Perceptions Of Menstruation Research Articles

“An Unchangeable Reason for inequality” A Qualitative Study on Nursing Students’ Experiences and Perceptions of Menstruation and Menstrual Poverty

“An Unchangeable Reason for inequality” A Qualitative Study on Nursing Students’ Experiences and Perceptions of Menstruation and Menstrual Poverty

Menstruation Knowledge, Stigmatization and Support Perception of Adolescent Boys in a Rural Secondary School in Benue State, Nigeria

Purpose: To assess menstruation knowledge and stigmatization and support the perception of adolescent boys in a rural secondary school. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study of 121 secondary school boys drawn from all classes using a simple random sampling technique. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, and perception of menstruation. Findings: Most of the respondents, 55.4 % were aged between 15-18 years. Those in their fourth-year class (SS1) were more (40.5%). Some felt that menstruation was a disease (13.4%), contagious (24%), and unclean (29.8%). Those with correct knowledge of menarche were 97.5%. Those willing to obtain more knowledge on menstruation were 79.3%. More than half, 57% were unwilling to share food, items, and bedrooms with a menstruating female and 38.8 % believed that women should observe restrictions during their period. Those willing to offer support were 47.9% which was the highest and no support 1.7%. Teasing of girls in their period was reported by 20.6% of the respondents. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: There was good knowledge of menarche. However, misconceptions about menstruation and teasing were observed. This study contributes to theory by exploring boys' perceptions of menstruation and linking their misinformation to menstrual stigma. Practically, it emphasizes the need for educational programs, awareness campaigns, and peer support systems to reduce stigma and improve understanding. On a policy level, it advocates for menstrual education in school curricula, gender equality in health education, and policies addressing cultural misconceptions around adolescent reproductive health. More health education on menstruation needs to be given to secondary school boys.

IJCM_63A: Knowledge and perceptions of menstruation among school going adolescent girls in urban area of Kakinada – A mixed method

Background: Menstruation is a physiological process that all women go through. Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) is essential to the well-being and empowerment of women and adolescent girls but appropriate MHH is hampered by taboos, secrecy and even stigma. The GOI/GOAP have launched several initiatives such as Health Education sessions in schools and celebration of menstrual hygiene week. Despite several initiatives, studies in India reveal that gaps exist in knowledge, perceptions and practices related to MHH Objectives: 1. To Assess the Knowledge of Menstruation among adolescents. 2. To explore the Perceptions about menstruation among school going adolescents. Methodology: A Mixed Method Study was conducted among school going adolescent girls and the study Participants were selected by convenient sampling technique during October 2023. Qualitative data was collected from adolescents by conducting 2 Focus group discussions (FGD) with 20 adolescent girls in 2groups and Quantitative data collected by using Pretested Semi Structured questionnaire from 50 students who are in class 10th of P.R.G. Girls high school Kakinada, after obtaining subjects assent and informed consent from the Parents/guardians of the adolescents. Prior approval from Institutional ethics committee was taken. Data was entered and analysed using MS Word, MS Excel & SPSS 21. Results: 88% have fair knowledge about menstruation. Mothers were the main source of information and advice regarding menstruation. FGDs revealed that the adolescents face stigma, embarrassment and hardships during menstruation both at school & home. Conclusion: Taboos, stigma and embarrassment and hindering the adolescents from appropriate MHM practices. Strategic approach towards menstruation would help to promote well - being of the adolescents.

“But I think there’s always been that stigma”: Adult women’s perceptions of menstrual product advertising

The global value of the menstrual product market recently surpassed 40 billion dollars, yet little attention has been paid to how menstrual product advertising may impact women’s perceptions of menstruation. We interviewed a diverse cohort of 18 adult women to understand how menstrual product advertising shapes women’s interpretations of their bodies and the menstrual process. Three themes emerged, including gendered stigmatization, depictions of hyper-feminine women, and false narratives about periods. We concluded that dominant patriarchal images of women on their periods persist in female-targeted advertising and offer solutions for advertisers to eliminate stigmas and encompass inclusivity.

