Use Of Menstrual Cup Research Articles

Perception and Acceptability Regarding the Use of Menstrual Cups as An Alternative to Sanitary Napkins Among Women of Reproductive Age.

Perception and Acceptability Regarding the Use of Menstrual Cups as An Alternative to Sanitary Napkins Among Women of Reproductive Age.

Sustainable menstruation and menstrual cups: Study on awareness and intention to use in the state of Kerala

Sustainable menstruation promotes health, social well-being, and minimizes negative environmental impacts. As opposed to single-use tampons and pads, which absorb blood, the menstrual cup collects menstrual blood and can last for up to ten years. The present study attempted to understand the awareness level about sustainable menstruation and menstrual cups, intention to use menstrual cup, and factors inhibiting as well as facilitating the use of menstrual cups among young women. Data was collected through a survey of 1937 menstruating college students in Kerala. The study indicated a high level of awareness about cloth pads and menstrual cups among college students. Though the use of menstrual cups was found to be low, the intention to use menstrual cups was reported to be above average. The major factor for not using menstrual cups was related to fear of vaginal insertion and the major facilitating factor was found to be convenience. The study results will provide insights into designing focused awareness sessions to mitigate the reasons for not using menstrual cups.

IJCM_382A: Awareness regarding use of menstrual cups among female college students in Mangalore

Background: Menstruation is a normal body function requiring proper menstrual hygiene products. There are many products available for management of mensuration among which one of the most undervalued products is the menstrual cup. Despite all of the many sustainable advantages it offers, the use of menstrual cup is limited to not even 10 percent of menstruating women Objective: 1. To assess the knowledge of usage of menstrual cups amongst female non-medical students. 2. To evaluate the willingness to use menstrual cups amongst female non-medical students Methodology: The study was conducted in non-health science colleges of Mangalore. The participants were undergraduate female students. Non-random convenient sampling was used and the study was conducted in March 2022. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was created using Google Forms. Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) approval and permission from college authorities was obtained prior to commencement of study. Results: Majority of students had heard about a menstrual cup (92.1%) but 87.7% of the participants used sanitary pads and only 4.6% used menstrual cups. After obtaining knowledge from the study, 45% of the participants agreed to use a menstrual cup if available and 46.9% would recommend it to their family and friends. Menstrual cup knowledge was found to be significantly correlated with study course (p=0.043) and current sanitary product use (p=0.001). Conclusion: The main concerns regarding menstrual cups among participants were limited knowledge, discomfort, and limited availability. Many participants had no idea about menstruation cups and it’s functioning and method to dispose of them.

Knowledge, use and acceptability of menstrual cup: an explorative study among women health professionals in Kerala, India

Background: Globally, despite a long history of invention and safety measures, the menstrual cup is not a widely used method of menstrual management among women. As comprehensive evidence on the menstrual cup use is relatively limited in India, this study aimed to describe the knowledge, use, and acceptability of menstrual cup among women health professionals in Kerala, India. Methods: We conducted a web-based cross-sectional survey among adult menstruating women health professionals. Information on knowledge of menstrual cups, pattern of use and acceptability of menstrual cups, and factors associated with the usage of menstrual cups were collected. Qualitative interviews were also conducted among current, discontinued and non-users of menstrual cup. Results: Of the 346 women studied, the majority (97%) of the participants were acquainted with menstrual cups. Ever use of a menstrual cup was reported by 34.7% of participants. Currently, women mainly used sanitary pads (73%), followed by the menstrual cup (26%) as the main menstrual hygiene product. The quantitative and qualitative analysis showed a high level of acceptability among users of menstrual cups and perceptible restraints among non-users. Environment safety and affordability were the most appealing factors for menstrual cup use. Conclusions: Nearly a fourth of health professionals in the study were currently using the menstrual cup. A high level of overall knowledge and acceptability among the users of the menstrual cup as seen in the study is likely to motivate and enhance better choice of menstrual products among women in general.

