Who can donate
- 18 to 45
- Currently menstruating
- Living in California
- Not pregnant or breastfeeding
- Not using an IUD
- Comfortable using a menstrual cup
These are the most common requirements; the full screening has a few more.
How it works
Five steps, all from home.
Sign up
Create an account on the donor portal and answer the eligibility questions.
Sign the consent form
Read the consent form in the portal and sign it when you're ready.
Your kit ships
Once you're approved, your kit ships to you. Depending on how you contribute, a health questionnaire and a short call with our team come next.
Collect at home
During your period, collect with the cup and ship the sample back the same day with the prepaid label.
Feedback and compensation
Fill in a short feedback form and your compensation is sent. Donate again next cycle if you like.
What you can expect from us
Screening, privacy and compensation.
Screening
Every donor answers eligibility questions before anything ships. Depending on how you contribute, screening also includes a health questionnaire, a short call and laboratory testing with CLIA-certified labs, at our cost.
Privacy
Your sample carries a sample ID, not your name, and your contact details are stored separately. We never sell your data, your cells, your genetic information or anything that identifies you.
Compensation
A prepaid gift card and a Muse Bio gift box after each completed donation. The amount is shown in the portal and consent materials when you sign up.
In their words
What donors told us.
I've donated twice so far and will continue doing so as long as I can! Menstruation is annoying and painful (to say the least), but my cycle has become rather enjoyable knowing that my period could be making a difference by moving science forward.
The donating experience is very thoughtfully designed. It almost felt like a spa date with friends. What a wonderful way to reframe periods!
I have a background in pharmaceutical manufacturing. I'm passionate about science, and donating felt like a meaningful way to contribute to something bigger than myself. The process was smooth, professional, and well organised.
Signing up for the study was simple and donating felt even more natural, especially since I've been using menstrual cups for nearly a decade. It's a way to contribute to science in a tangible, meaningful way.
Who can donate
Do I have to live in California?
Yes, for now, and that includes anyone outside the United States. We ship collection kits anywhere in California and can only accept samples from California addresses.
Who is eligible?
You need to be 18 to 45, currently menstruating, living in California, not pregnant or breastfeeding, not using an IUD, without a confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis or adenomyosis, and comfortable using a menstrual cup. Some medications, recent infections and a few medical histories also rule people out; you'll see the full list in the screening questions once you create an account. If you aren't eligible, we tell you why, and when you can try again.
I'm not eligible, or I don't menstruate. Can I still help?
Yes. Tell a friend, share this page, and if you have skills or time to offer, use the contact form.
Getting started
How do I actually start?
Create an account on the donor portal. The first thing it asks is a short set of eligibility questions.
What are the steps?
Create your account, answer the eligibility questions and sign the consent form. Your kit ships once you're approved; depending on how you contribute, a health questionnaire and a short call with our team follow when it arrives. Collect at home during your period, ship the sample back the same day with the prepaid label, and fill in a short feedback form; your compensation follows.
How long does it take?
About one to two hours of your time in total, spread over a few days.
Does it cost anything?
Never. Muse Bio never asks donors for payment or card details. If you ever see a charge or a pop-up asking for one, close it and tell us through the contact form.
Collecting at home
Do I need to travel anywhere?
No. Everything happens at home: your kit arrives by FedEx or courier, you collect with the cup, and you send the sample back with the prepaid label in the kit.
What's in the kit?
A menstrual cup, a sterile collection vial, a sealable biohazard bag with an absorbent pad, ice packs, an insulated cooler inside a shipping box, step-by-step instructions and a prepaid FedEx return label. If you'd rather use your own cup or disc, you can, as long as you sterilize it first.
What if my period doesn't come when expected?
Nothing is lost. Keep the kit and collect in your next cycle; the portal tells you which steps, if any, to repeat. Request your kit about a week before you expect your period, so it's waiting when your period starts.
Can I donate more than once?
Yes, up to once a cycle. Each donation repeats the screening steps for the way you chose to contribute.
Screening and privacy
How are donors screened?
Every donor answers eligibility questions before anything ships. Depending on how you choose to contribute, screening also includes a health questionnaire, a short call with our team after your kit arrives, and laboratory testing with CLIA-certified labs, which Muse Bio pays for. The tests are for donor eligibility only; they are not a health check.
What do you collect, and who sees it?
Two kinds of information, kept apart: your health answers, stored under a code, and your contact details, stored separately; your sample carries a code, never your name. Your name and contact details are seen only by the people who need them to run your donation: our donor program team, the portal provider, the testing lab and phlebotomy service if you're tested, the carrier that ships your kit, and the gift card provider that pays you. Our medical director sees test results, and our laboratories and partners see coded samples and data without your name.
Do you share my information?
We never sell your information. Your name and contact details go only to the services that ship your kit, book your blood draw and pay you. Coded samples and data, without your name, may go to the laboratories and partners who work with us.
Can I withdraw or have my data deleted?
Yes. You can withdraw at any time, without penalty, and ask us to remove your name and contact details. Some donor records are regulated and have to stay, and a sample that has already been processed can't be returned.
Compensation and your sample
Am I compensated?
Yes. Every completed donation is compensated with a prepaid gift card, sent by email, plus a Muse Bio gift box, once you've finished every step including the short feedback form. It's for your time, not your sample, and you'll see the amount in the portal and consent materials when you sign up.
What do you do with my donation?
We isolate the stem cells from your sample, grow them in our laboratory, collect what they secrete and remove every cell. Research donations are used only for research. Nothing from the donor program is used as a treatment, and Muse Bio doesn't offer any.
Is my sample sold?
Your sample itself is never sold. Samples given for research are used only for research. Samples given for commercial use are processed into a cell-free ingredient, and that ingredient is what goes into products.
Can I get my cells back, or bank them?
No. We don't offer personal storage of cells.