Development of a scale to evaluate negative menstrual attitudes among Nepalese women

BackgroundMenstrual attitudes include negative and positive perceptions of menstruation and are associated with reproductive health, underscoring the importance of its evaluation in women. Given that social and cultural factors affect menstrual attitudes, developing evaluation methods specific to distinct societal cultures is necessary.MethodsWe developed a scale based on the menstrual attitude questionnaire, which is the most widely used measure of menstrual attitudes, to evaluate negative menstrual attitudes among Nepalese women in consideration of Nepalese cultural backgrounds and literacy. In total, 352 Nepalese women aged 20–45 years living in urban or suburban areas in Nepal were enrolled in the study. Participants were randomly divided into two groups using the permuted block method. Using the prototype, Group 1 (n = 176) was evaluated with an exploratory factor analysis to develop a reliable scale, and Group 2 (n = 176) was evaluated with a confirmatory factor analysis to confirm the structure of negative menstrual attitudes. Further, we preliminarily examined the relationship of negative menstrual attitudes with the frequency of traditional menstrual practices and intensity of menstrual pain, which are significant reproductive health issues in Nepal, in Group 2.ResultsWe developed a 15-item, 3-factor scale to evaluate negative menstrual attitudes among Nepalese women using exploratory factor analysis. The first, second, and third factors were “Natural event” (α = 0.82), “Debilitating event” (α = 0.76), and “Bothersome event” (α = 0.69), respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that negative menstrual attitudes comprised a 3-factor structure. Participants who performed three traditional menstrual practices (“stay in their own house”, “go to public spaces”, and “contact with others generally”) demonstrated significantly higher scores for negative menstrual attitudes than did non-performers. Negative menstrual attitudes were positively correlated with the intensity of menstrual pain (r = 0.558).ConclusionsThis study is the first to evaluate menstrual attitudes and analyse its factor structure among Nepalese women. In the future, the relationship between accurately evaluated negative menstrual attitudes and reproductive health issues should be examined more comprehensively.

How can we improve knowledge and perceptions of menstruation? A mixed-methods research study

BackgroundTraditionally, menstrual education has consisted of lectures directed toward women. The objective of this study was to design an innovative menstrual education (ME) program that reflects the needs of both young women and men, and verify its effectiveness.MethodsA mixed-method design was used to determine the program needs and assess young adults’ knowledge and perceptions of menstruation and menstrual products. Focus group interviews were conducted with 14 young adults, and 150 young adults participated in an online survey. After developing the ME program, 10 young adults participated in a study to verify its effectiveness.ResultsInterview results showed young adults wanted more information about menstrual products. The online survey revealed significant differences in knowledge based on participants’ general characteristics and experience; exposure to menstruation and menstrual products positively impacted knowledge and perception. In addition, the results indicated young adults wanted ME content access via mobile and in-person modalities, designed for both genders, drawing on menstrual experts’ knowledge. Based on these results, a multi-experimental menstrual education (MEME) program was designed and included: hands-on exposure to 60 menstrual products, product demonstrations with a female perineal model, a YouTube video created by the researchers, a true-or-false quiz, and question-and-answer sessions with menstrual experts.ConclusionsThis study clarified the requirements of an innovative menstrual education program. It led to high satisfaction among participants, and improved knowledge and perceptions of menstruation and menstrual products. The online survey showed a correlation between the extent of received ME, and respondents’ perception of menstrual products. This implied that a MEME program could change perceptions when conducted systematically; by extension it could ameliorate menstruation challenges attributed to poverty. Future research could further verify the effectiveness of the MEME program, using a larger sample, and examine its suitability for incorporation into official ME curricula at universities and companies.Trial registrationThis trial was registered in a Clinical Research Information Service in Korea linked with the World Health Organization’s International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (WHO’s ICTRP) (no. KCT0004715), Registered 07 Feb 2020.

Constrained Choices? Menstrual Health and Hygiene Needs Among Adolescents in Mumbai Slums

Menstruation, an essential and healthy biological function, is cloaked in a culture of silence. Sociocultural norms at the family and community level play a pivotal role in shaping how young unmarried women understand and manage their monthly period. Less is known about how unmarried young women living in low-income urban areas in India seek help for their menstrual needs. This qualitative study seeks to understand how young unmarried women (aged 15–24) living in a slum settlement understand menstruation and perceive menstrual problems, and identifies factors that influence their help-seeking behaviour for menstrual needs and problems. It also proposes recommendations for national health programmes addressing menstrual health and hygiene. The findings echo previous research findings emphasising young unmarried women’s low levels of awareness and misconceptions about menstruation. These girls perceived menstrual problems as a key concern, as it significantly interfered with their daily routine and caused emotional distress. Young women’s ability and willingness to seek help to address menstrual needs is influenced by a culture of silence that surrounds menstruation, excessive scrutiny and blaming by the community, and restrictions on their mobility and interactions with peers. The findings underscore the role of mothers as gatekeepers who greatly influence young women’s perceptions of menstruation and menstrual problems and their ability to seek help. Existing interventions need to be expanded to address young women’s need for emotional and social support, and to involve significant gatekeepers such as mothers in promoting the health and well-being of young unmarried women in slum communities. Intervention strategies should be expanded to enhance the capacity of mothers to recognise, understand and address their teenage daughters’ needs for information, emotional support and access to essential clinical and social services.

