J Divyaparvathy, Shankar Raj Harini Raj, Merin George Ardra, Karthikeyan Venkatesh
Community Medicine, Tagore Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, IND.
Research, Tagore Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, IND.
Cureus. 2025 Apr 19;17(4):e82560. doi: 10.7759/cureus.82560. eCollection 2025 Apr.
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.
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).
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.
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.
在印度，数百万女性在安全的经期卫生管理方面仍面临重大障碍。本研究聚焦于医学生，以评估他们对各种经期卫生用品的偏好。
这项横断面研究在金奈帕图区的一所私立医学院及医院对本科医学生和研究生开展。估计样本量为348，通过半结构化问卷收集数据。数据录入微软Excel（微软公司，华盛顿州雷德蒙德），并使用IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows 24版（2016年发布；IBM公司，纽约州阿蒙克）进行分析。
研究参与者的初潮平均年龄为13岁（标准差±1.37），范围为9至13岁。在351名参与者中，94人（26.8%）报告月经周期不规律，其余人月经周期规律。参与者中，93.7%使用卫生巾，3.4%使用月经杯，1.4%使用卫生棉条或可重复使用的卫生巾。
确保为工作人员保留清洁的卫生间设施，并为满足经期卫生需求安排休息时间，有助于维持适当的经期卫生。提高对月经杯的认识对于鼓励采用月经杯以及使个人有可持续且有效的经期卫生选择至关重要。
