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

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.