Abstract Understanding menstrual hygiene preferences among medical undergraduates may provide insights into adoption of sustainable choices such as menstrual cups in India. A cross-sectional study (January–June 2023) assessed barriers and facilitators to menstrual cup use among consenting female medical undergraduates ( n =270) in a private medical college in coastal Karnataka using a pre-validated questionnaire administered through Google Forms with electronic informed consent. Associations between cup use and age at menarche and menstrual regularity were analysed using Chi-square tests in Jamovi v2.7.6. Current menstrual cup use was 19 (7.0%), while 26 (9.6%) reported ever-use of Menstrual cups. Key facilitators among ever-users were the absence of rashes or allergies 16 (61.5%) and preference due to low cost and reusability 15 (57.7%). The most common barriers among non-users were difficulty with insertion or removal 145 (55.3%) and a preference for other hassle-free menstrual absorbents 114 (50.9%). Despite low uptake, cup users reported high acceptability related to comfort and affordability, whereas non-users perceived cups as difficult to insert, remove, and manage. Addressing practical concerns may improve menstrual cup adoption among medical undergraduates.
Jacob et al. (Fri,) studied this question.