“A Qualitative Study – “This is Why Women reject to use a Menstrual Cup – Experiences of Non-Users”
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: A sustainable product for managing menstrual hygiene is the need of the hour, instead of the availability of various reusable methods like a menstrual cup, its acceptance rate is quite low in reproductive age group women.
Objectives: To explore the barriers to adopting a menstrual cup.
Methods: We conducted a transformative mixed method study it was nested on previous studies where the cognizance level of a menstrual cup was found less, acceptability and performance of menstrual cup users was higher compared to conventional method users and the available studies were not sufficient to conclude. The study further thrived to find out the barriers to using a menstrual cup. The sampling technique was Purposive homogenous sampling. The participants were the reproductive age group of women between (15-49). The inclusion criteria were the women with regular menstrual flow (28 days cycle) who were using conventional methods (Sanitary Pads or Cloth) with no intention to become pregnant during the time of data collection. The study was conducted in two institutes in Jodhpur. The study recruited 28 participants from both the centres. Eight In-depth and 4 focused group discussions were conducted with the participants. The interviews were recorded digitally in Hindi and translated into English language. The transcripts were prepared and uploaded in MAXQDA software. Thematic analysis was used to find out the factors for not using a menstrual cup.
Results: The barriers were related to perceived physical, and mental fear, and lack of support from society, family, professionals, and government.
Conclusions: If women are given adequate training, knowledge, and follow-up about the use of a menstrual cup will enable them to use this device easily.