Abstract
Context: Menstruation is one of the most basic characteristic features of girls and inadequate knowledge of adolescent girls about menstruation can result in faulty menstrual hygiene management (MHM) and inappropriate dietary management both of these can causes diseases which is a major threat for adolescent health in developing countries like Bangladesh. Aim: To identify current knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to menstruation and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) among adolescent girls. Settings and Design: It is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in Jashore, Bangladesh. Methods and Materials: A pre-formed, pre-tested questionnaire was used. The questionnaire-based survey was conducted among randomly selected 250 adolescent girls between 10 and 19 years. Statistical analysis used: Data were analyzed statistically by Microsoft office excels and SPSS windows version 16 software programs. Results: Among 250 adolescent girls majority had their menarche between 12 and 15 years of age, 70% of adolescent girls of this study belonged to lower class families. This study revealed that 85% of the respondents had regular menstruation whereas 15% had irregular menstruations also. Most of them faced different types of Premenstrual syndrome including 76% from headache, 80% from lower abdominal pain, and 62.5% from fatigue and weakness. Only 56% had previous knowledge about puberty before attaining menarche. There was a statistically significant correlation between the mother’s education and the knowledge of participants about menstruation at puberty. All the participants used to bath and wash hand after changing pads whereas 80.8% used to avoid all types of exercises. Almost 94% of respondents used to dispose of their napkins properly. The micro-nutrient deficiency was also common; especially 49.2% were suffering from Iron deficiency and 69.6% from folic acids deficiency. Conclusion: Awareness programs regarding both menstrual hygiene and dietary management can aid to alleviate some complications during puberty and ensure better health for adolescent girls.
Highlights
Menstruation can be defined as the cyclical bleeding which is occurred in women at the time of their reproductive age
The major purpose of our study is to identify current knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to menstruation and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) among adolescent girls as well as suggest possible solutions
We noticed that 11.6% of the adolescent girls had their menarche at the age of between 16 and 19 years but the majority of our respondents had their menarche between 12 and 15 years of age
Summary
Menstruation can be defined as the cyclical bleeding which is occurred in women at the time of their reproductive age. The main reason for menstruation is the endometrial shedding at regular intervals. It is defined as the common process among women during their reproductive age and it happens during the time when ovum fertilization does not take place [1]. The menstrual cycle may be defined as the cyclical psychological changes that occur in females and it is an indicator of women’s reproductive age [2, 3]. The very first menstruation that is occurred in a women’s life is called menarche and it is used as an indicator to identify the development of puberty in females [4, 5].
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