Abstract Body

Background/purpose: The menstrual cup (MC) is an alternative in the management of menstruation, being little known. This study aim was to answer the question “do medical students of the Lisbon School of Medicine (FMUL) know the menstrual cup?”.

Methods: In the first phase of the study, a bibliographic review was carried out and a questionnaire was structured and tested in a pilot population. The second phase started after approval by the Ethics Committee and consisted on giving the questionnaire to all medical students of FMUL.

Results: Of the 2169 students who received the questionnaire, were obtained 970 valid responses. The majority of the participants heard of the MC (93.8%) mainly from social networks, friends and media and less frequently from classes, medical appointments and scientific events. Most of them were familiar with the functions of the MC, although they had some misconceptions about it. Of the 755 women, 108 already used the MC, being more recently used. Most women (39.6%) considered its use, with those with average to heavy menstrual flow and those who use tampons being the most susceptible to use it.

Conclusions: Although FMUL medical students have already heard about the MC, there is still a lack of knowledge of all its potentialities. Due to this, it is necessary to provide information about it in academic/scientific events and healthcare centers. Finally, there should be a bigger investment in the medical curriculum regarding menses management, allowing future doctors to be able and comfortable to handle with this theme.