Challenging Menstrual Norms in Online Medical Advice: Deconstructing Stigma through Entangled Art Practice

This article analyses three examples of online medical advice provided by UK based health websites on the topic of menstruation, and reflects on my artistic practice as a critical response to notions of menstrual normativity. The article considers to what extent these online platforms — now part of the cultural fabric of contemporary healthcare advice — sustain dominant Western cultural perceptions of menstruation. Through thematic and comparative analysis, the article explores how these texts reflect cultural discourses around menstruation through reinforcing cis and heteronormative standards, presenting menstruation as failed pregnancy, and as a largely problematic rather than positive experience. The article also reflects upon autobiographical and performative artworks as spaces developed alongside the analysis of the online medical advice texts, which propose and explore resistance to the social stigma still associated with menstruating.

Men and Menstruation: A Qualitative Exploration of Beliefs, Attitudes and Experiences

Our article presents the findings from a study exploring men’s attitudes towards and perceptions of menstruation. Using a social constructionist framework, we analyzed 48 Australian men’s written accounts in response to an anonymous online questionnaire which explored messages they received about menstruation growing up as well as their current attitudes towards, and experiences with, menstruation. Respondents were 18–69 years-old; most were Caucasian and in an intimate relationship, and they varied considerably in terms of educational attainment. Thematic analysis yielded four themes: (a) managing the stigma of menstruation, (b) talking menstruation today—open and closed communication, (c) menstruation is part of relationships, and (d) menstruation and social commentary. These findings shed light on how boys learn about menstruation and how men’s role in menstruation is constructed, emphasizing the educational, relational, and socio-political contexts in which these attitudes are created. Researchers, health care providers, and educators could use our findings to create more effective reproductive health education programs. Improving communication between parents and children may encourage a more balanced view towards menstruation, working towards reducing the stigma commonly experienced by girls and women.

An exploration of mothers' attitudes towards their daughters' menarche

Menarche is a significant milestone for young women, representing an important juncture between girlhood and maturation. The limited literature that exists suggests that a mother's reaction to her daughter's first periods can shape her experiences and perceptions of menstruation which, in turn, may impact on her self-image and, consequently, sexual risk taking. However, very little is known about UK mothers' attitudes towards their daughters' menarche. This paper aims to add to the body of knowledge by applying a postmodern critique, a Derridian deconstructive analysis, to a discussion thread found on mumsnet.com – a UK parenting website. The thread is concerned with a mother's response to her daughter's menarche to which other mothers respond. The deconstruction revealed a number of meta-narratives and themes within the text: secrecy, sorrow, a lack of competency and knowledge, power, gender and motherhood. Unwittingly, the women appear to be socialising their daughters to comply with and perpetuate the menstrual taboo that they endured themselves, thus repeating the cycles of shame associated with menstruation. The findings of this critique suggest that menstrual education is an area that requires more attention, particularly in the context of perceived menstrual shame and its impact on sexual decision-making.

Menstrual Problems and Health Seeking in Sri Lanka

Menstruation is associated with some morbidity, although it is a normal physiological event. In this article, we draw on qualitative research conducted in Sri Lanka in 2006–2007, which included eight key informant interviews with healthcare providers, six focus group discussions with eight women in each, and five case studies. We describe and analyze women's perceptions of menstruation and menstrual problems, their help-seeking behaviors to reduce these health problems, and the consequences of them on their lives. The majority of women perceived menstruation as a physiological process and related problems to changes in hormone levels, pathological conditions of the uterus, and the side effects of contraceptive methods. Menstrual problems significantly affected their daily activities, mental well-being, social life, and sexual life, but few sought medical advice to resolve these problems. Implications of the findings included the need for health care providers and educators to provide accurate information on menstruation to girls and women to enable them to identify normal variation of menstruation and to take appropriate action regarding health care.