Promotion and strategies of menstrual cup use among healthcare providers: A primer towards a sustainable solution for menstrual health and hygiene management in India

Menstrual cups are considered a sustainable solution for menstrual health and hygiene management, as they are cost-effective, environment-friendly, reusable and offer health benefits over traditional menstrual hygiene products such as pads and tampons. However, in lower middle income countries (LMICs), menstrual cup use is limited. Recently, India's current menstrual hygiene program has included menstrual cups as an option for menstrual health and hygiene management. However, the menstrual cup has not been promoted widely in the Indian context. Even if the use of menstrual cups among female healthcare providers in India is minimal, the manuscript identified the crucial challenges in menstrual health and hygiene management, the role of menstrual cups as a solution and the essential strategies to increase menstrual cup use. Programmatic success requires endorsement from healthcare providers as they are trusted sources of information related to healthcare. Good experiences and leading examples from healthcare providers about using menstrual cups is a welcoming step in the path of the dream of a "pad-free country" for India.

A study to assess the menstrual hygiene practices and use of menstrual cups among school going girls at a selected urban school in Mumbai

A study to assess the menstrual hygiene practices and use of menstrual cups among school going girls at a selected urban school in Mumbai

A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY TO ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDE REGARDING USE OF MENSTRUAL CUP

A menstrual cup is a menstrual device which helps to maintain hygiene during menstrual cycle and it is inserted into the vagina during menstruation.The menstrual cup is a silicon product used for menstruation hygiene. Even though it is safe, environmentally friendly, affordable, and durable, its unacceptability may be related to larger adoption issues.The study is focused to assess the knowledge and Attitude regarding menstrual cups among selected female nursing students. Descriptive research methodology was adopted in this study and 150 female nursing students of Sharda University was selected in the present study. Convenience technique of sampling was adopted for the data collection. The information was gathered via knowledge Questionnaire along with 5-point Likert attitude scale used to assess the knowledge and attitude regarding use of menstrual cup.The resultsreveled that majority (84) of the participants (56%) average knowledge regarding menstrual cup ,53 (35%) participants had good knowledge, while 13 (8.7%) had poor knowledge amongst 150 nursing students. Whereas 0 (0%) had unfavorable attitude, 49(32.7%) participants had neutral attitude and 101 (67.3%) participants had favorable attitude regarding the use of menstrual cup as a menstrual hygiene product.The uses of a menstrual cup for monthly hygiene management among chosen Sharda University college girls looks that it is acceptable and feasible, as it offers realistic, pocket friendly, and good for nature and environment. Young People, who tend to be more willing to embrace the idea of ecologically friendly items, should be addressed to encourage menstrual cup acceptance.

A descriptive cross-sectional study on perceived barriers and facilitators regarding the use of menstrual cups among medical students in a tertiary care hospital in Puducherry

Introduction: Adolescence is the period between 10 and 19 years of life, and about one-fifth of the total female population in the world are in this age group who undergo the basic physiological phenomenon called menstruation. The issues related to menstruation are often neglected by family and community which affects the physical, mental and social functioning of the teenagers. By adopting sustainable menstrual hygienic practices, the major disorder of sexual and reproductive health. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of the usage of menstrual cups among medical students, to assess the knowledge and practice about menstrual cup and to determine the barriers and facilitators regarding the use of menstrual cup. Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among the female medical students of Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of Medical Sciences, Puducherry. The study tool was a Google Form comprising the sociodemographic details of the study participants and the details regarding the usage of menstrual products, especially menstrual cups. This study followed the universal sampling method, and a total of 164 students responded. The responses were downloaded from Microsoft Excel and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Results: Out of the total 164 study participants, 53% belonged to the age group of 18–22 years, 46% were in the age group of 23–27 years, and 1% were above the age of 27 years. Of these, 20% were 1st year, 16% were 2nd year, 21% were 3rd year, 29% were 4th year, and 14% were interns. The knowledge prevalence of menstrual cups was 78%. The prevalence of the usage of menstrual cups was 85%. Conclusion: Hence, much insight has to be tailored to the advancement in knowledge dissemination regarding sexual and reproductive health. The practice of safe, durable, and sustainable menstrual hygienic products such as menstrual cup has to be encouraged as they are cost effective and generate less waste. All menstruating women should be educated about menstrual cups and should be encouraged to use it.

