Awareness about menstrual cups low, according to Lancet study
Jul 17, 2019, 18:33 IST
Menstruation can hurt a young girl’s schooling and make like a tad difficult for women who work by increasing their disposition to urogenital infections if they use poor quality sanitary pads. This is where menstrual cups come into play. Although slightly steep in price, menstrual cups are made up of high-quality surgical silicone and are a one-time investment. But many still don’t know much about them.
The first review and analysis of the use of menstrual cups globally included 43 studies and data from,300 women and girls, published in The Lancet Public Health Journal suggests they are safe and result in similar, or lower, leakage than disposable pads or tampons.
“Even though 1.9 billion women globally are of menstruating age — spending on average 65 days a year dealing with menstrual blood flow, few good quality studies exist that compare sanitary products,” senior author Professor Penelope Phillips-Howard from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK, said.
The authors from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh Royal School of Tropical Medicine and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation compiled global information on the availability and costs of menstrual cups, conducted preliminary estimates on waste savings and examined puberty education materials to assess the extent to which menstrual cups are referred to as an option.
In a linked comment, Dr Julie Hennegan from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA, says: “For consumers purchasing menstrual products, the results highlight cups as a safe and cost-effective option. Critically, findings indicate that menstrual education resources are not providing a comprehensive overview of products to support informed choices. Authors found that awareness of menstrual cups was low, and that only 30 per cent of websites with educational materials on menarche included information about menstrual cups.”
The first review and analysis of the use of menstrual cups globally included 43 studies and data from,300 women and girls, published in The Lancet Public Health Journal suggests they are safe and result in similar, or lower, leakage than disposable pads or tampons.
“Even though 1.9 billion women globally are of menstruating age — spending on average 65 days a year dealing with menstrual blood flow, few good quality studies exist that compare sanitary products,” senior author Professor Penelope Phillips-Howard from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK, said.
The authors from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Edinburgh Royal School of Tropical Medicine and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation compiled global information on the availability and costs of menstrual cups, conducted preliminary estimates on waste savings and examined puberty education materials to assess the extent to which menstrual cups are referred to as an option.
In a linked comment, Dr Julie Hennegan from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA, says: “For consumers purchasing menstrual products, the results highlight cups as a safe and cost-effective option. Critically, findings indicate that menstrual education resources are not providing a comprehensive overview of products to support informed choices. Authors found that awareness of menstrual cups was low, and that only 30 per cent of websites with educational materials on menarche included information about menstrual cups.”