Unmet Need, Practice, Perception and Predictors of Menstrual cup Use among Medical and Paramedical Students and Staffs: A Cross-Sectional Study from Eastern India

Background Menstrual cups are a cost-effective, sustainable, and safe alternative to other menstrual products. However, they are less popular or not widely used, such as sanitary pads. The study aimed to estimate the unmet need, prevalence and associated factors of menstrual cup use. Methods The study was conducted in a tertiary medical college in Odisha, eastern India. All female medical and paramedical students and staff aged 18–45 years were included in the study. Women with surgical/physiological menopause and those denied consent to participate in the study were excluded. Unmet need was defined as females willing to use menstrual cups but not using them currently. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to find the factors associated with menstrual cup use. Model 1 analysed individual characteristics (age, marital status, participant's education, and knowledge related to menstrual cups). Model 2 added family factors (mother's education, type of family, and family income and in final model 3 incorporated social/environmental factors (residence and caste). Results Out of 538 participants, 339 intend to use the menstrual cup; however, only 15 participants use the menstrual cup currently. The unmet need was 95.58% [95% CI 92.81%-97.50%]. The prevalence of menstrual cup use is 2.79% [95% CI 1.57%-4.56%]. Women who rated their knowledge of menstrual cups as good were likelier to adopt menstrual cups as menstrual hygiene management than those with poor/average knowledge [OR 10.81 (95% CI 3.04–38.49)]. Mother’s education was significant in bivariate analysis [OR 4.17 (95% CI 1.09–15.95)]; however, it was not significant in model 3. The reasons for unmet needs were comfortable with sanitary napkins, no adequate knowledge about menstrual cups, the requirement of support during menstrual cup use, fear of insertion, lack of privacy, fear of being struck inside the vagina, and social taboos. Conclusion Despite the benefits, menstrual cup use remains low while unmet needs are high. A strong association exists between individuals with good knowledge of menstrual cups and their likelihood of using them. To address this, public health initiatives are necessary to enhance knowledge and provide support, promoting menstrual cups as a sustainable solution for menstrual hygiene management among women of reproductive age.