Nonconventional Menstrual Hygiene Products and its Usage among Reproductive age Group Women in India – A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Menstrual hygiene is influenced by various factors including the products used by women during the cycle. The up-to-date and recent products like menstrual cups and tampons make women more comfortable during the day. The study aimed to assess the perception of usage and awareness of women in the reproductive age group regarding nonconventional menstrual hygiene products such as tampons and cups. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study done among 525 subjects belonging to reproductive age group. The data was collected through questionnaires circulated in the form of Google forms. The questionnaire contained general socio-demographic details, menstrual history details, and the details regarding the usage of sanitary pads its difficulties and the use of menstrual cups or tampons and its advantages. The data were analyzed using various appropriate statistical tests. Results: Among the study subjects, 445 (84.8%) are aware that menstrual cups or tampons are present as an alternative to sanitary pads. In this study, 489 (93.1%) have never tried tampons or menstrual cups during menstrual cycles. The most common reason for not trying menstrual cups or tampons among these subjects is as follows: afraid to insert foreign body 190 (38.9%). The study showed that 489 (93.15%), 13 (2.5%), and 23 (4.4%) subjects were currently using sanitary pads, tampons, and menstrual cups respectively. Conclusion: The study showed that the use of nonconventional sanitary products like menstrual cups or tampons was less among the study group even with high awareness. The need of right path about the appropriate and fitting menstrual hygiene product for the generation is portrayed.

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Personal Hygiene Products: The Implications for Human Exposure and Emission to the Environment.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been related to reproductive toxicity in humans, but their occurrence in some specific personal hygiene products, i.e., sanitary pads, panty liners, tampons, paper diapers, menstrual cups, and bactericidal liquids, has not been extensively studied. This work investigated 31 representative PFAS in six categories of such personal hygiene products (n = 91). Perfluorinated carboxylic acids were the primary PFAS found in the samples, accounting for over 85% of the total concentrations of PFAS. Paper diapers contained the highest sum of PFAS concentrations (64.6 ng/g) followed by sanitary pads (52.3 ng/g) and menstrual cups (21.1 ng/g). The estimated exposure doses of perfluorooctanoic acid through dermal absorption from the use of menstrual cups and paper diapers for infants (adults) were 0.77 and 2.1 (1.2) ng/kg-bw/day, which contributed more than normal dust ingestion. The estimated emission of paper diapers and sanitary pads into the environment was 2.58 and 322 kg/year with an assumed leaching rate of 100%. The potential exposure of PFAS through the use of personal hygiene products observed in this work suggests a previously unreported exposure pathway of these chemicals to humans.

The use of menstrual cups is associated with the maintenance of healthy vaginal microbiota: A prospective longitudinal study

