Assessment of knowledge and creating awareness for the use of menstrual cup and its related aspects during menstruation among young adults: an environment friendly approach

Authors

  • Jhanvi Singh Government Doon Medical College, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
  • Jolly Agarwal Department of Anatomy, Government Doon Medical College, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
  • Renu Gulwani Department of Pharmacology, Government Doon Medical College, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
  • Chitra Joshi Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Government Doon Medical College, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20250853

Keywords:

Menstruation, Menstrual cup, Environmental, Cost-effectiveness

Abstract

Background: An advancement in the field of menstrual management products is the menstrual cup that act by collecting the menstrual blood which needs to be emptied every 6 to 12 hours and can last for up to 5 to 10 years, thereby decreasing the environmental impact caused by one-time use products. Thus, this research was conducted to assess the knowledge among young adult females about the use of menstrual cup and to further spread awareness about its use as an environment friendly and cost-effective device.

Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in Doon Hospital, Dehradun with 230 participants.

Results: 68.6% of the study participants knew about the use of menstrual cup as menstrual management device. 57.8% of the participants feel that the menstrual cup is cost effective alternative to sanitary pads and tampons and 66.5% feel that the menstrual cup is an environment friendly device. After an informative video was shown to the participants about menstrual cup, the knowledge of majority of the participants changed from “average” to “good”.

Conclusions: The study results show that although majority of the study population knew about the use of menstrual cup, yet they hesitate from using it. Thus, there is need to create awareness about the use of menstrual cup as an effective menstrual management product and make it more affordable and available to the public.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Kakani C, Bhatt J. Study of adaptability and efficacy of menstrual cup in managing menstrual health and hygiene. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2017;6(7):3045-53. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20172932

Parent C, Tetu C, Barbe C, Bonneau S, Gabriel R, Graesslin O, et al. Menstrual hygiene products: A practice evaluation. J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod. 2022;51(1):102261. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogoh.2021.102261

Singh R, Agarwal M, Sinha S, Chaudhary N, Sinha HH, Anant M. Study of Adaptability and Efficacy of Menstrual Cups in Managing Menstrual Health and Hygiene: A Descriptive Longitudinal Study. Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29690. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.29690

Upson K, Shearston JA, Kioumourtzoglou MA. Menstrual Products as a Source of Environmental Chemical Exposure: A Review from the Epidemiologic Perspective. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2022;9(1):38-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-022-00331-1

Eti M, Shreya S, Sailakshmi A. Knowledge about menstrual cup and its usage among medical students. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2019;8(12):4966-70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20195353

Singh N, Arya A, Chandra H, Mehra JS. Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Menstrual Hygiene among School Going Girls in Rural and Urban Schools in Dehradun: A Comparative Study. Int J Sci Res 2020;9(5):940-6.

Howard C, Rose CL, Trouton K, Stamm H, Marentette D, Kirkpatrick N, et al. FLOW (finding lasting options for women): multicentre randomized controlled trial comparing tampons with menstrual cups. Can Fam Physician. 2011;57(6):e208-15.

Meghana S, Gomathy E. Knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding menstrual cup among reproductive women in a rural tertiary care Hospital. Int J Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 2021;5(2):211-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33545/gynae.2021.v5.i2d.889

Shwetha K, Bhandary A. Menstrual cup: awareness among reproductive women. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2020;9(4):1382-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20201066

Gharacheh M, Ranjbar F, Hajinasab N, Haghani S. Acceptability and safety of the menstrual cups among Iranian women: a cross-sectional study. BMC Womens Health. 2021;21(1):105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-021-01259-8

Sudevan Devan GM, Mohanan G, Ajitha GK, Kavitha H, Majeed I, Kesavan Nair AN. Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding Menstrual Cup Among Females in an Urban Setting of South Kerala. J Family Reprod Health. 2022;16(4):243-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jfrh.v16i4.11354

Schevchenco B, Brandão S, Gomes Timbó P, Tonon da Luz SC, da Silva Honório GJ, Da Roza T. The influence of the menstrual cup on female pelvic floor muscles variables: a prospective case series. Women Health. 2023;63(1):35-43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2022.2155901

Pokhrel D, Bhattarai S, Emgård M, von Schickfus M, Forsberg BC, Biermann O. Acceptability and feasibility of using vaginal menstrual cups among schoolgirls in rural Nepal: a qualitative pilot study. Reprod Health. 2021;18(1):20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-020-01036-0

Downloads

Published

2025-03-27

How to Cite

Singh, J., Agarwal, J., Gulwani, R., & Joshi, C. (2025). Assessment of knowledge and creating awareness for the use of menstrual cup and its related aspects during menstruation among young adults: an environment friendly approach. International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology, 14(4), 1146–1154. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20250853

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles