Menstrual products and user experience: evaluating satisfaction and cost effectiveness of menstrual cups vs. sanitary napkins

This paper explores satisfaction and cost-effectiveness of menstrual cups and sanitary napkins in menstruating individuals, including demographic and menstrual aspects. One-hundred respondents were sampled through the use of a structured questionnaire that included variables of age, employment, income, menstrual history, product use, satisfaction, and that of cost-effectiveness. The findings showed that the vast majority of participants were young adults and students with most of them earning lower-moderate income which implies that awareness, affordability and accessibility are factors that affected the adoption of menstrual products. Sanitary napkins are still used the most, yet menstrual cups were much more associated with higher satisfaction in terms of comfort, protection against leakage, ease of daily living and willing to recommend, which was statistically confirmed. The cost-effectiveness analysis revealed that menstrual cups, though more expensive to start with, were more cost-effective in the long run, and that there were no differences in cost-effectiveness perceptions according to income. In the study, menstrual cups have been identified as a sustainable, cost-effective and highly satisfactory alternative, which should be advocated through awareness and educational programs to enhance menstrual health.