Background: Menstrual cups are reusable flexible collectors adjustable to the body. Besides the economic and environmental advantages, it is possible that the use of menstrual cups influences modifications in the vaginal microbiota. We aimed to evaluate the influence of menstrual cups on the vaginal microbiota of reproductive-age women in comparison to sanitary pads and to determine its acceptance. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted with undergraduate/graduate volunteers, whose usual method of menstrual management was sanitary pads. In the first three menstrual cycles (M1 to M3), participants kept using sanitary pads. In the three consecutive cycles (M4 to M6), they used the menstrual cup offered by the research group. A questionnaire was used to obtain gynecological background and sexual behavior. In the first (M1) and third (M3) follow-up visits, participants underwent gynecological examinations including vaginal microbiota evaluation, oncotic cytology, diagnosis of Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis. At each visit, vaginal samples were collected for analysis of microbiota. A generalized linear model with binomial distribution for repeated measures was used and the model was adjusted for confounding factors, using the SAS software. Results and Discussion: We included 47 participants who completed the 6 follow-up examinations. The prevalence of HPV was 48.9% at M1 and 51.1% at M3 and the prevalence of C. trachomatis infection was 2.1% and 6.7%, respectively. None of the participants were infected by N. gonorrhoeae or T. vaginalis. One participant had altered cytology results and was referred to the colposcopy service. Patients with C. trachomatis and/or altered vaginal microbiota were treated. During the three months of sanitary pad usage, 27.7%, 12.8%, and 10.6% of women presented altered vaginal microbiota (bacterial vaginosis, intermediate microbiota, aerobic vaginitis, and/or vulvovaginal candidiasis), while only 8.5%, 12.8% and 8.5% of them had vaginal dysbiosis while using a menstrual cup (P = 0.04). Overall acceptance of menstrual cups among those who completed all the examinations was 93.6%. Conclusion: Our results show that menstrual cups are associated with the maintenance of healthy vaginal microbiota. Additionally, the acceptance of menstrual cups was high in our population.

Improved Accuracy of Naïve Bayes Algorithm and Support Vector Machine Using Particle Swarm Optimization for Menstrual Cup Sentiment Analysis on Twitter

Menstrual cup is a menstrual hygiene sanitation tool that replaces disposable sanitary napkins for women that reaps many pros and cons in its use. From this, it is necessary to analyze the public's views regarding the use of menstrual cups, which is called sentiment analysis. Sentiment analysis is a process that aims to determine the polarity of the sentiment of a text. This paper performs a classification of menstrual cup sentiment analysis on Twitter using the Naïve Bayes and the Support Vector Machine algorithm. Particle Swarm Optimization is applied to improve the accuracy of both classification algorithms. The final result of the accuracy obtained by the Naïve Bayes algorithm is 92.72% and the Support Vector Machine algorithm is 96.13%. While the accuracy results after Particle Swarm Optimization is applied, for Naïve Bayes it produces an accuracy rate of 95.87%, and Support Vector Machine is 96.68%.

Use of menstrual cup and awareness of environmental effects of menstrual hygiene products

ABSTRACT Besides the health problems and economic losses, not managing the menstrual cycle successfully also leads to environmental pollution and affects millions of individuals around the world. Among the reusable menstrual hygiene products, menstrual cups come to the forefront, thanks to their minor environmental effects. This study aims to compare the menstrual cup and single-use menstrual hygiene products regarding the level of user knowledge and awareness “being green” on the environmental effects. The study is carried out between April and May of 2021 on menstruating individuals aged 18–49 years. Among 3365 individuals reached within the scope of the prior study, 298 individuals using menstrual cup and 596 individuals using single-use products were selected. Based on the literature, a survey form consisted of 16 items is prepared by authors questioning the “being green” about the environmental effects of menstrual hygiene products (EKMP). The survey is published online on Twitter and responds are collected using Google Forms. In all the items with statistically significant differences between responded questions in terms of “green” answer percentages in EKMP, it was found that menstrual cup users have a higher percentage of green answers (p < 0.001). In further analysis, as the aged advanced, EKMP scores were higher among menstrual cup users and those expressing concerns about the negative effects of menstrual hygiene products on environmental health. Increasing knowledge and awareness on the environmental effects of menstrual hygiene products, and especially the environmental effects of single-use menstrual hygiene products, might raise the demand for reusable products.

Knowledge, Acceptability and Misconceptions Regarding Menstrual Cup among College Students of Kerala: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Menstrual cup is a good, safe, hygienic, eco-friendly and economical option for menstrual managementthan other menstrual products. The present study aims to find knowledge, acceptability, and misconceptions ofmenstrual cup among female college students in Kerala.Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 187 participants studying in Engineeringor Arts College of Ernakulam district using consecutive sampling technique. A semi-structured expert validatedquestionnaire containing socio-demographic details and questions regarding awareness, acceptability andmisconceptions of menstrual cup was used. Data was analysed using SPSS software.Results: Mean age of the participants was 20.49 ± 2.07 years. 40(21.3%) were aware of hand hygiene beforeinsertion, 43(24.6%) knew average emptying time, 117(62.6%) sterilisation method, and 60(32.1%) knew regardingstorage of cup. But only 2[1.07% (95% CI= 0.00 - 2.5)] participants were using menstrual cup regularly. The mainmisconceptions regarding menstrual cup were, the insertion of device is painful [107(57.2%)], and someone withheavy menstrual flow cannot use the cup [48(25.7%)].Conclusion:Knowledge and acceptability regarding use of menstrual cup were poor. Many misconceptions were stillprevailing among the potential users. Proper awareness and health education should be implemented to increaseits acceptability and to correct the prevailing misconceptions.

Menstrual cup webinar series: A developing model of modified pre- and post-tests in the online teaching-learning of primary health care workers.

Menstrual hygiene management, especially in resource-limited settings, is challenging. The acceptability of the menstrual cup is increasing recently in western countries whereas, in developing countries like India, the awareness, acceptability, and use of menstrual cups are very limited. We assessed the effectiveness of modified pre-post-test teaching-learning methodology in an online webinar series on menstrual cups using Moore's outcome assessment. An online webinar series on menstrual hygiene and the menstrual cup was conducted to raise awareness about the usage of menstrual cups among the health care workers like Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANMs), Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHAs), and Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) of the Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The questions of modified pre- and post-test were displayed. The questions were displayed to participants using the polling option in zoom. A total of 1597 health care workers participated in the menstrual cup webinar series. Of the total, 72.7% of participants responded to the job title question of which ASHA, ANMs, and AWWs were 16.8%, 34.2%, and 41.9%, respectively. The baseline knowledge of menstrual cups among primary health care workers for "heard of the menstrual cup" and "ever used/know anyone using menstrual cup" was 36.89% and 11.67%, respectively. After the webinar among the primary health care workers, the maximum gain in knowledge was seen for "menstrual cup can be cleaned in the home," 94.53%, and the minimum gain in knowledge was on "unmarried girls can use menstrual cups," 50.42%. The modified pre- and post-test model predicted an overall 50 percent rise in the knowledge of primary health care workers by the webinar series about a different aspect of the menstrual cup.As online webinar providers aim to provide more performance-based learning activities, current approaches to continuing medical education may become obsolete. The single most essential shift in online webinar planners can make is to incorporate modified pre-and post-test to allow for interactive and formative assessment during webinar activities.

A Study to Assess Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Program on Knowledge Regarding Safe Use of Menstrual Cup among Adolescent Girls of Selected Schools at Nashik

A Study to Assess Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Program on Knowledge Regarding Safe Use of Menstrual Cup among Adolescent Girls of Selected Schools at Nashik

How Matters of Concern Invade Technologies

Markets have evolved from classic markets to concerned markets – that is, markets that focus not only on economic efficiency and the utilitarian matching between supply and demand but also on the negative externalities produced by market products and exchanges. The menstrual cup is used as a good example to address such matters. This device has supplemented disposable tampons and pads, and if the original focus on practical and material dimensions remains (absorbency, lightness, smallness, disposability, etc.), new concerns have invaded the scene. Significantly, in the advertisements for menstrual cups, reusability, recyclability, safety or hypoallergenic issues have replaced the past quest for efficiency and feeling carefree. How have matters of facts and of concern been involved and with what implications? I propose to address this question based on a computer-assisted analysis of 5,235 consumer reviews (posted on Amazon.com) about the Star Cup (pseudonym), a leading product on the market for menstrual cups. The analysis points out that health and sustainability are only two of the many reasons behind the current use of menstrual cups. Various and often conflicting concerns are intertwined in cup consumption. This helps us understand that the development of sustainable technologies requires taking many more elements and dimensions into consideration than mere environmental friendliness.

