An alternative in menses management

Introduction: The menstrual cup (MC) is a menses management alternative, being little known. This study objective was to discover if Lisbon School of Medicine (FMUL) medical students know the MC. Objective: The main objective of this study was to verify whether the medical students of the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon (FMUL) know the MC well. Methods: In the study first phase, a bibliographic review was made and a questionnaire was structured and tested in a pilot population. The second phase started after the Ethics Committee approval and consisted on giving the questionnaire to all FMUL medical students. Results: Of the 2169 students who received the questionnaire, there were obtained 970 responses. The majority of participants knew of the MC (93.8%), mainly from social networks, friends and social media and less frequently from family, lessons, workshops/conferences and doctor. Most of them were familiar with MC functions, although there were misconceptions. Of the 755 women, 108 already used the MC, being more recently used. Most women (39.6%) considered its use, being the most susceptible the ones with average-heavy menstrual flow and those who used tampons. Conclusion: Although FMUL medical students heard about the MC, there is a lack of knowledge of all its potentialities. So, it is required 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. Introducción: La copa menstrual (CM) es una alternativa en el manejo de la menstruación, siendo poco conocida. El objetivo de este estudio fue descubrir si los estudiantes de medicina de la Facultad de Medicina de Lisboa (FMUL) conocen la CM. Objetivo: El principal objetivo de este estudio fue verificar si los estudiantes de medicina de la Facultad de Medicina de Lisboa (FMUL) conocen bien la CM. Métodos: En la primera fase del estudio se realizó una revisión bibliográfica y se estructuró un cuestionario, que fue probado en una población piloto. La segunda fase se inició después de la aprobación del Comité de Ética y consistió en aplicar el cuestionario a todos los estudiantes de medicina de la FMUL. Resultados: De los 2169 estudiantes que recibieron el cuestionario, se obtuvieron 970 respuestas. La mayoría conocía la CM (93,8%), principalmente de las redes sociales, amigos y medios de comunicación social y menos frecuentemente de la familia, clases, workshops/conferencias y médi