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. 2025 Apr 19;17(4):e82560.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.82560. eCollection 2025 Apr.

Preference of Menstrual Hygiene Products and Their Usage Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Chengalpattu District

Divyaparvathy J  1 , Harini Raj Shankar Raj  2 , Ardra Merin George  1 , Venkatesh Karthikeyan  3
Affiliations

Preference of Menstrual Hygiene Products and Their Usage Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Chengalpattu District

Divyaparvathy J et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background: In India, millions of women still face significant barriers to safe menstrual hygiene management. This study focuses on medical students to assess their preferences for various menstrual hygiene products.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a private medical college and hospital in Chengalpattu district among undergraduate medical students and postgraduates. The estimated sample size was 348, and data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were entered into Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington) and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 24 (Released 2016; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York).

Results: The mean age at menarche among study participants was 13 years (SD ±1.37), with the range spanning from 9 to 13 years. Of the 351 participants, 94 (26.8%) reported irregular cycles, while the remainder had regular menstrual cycles. Among the participants, 93.7% used sanitary pads, 3.4% used menstrual cups, and 1.4% used tampons or reusable pads.

Conclusion: Ensuring access to clean washroom facilities reserved for staff and scheduling breaks for menstrual hygiene needs can help maintain proper menstrual hygiene. Promoting awareness about menstrual cups is crucial to encourage their adoption and to empower individuals with a sustainable and effective menstrual hygiene option.

Keywords: health education & awareness; menstrual cups; menstrual health; menstrual hygiene products; sanitary pads.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Tagore Medical College and Hospital issued approval 8/November/23. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Distribution of study participants according to status of painful menstruation (N= 351)
Figure 2
Figure 2. Distribution of study participants according to the effect of menstruation on their routine work/ studies (N=351)
Figure 3
Figure 3. Symptoms associated with sanitary pad usage (N=331)
Figure 4
Figure 4. Symptoms associated with menstrual cup usage (n=12)
Figure 5
Figure 5. Comparison of symptoms associated with sanitary pad (n=351) and menstrual cup usage (n=12)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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