[Latest survey data for 2024] What is the usage rate and awareness rate of menstrual cups? What is the actual situation with menstrual cups?

At murmo, We conducted a survey on menstrual cups targeting women in their 20s to 40s across Japan. This survey looked at the actual state of menstrual cups, such as awareness and usage rates of menstrual cups in Japan, and how people who actually use them feel, rather than focusing on Murmo users. The aim was to gain a broad understanding, and in this article we will share the results of the survey and what we can learn from them.

This article will also be useful for those who are thinking about using a menstrual cup, as it will tell you what benefits people who actually use them have experienced, so please read it.

Menstrual cup awareness

When asked, "Are you familiar with menstrual cups?", about half of the respondents answered "Yes (48.9%)." While there are many different types of sanitary products available, only about half of respondents were aware of menstrual cups.

Experience with and interest in menstrual cups and reasons for their use

When asked about their experience and interest in using menstrual cups among those who answered that they were familiar with them, 22.8% answered that they were interested but had never used one, indicating that the number of people becoming interested in menstrual cups is gradually increasing.

On the other hand, 12.3% of people said they had used it in the past but have now stopped, or had only used it once. (8.9%)." For those who have "only used it once," we can assume that they gave up on the menstrual cup before they got used to it.
Menstrual cups are a sanitary product that takes time to get used to, but that's why at murmo we offer sizes and specifications that are easy to use for first-time users, and we also provide support via chat on our official LINE account.

Furthermore, what are the most common reasons why people have never used a menstrual cup?
(See graph on the right)

When asked, "Please tell us the reason that best applies to you," the most common answer was, "They seem difficult to put on and take off (27.9%)," followed by "They seem difficult to keep clean (20.3%)" and "I don't know how to use them (18.3%)."
Because menstrual cups are inserted directly into the vagina, the top responses included concerns about the difficulty of putting them on and taking them off, and concerns about hygiene when using them repeatedly.

At murmo, we have designed our products to be as easy to put on and take off as possible, and in addition to providing chat support via LINE, we also provide instructions on how to keep them hygienic, which we hope you will take a look at on our official murmo Instagram and in our online store blog post .

Next, in the survey, we asked how many people are troubled by discomfort or problems during their period in general, not just menstrual cups.

Do you have any concerns during your period?

It turns out that more than half of the respondents have problems with their periods.

Problems I have during my period and how using a menstrual cup has helped

Furthermore, when asked about the problems they face during their period, the most common answer was "stuffiness and odor (57.0%)," followed by "rash and itching (53.8%)" and "abdominal pain (52.2%)." The results show that many people experience problems in their sensitive areas, such as stuffiness, odor, rash, and itching.

To find out whether using a menstrual cup can solve the problems people have with their period, respondents who have used a menstrual cup were asked, "Please tell us what improvements you have experienced since using a menstrual cup (multiple answers allowed)." The most common answer was, "I feel less stuffiness (34.6%)," followed by, "I can spend the day without worrying about leaking (26.4%)" and "I no longer have to worry about odor (24.6%)."

The most common concern during menstruation, "stuffiness and odor," was ranked as one of the issues that was improved by using a menstrual cup, and some people also found that their worries about menstrual leakage were reduced.

Next, we asked in what situations menstrual cups are useful.

When is a menstrual cup useful?

The most common answer was "On days with heavy menstrual flow (47.3%)," followed by "When playing sports or exercising (30.0%)" and "When sleeping (23.6%)." Approximately half of respondents said that menstrual cups are useful on days with heavy menstrual flow.

Given that the top choices include days with heavy menstrual flow, days when you move around a lot, and times when you can't change your cup for a long time, it appears that the benefits of menstrual cups are that they have a larger capacity than other sanitary products and can be changed less frequently.

On the other hand, the percentage of people who answered "days with light menstrual flow" was also fairly high at 11.8%. This is thought to be because on days with light menstrual flow, women feel more comfortable wearing the diaper for the longest period of time (up to 12 hours for Murmo) and there is less worry about leakage.

summary

This survey revealed that approximately half of women in their 20s to 40s across Japan are aware of menstrual cups. However, it also showed that approximately 80% of women have never used a menstrual cup.
Reasons given for not having used one include "it seems difficult to put on and take off," "I'm worried about whether I can keep it clean," and "I don't know how to use it," which suggests that there are indeed hurdles to using a menstrual cup for the first time.
Among those who have used menstrual cups, many said that they improved stuffiness and odor, and we also found that many feel that menstrual cups reduce discomfort and problems during menstruation.

The murmo menstrual cup is a uniquely designed, Japanese-made menstrual cup that is packed with ingenuity in functionality, user support, and design, making it easy to use even for first-time users.
If you are interested, please take a look at the Murmo product overview page and our What is a Menstrual Cup? page.
We hope that this product will be useful as one of the options for making your period more comfortable.

Survey Overview: Survey on "Menstrual Cups" Survey Period: Thursday, June 6, 2024 - Friday, June 7, 2024 Number of respondents: 1,061 Survey subjects: Monitors who answered that they were women in their 20s to 40s when they answered the survey