Awareness about menstrual cup among physical education students in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry

Background: Menstrual cups have been around for many decades, but their usage is restricted in India due to sanitary pads' widespread use and lack of knowledge. They are environmentally beneficial and decrease solid waste since they can be reused. Education, awareness, and access to environmentally friendly practices are critically essential when it comes to managing menstrual waste appropriately. After it is resolved, everyone will find it simple to make an eco-friendly transition.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to 247 female undergraduate students studying physical education. The study's goal was to evaluate students' understanding of the menstrual cup.

Results: Among 247 physical education students, 90 (36%) of students didn’t know what a menstrual cup was! 157 (64%) of students were aware of menstrual cup. Students' perceptions of the materials used to make cups, how long they took to empty, and the sterilisation process were unclear. None of the 247 pupils used a menstruation cup.

Conclusions: Due to their widespread usage and marketing, sanitary pads were utilized by every student in the survey. Not many people knew about the cup. Therefore, we draw the conclusion that menstruation cups should be promoted in India. Menstruation cups should be marketed to young people since they are more open to the idea of eco-friendly items. The government must conduct awareness campaigns in rural areas and persistently work to spread the word among all socioeconomic groups if it hopes to achieve the aim of a "pad free country" a reality in the near future.