Determinants of Attitudes Toward Green Product and Purchase Intention of Zero-Waste Product: A Case Study of Menstrual Cup

Waste, currently, is one of the biggest concerns in Indonesia. As one of the solutions, innovation in the zero-waste product can help in reducing waste because it can be used repeatedly. A menstrual cup is one of zero waste products that substitute conventional sanitary napkins. However, the use of menstrual cups in Indonesia is still taboo. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of attitudes towards green products on the purchase intention of menstrual cup products based on the factors that influence it. The data are taken from 295 Indonesian women who know about menstrual cup products through online questionnaires. The data analysis process is carried out using the SEM-PLS method with several supporting applications. The results showed that environmental attitudes, perceived health benefits, perceived value, and e-wom attitudes influenced the desire of having products that are environmentally friendly and increased the willingness to pay and purchase intentions for menstrual cup products.

Determinants of menstrual cup use among undergraduate medical students: A cross-sectional study.

To identify the determinants of menstrual cup use among medical students in Brazil. A cross-sectional study with an online survey regularly applied to matriculate women from Medical School in January 2021. Of 277 women, 164 participated. The mean age was 22.26 ± 3.21 years. In all 136 women preferred external pads, 60 internal pads, 28 menstrual cups, and 11 did not use. Using a 1-10 scale, price, efficacy, sustainability, practice, vaginal health status, hygiene, and importance of internal genital integrity were investigated. Thirty-seven (22.56%) women related the use of menstrual cups in the last year. Using any method to reduce menstruation had an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.310 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.122-0.787). Concern about the environmental biodegradation had an aOR of 6.369 (95% CI 1.372-29.562); concern about intimal health had an aOR 1.996 (95% CI 1.183-3.368); and concern about internal genital integrity had an aOR of 0.824 (95% CI 0.682-0.995) for menstrual cup use. The significant independent factors for the use or adherence to menstrual cups were: women using a method to reduce their menstrual flow; concerning biodegradation; concerning vaginal health; with no concerns about manipulating their genitalia. The menstrual cup was used by 22.56% of a medical school in Brazil among undergraduate women.

Study on Effectiveness of Computer assisted instruction over the usage of Menstrual cup among Select College Students

Menstrual cup have been available for decades, but it could not attains its popularity among women because of its bulky design and the need for multiple sizes. But in recent times it became one of the important topics to be discussed, because of its health benefits for the user as well as its eco-friendly nature. The study is aimed to assess the feasibility of usage of menstrual cup by new users, who have been using other means of conventional menstrual sanitary protection such as sanitary pads, tampons and cloths. A pre-experimental study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of computer assisted instruction on use of menstrual cup among select students from P.S College of nursing of Kanniyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India. Totally 30 participants, those who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected by convenient sampling technique. A pretest was conducted by using a structured questionnaire, followed by computer assisted instruction. After 7 days post test was taken. The result of the post test score revealed that the computer assisted instruction had its impact on improving the level of knowledge regarding usage of menstrual cup among college students, the overall mean score of pretest was 5.9 with a S.D of 3.8, whereas in post test the overall mean score was 18 with S.D of 1.5.The t-test value was -1.00 which statistically significant at p&lt;005 level of significance. After computer assisted instruction, it was found that all the students were acquired knowledge of menstrual cup, 16.7% of them had moderate knowledge and 83.3% of them showed adequate knowledge. The score of the study have been found to be statistically significant (p=0.001) and the study implies that the education has a vital role in improving the knowledge of college students regarding usage of menstrual cup. The changes brought among students could be transferred to their families and disseminated in to the community in a wide extent.