstrual fluid. Once the smart cup is in, they get to work automatically in the background:

- Flow sensors measure volume by detecting change in electrical charge.

- An accelerometer ensures the readings stay precise even when you move, nap or exercise.

- Temperature sensors confirm the cup is in the body, so data is only recorded when it counts.

Everything happens silently while you go about your day. No Bluetooth or signals are ever active when the cup is inside your body.

Syncing made secure and simple

When you’re ready to remove the cup, gently pinch the base to release the seal and ease it out at your own pace. Empty and rinse it, then place the smart cup into its charging case.

This is the only moment syncing can happen. While the cup is in the case and the case is connected to power, Emm syncs with your smartphone using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Data transfer never happens while the cup is inside your body, and the cup does not emit signals when it’s being worn.

Your data, your insights

Every cycle, Emm helps you better understand your body by collecting and providing you with:

- Flow volume and patterns

- Cycle trends and changes over time

- Education around what your data is telling you

- App interactions (so we can keep improving the experience for you)

All of this helps you spot patterns, manage your period more effectively, and gain deeper insights into your menstrual and reproductive health.

Built on research, shaped by you

From day one, Emm has been designed with users at the centre. It was essential that the product worked with our bodies, not against them. Our second-ever hire was a User Researcher, Annie — setting the tone for a human-centred approach from the very start. This means Emm is built around real needs, comfort, and lived experience, with nothing based on assumptions.

Throughout our development process, we’ve:

- Conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews and surveys to understand real experiences and pain points around period products and menstrual health.

- Identified the key information many of us feel is missing when it comes to understanding our bodies.

- Built a community of over 300 loyal user testers who continue to trial every product iteration.

- Refined every detail through rigorous user testing — from the cup's shape and removal experience to how insights are presented in the app.

Privacy and safety at the core

We know your menstrual health information is deeply personal, and we understand the responsibility that comes with handling it. It’s your data, which is why privacy and safety are central to how we operate as a company.

We don’t sell personal data. Ever. Emm is independently audited, and we don’t use your information for advertising. Menstrual health data is classed as special category data under GDPR, meaning it is legally required to have much stronger protections and very strict limits on how it can be used. We apply these standards across all of our systems and processes, and we’re held accountable to them.

If you’d like to read more about our policies and practices, you can find further detail in our FAQs and Data Privacy Policy.

Effortless support every cycle

With Emm, your period care is not just about managing flow. It’s about gaining knowledge, building a clear understanding of your menstrual baseline, and feeling supported by a product designed to put you first.