Abstract
Context: In India, adolescent girls face serious health problem due to socio-economic, environmental and cultural conditions as well as gender discrimination. A vast majority of girls in India are suffering from either general or reproductive morbidities. Unhygienic practices during menstruation expose them for Reproductive Tract Infections (RTI). If not treated early, it could lead to various disabilities and consequently affect their valuable lives. This study was done with the aim of estimating the magnitude of gynaecological morbidities among unmarried adolescent girls as well as to find out the relation between menstrual hygiene and RTI. Settings and Design: Cross-Sectional Observational study conducted in two randomly selected Inter colleges (one rural and one urban) of district Dehradun, Uttarakhand state. Methods and Material: A cross-sectional study was undertaken in school going unmarried adolescent girls to know their menstrual hygiene practices as well as reproductive morbidity. Data was collected by interview method using a pretested, prestructured questionnaire after taking consent. Statistical analysis used: percentages and Chi-square test. Results: Approximately 65 % of the girls reported having dysmenorrhoea and 19 % of the girls had given the history of excessive vaginal discharge with or without low backache/lower abdominal pain. Strong association was found between Reproductive Tract Infections and poor menstrual hygiene. Conclusions: Girls should be made aware of the process of menstruation and importance of maintaining its hygiene before attaining menarche. They should also be made aware about its linkages with their forthcoming reproductive health. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjms.v13i2.14257 Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.13(2) 2014 p.170-174
Highlights
Addressing reproductive health issues of women especially adolescents is on the global social agenda
Girls were personally interviewed for the information regarding awareness about menstruation, sources of information, practices to maintain menstrual hygiene, problems related to menstruation and symptoms related to Reproductive Tract Infection (RTI) by using a pre-designed and pretested schedule
Vaginitis was diagnosed in presence of visible or excessive vaginal discharge without lower abdominal pain/low backache
Summary
Addressing reproductive health issues of women especially adolescents is on the global social agenda. Menstruation is a natural physiological process, it is linked with several misconceptions and practices, which sometimes result into adverse health outcomes. Good menstrual hygiene is crucial for the health, education, and dignity of girls and women. This is an important sanitation issue which has long been in the closet and still there is a long standing need to openly discuss it. Most of the time adolescent girls are unprepared – in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes - for managing the menstrual cycle. Hygiene-related practices of girls and women during menstruation are of considerable importance, as it has a health impact in terms of increased vulnerability to Reproductive Tract Infections (RTI).
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