Awareness and practices about menstruation among adolescent girls: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Introduction: Menstruation is still a taboo in India and it is common for people across society to feel uncomfortable about the subject. It is a normal physiological process. Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess awareness and hygiene practices amongst adolescent girls and to study the menarche age of respondents in comparison to their mother's age at menarche. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional, observational and prospective study was carried out in two private high schools of Mehsana city, Gujarat. Data were collected in a form of a structured questionnaire. Adolescent girls from 10 to 19 years were enrolled in the study. Ethical approval was obtained before initiating data collection. IBM SPSS version 2.0 was used for the analysis of the data. Results: Out of a total of 454 screened, 398 adolescents were enrolled in the study with an 87.76% response rate. The mean menarche age of adolescent girls was 13.33 ± 1.18 years. Mothers 316 (78.4%) were the first source of information. Majority of study respondents (68.5%) rated menstruation as a part of the physiologic process caused by hormonal changes. About 18.6% knew the uterus as a source of bleeding. About 59.8% of adolescent girls were scared and discomforted at their menarche. Most (93.5%) were using sanitary pads as absorbent material. Half of the respondents were using water to clean their genitals. Nearly half of the respondents felt hesitation for discussing their menstrual-related problems with others. The mean menarche age of the participants was 13.33 ± 1.18 years with a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 18 years, while their mother's age at menarche was 14.58 ± 1.27 years. Conclusion: Menstrual hygiene education must be provided to adolescent girls. Need to solve taboos and misconception amongst adolescent girls of India.