Study of adaptability and efficacy of menstrual cup in managing menstrual health and hygiene

Abstract

Background: Menstrual cups have been available for decades, but their use is limited by bulky design and the need for multiple sizes. However, some benefits have been reported like improvement in managing health and hygiene during menstruation, better information on the average menstrual fluid discharged by women during menstruation and attainment of more knowledge bridging the lacuna in knowledge about the adaptability and efficacy of menstrual cup as a better alternative to conventional options. The study is aimed towards assessing the adaptability and the effectiveness of menstrual cup by naïve users who have been using sanitary pads/tampons/cloth as conventional menstrual sanitary protection.Methods: The study was conducted at conducted Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society, Medical College and Hospital, Dharpur, Patan, Gujarat, India. Total 158 participants aged between ages of 20 to 50 years with regular menstrual cycle were enrolled in the study. Participants were provided menstrual cups to be used for three consecutive menstrual cycles. They were given detailed explanation/information about its usage. Feedback was obtained after every cycle for three cycles using a structured questionnaire.Results: The cup was preferred for comfort, dryness, and less odor. Insertion was easy for 80% participants and 90% participants found removal easy. Problem of leakage was encountered in 3-6%. There were few side effects like rashes, dryness or infection.Conclusions: These results demonstrate that this reusable vaginal device has no significant health risks and is acceptable to many women without the need for fitting or other medical services.

Menstrual cup use, leakage, acceptability, safety, and availability: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…In one case report, severe pain on removal was self-reported and in another case report severe pain was self-reported when wearing the menstrual cup, 14 and two participants in two different cohort studies reported vaginal or cervical irritation without clinical consequences 39, 41. Three adverse events that were reported in one cohort study and three case reports were possibly related to an allergy; one case of silicone allergy necessitated reconstructive vaginal surgery 13, 14, 48. Difficulty with removal that required professional assistance—an adverse event we did not anticipate—was reported 47 times for cervical cups (one participant from a cohort study, and 46 case reports) and twice for vaginal cups (both case reports) 13, 14, 46, 63…”

“…Of 436 unique records identified (appendix p 6), 59 were identified as relevant (figure 1), and 43 studies were included in our analysis (table 1). In these 43 studies, 3319 participants used or were asked about the menstrual cup 5, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73. Seven studies were completed among schoolgirls (ie, aged 12–19 years) in low-income and middle-income countries (647 [19·5%] participants) 5, 27, 33, 43, 58, 59.…”

“…23 In studies that assessed menstrual cups that are still available, the proportion of leakage among the participants who reported use of the menstrual cup was 2–31% for a wide range of definitions, as shown in figure 2. Some factors mentioned in association with leakage by study authors included menorrhagia, 48 unusual anatomy of the uterus, 53 need for a larger size of menstrual cup, 5 and incorrect placement of the menstrual cup, or that it had filled to capacity 39, 53Figure 2Menstrual cup and leakage(A) Proportion of participants who had menstrual leakage in seven studies using different types of menstrual cups and definitions.…”

“…When assessing uptake and acceptability, all six relevant qualitative studies were from low-income and middle-income countries (appendix pp 10–13),30, 33, 34, 38, 56, 58, 59 whereas 20 studies with quantitative information on uptake and acceptability were from low-income and middle-income countries and high-income countries (appendix pp 14–22). 13, 19, 22, 23, 24, 32, 33, 38, 39, 41, 42, 43, 46, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56 In low-income and middle-income countries, usual products for menstruation included cloths, disposable pads, cotton wool, tissue paper, or other items, and leakage and chaffing is a common concern 30, 33, 34, 58, 75. All studies that assessed use of menstrual cups used some form of education and training on the menstrual cup.…”

Menstrual Health and Hygiene- Study of Knowledge Attitudes and Practices of Obgyns on Usage of Menstrual Cups

“…However, the researchers called for deeper research and exploration to understand acceptability across different contexts, especially given that taboos related to vaginal insertion and an uninformed linkage with virginity in several low and middle-income countries, persist. 24 It is also timely that a recent 2019 systematic review indicates that menstrual cups are a safe option for menstruation management and are being used internationally. 25 In previous studies showed that the use of a menstrual cup there was no mechanical harm in the vagina and cervix during follow up when examined.…”