Raising awareness of a rare but serious risk linked to menstrual cup use
When Dr Clara Maarup Prip, a urologist and gynaecologist at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, encountered a rare case of kidney swelling (ureterohydronephrosis) caused by a menstrual cup, it was unlike anything she had seen before.
The menstrual cup had been compressing the ureter where it enters the bladder, leading to a serious but rare complication. After searching the literature and finding only a handful of similar cases worldwide, Dr Maarup Prip documented the case and submitted the report titled, “Ureterohydronephrosis due to a menstrual cup” to BMJ Case Reports, choosing the journal based on its reputation and guidance from experienced colleagues.
Dr Maarup Prip didn’t expect the case report to go viral. Published in BMJ Case Reports in February 2025, the paper caught the attention of health journalists worldwide as a direct result of it being press released by BMJ Group’s media relations team. Within weeks, it had become the basis of 29 news stories from 23 major international outlets. It also prompted four opinion pieces in the UK, the USA, and Russia.
We weren’t funded, and it didn’t take long to write. But the response shows just how much value a single case report can bring.”
Dr Clara Maarup Prip
Urologist and gynaecologist, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
Academic literature rarely cites case reports, but that doesn’t mean they lack tangible impact. It just means they need to be measured differently: not by how they affect a journal’s impact factor, but by the value they bring to clinical education, practice, and patient safety.
As deputy editor of this important journal from the BMJ Group, I can’t help but to stress both the educational importance of case reports, but also their role in shaping often important public health advices.
Rui Amaral Mendes
Professor of the Department of Community Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Spotlight on safety
Raised global awareness
of a rare but serious risk of uterohydronephrosis linked to menstrual cup use
25,000+ views
of the study in the first month alone
29 media stories
across 23 major international outlets
Featured on the BBC World Service Newshour programme
and picked up by journalists in the UK, Germany, and the USA
Sparked four opinion pieces in the UK, the USA, and Russia,
prompting professional and public discussion
Altmetric score of 234,
placing it in the top 5% of all tracked research outputs
Triggered practical guidance
Many news outlets included safety advice and how-to videos for the public
Demonstrated value with no funding required,
just a sharp clinical eye and the right publishing partner
“The submission process was straightforward, and the response was fast. I’d had other papers published with other publishers, and this was by far the smoothest experience.”
Dr Clara Maarup Prip
Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark
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