Is menstrual cup a sustainable and safe alternative in menstrual hygiene management? A qualitative exploratory study based on user's experience in India

Introduction: Menstrual cup (MC) is the least popular alternative for Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) among the reproductive age group women in India. While studies across the globe have shown its usefulness over the conventional sanitary pads, there is a dearth of studies on use and satisfaction status among the MC users from Low- and Middle-Income Countries. Our study intends to explore the experiences and challenges encountered by the MC users. Method: A qualitative explorative study among 26 MC users was carried out telephonically using an In-Depth Interview Guide (IDI). The interviews were audio-recorded followed by transcription and translation. Data were analysed using thematic analysis method. MAXQDA (VERBI Software, Berlin, Germany) software was used for analysis. Result: The age of participants ranged 25-37 years with a mean age of 29.6 (+/- 0.91) years and their average duration of MC use was 2.4 (+/- 0.34) years. MCs were found to be more economical, safe, convenient, and environment friendly compared to sanitary pads. The motivation to use MC was ingrained with the detrimental experiences of using sanitary pad. However, MC users had concerns about the lack of easy accessibility to cups, availability of appropriate size cup and support system for guidance and awareness. Conclusion: MC is an effective and convenient period product that has potential to be an alternate method for MHM. However, it needs more awareness, promotion for wider use leveraging existing platforms. Future research is recommended to study the socio-cultural aspect about the acceptability of MC in rural India.