Attitudes of Italian women concerning suppression of menstruation with oral contraceptives

Objectives Perceptions of menstruation vary according to culture and religion. This study addresses attitudes of Italian women towards changes in menstrual frequency induced by oral contraceptives (OCs) administered in an extended regimen.Methods Three-hundred-and-fifty healthy women of reproductive age were enrolled in three test areas in Italy. Participants completed a standardized questionnaire. One-hundred-and-ten men, aged 21–54 years, accompanying their partners to the gynaecological consultation were also given a questionnaire to get to know their opinion about the extended use of OCs by their partner.Results Only 32% of Italian women prefer to bleed monthly. The preferred frequencies in all age groups were 3-monthly (23.7%) or never (26%). Of the OC-users, 57.2% preferred to bleed less than once a month: 26% wished to bleed every 3 months, and 21.2% once a year. Among men, 58.1% considered an extended OC regimen to be acceptable.Conclusions About 60% of Italian women with spontaneous or OC-driven cycles prefer to bleed less than monthly. This fact should be kept in mind by physicians when prescribing OCs.

Psychosocial and Cultural Factors Influencing Expectations of Menarche

This study explored how psychosocial and cultural factors influenced expectations of menarche among 476 Chinese premenarcheal teenage girls. Results showed that participants’ expectations of menarche were largely negative and heavily influenced by cultural beliefs about menstruation. Findings of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that positive emotional expectations of menarche were best predicted by perceptions of menstruation as a natural event, possession of positive self-concept, and rejection of indigenous negative menstrual attitudes. Negative emotional expectations of menarche were best predicted by perceptions of menstruation as a negative event, by inadequate preparation for menarche, by endorsement of indigenous negative menstrual attitudes, and by older age.

Psychosocial correlates of emotional responses to menarche among chinese adolescent girls

Purpose To determine the psychosocial correlates of emotional responses to menarche among Chinese adolescent girls. Method A large sample of 1573 post-menarcheal Chinese junior high school students in Hong Kong completed questionnaires on knowledge and preparation of menarche, attitudes toward menstruation, gender-role attitudes, body image, self-esteem, and emotional responses to the onset of the first menstruation. Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to determine associations among variables. Results Participants’ mean age at menarche was 11.67 years. Their emotional reactions to menarche were largely negative, with almost 85% reporting feeling annoyed and embarrassed. In spite of these negative feelings, about two-thirds of the participants also reported feeling grown up and another 40% felt as if becoming more feminine. Results of the hierarchical regression analyses showed that negative emotional responses to menarche were correlated with perceptions of menstruation as a negative event, inadequate preparation for menarche, endorsement of indigenous negative menstrual attitudes, and poor self-esteem (24.5% variance explained). Positive emotional responses to menarche were correlated with perceptions of menstruation as a natural event, rejection of indigenous negative menstrual attitudes, positive body image, and adequate preparation for menarche (13.4% variance explained). Conclusions This study illustrates the need to attend to various psychosocial and cultural factors in the understanding of Chinese adolescent girls’ responses to their first menstruation. In particular, general and indigenous menstrual attitudes, which may have been internalized by Chinese adolescent girls at an early age, are found to be the most salient correlates of their emotional responses to menarche.

Patterns and Perceptions of Menstruation.

Patterns and Perceptions of Menstruation.

Political Analysis and American Medical Care (Book).

Sociology of Health & IllnessVolume 7, Issue 1 p. 118-138 Free Access Book reviews First published: March 1985 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.ep10831395AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Abstract Book reviewed in this articles: T.R. Marmor, Political Analysis and American Medical Care R. Dingwall, J. M. Eekelaar and T. Murray. The Protection of Children: State Intervention and Family Life M.W. Ross, The Married Homosexual Man: a psychological study A.E. Joseph and D.R. Phillips, Accessibility and Utilisation: Geographical Perspectives on Health Care Delivery J. Braithwaite, Corporate Crime in the Pharmaceutical Industry N. Gevitz, The D.O.'s Osteopathic Medicine in America G.V. Larkin, Occupational Monopoly and Modem Medicine F.G. Bolton, Jr., When Bonding Fails: Clinical Assessment of High-Risk Families J.A. Roth and D.J. Douglas. No Appointment Necessary: The Hospital Emergency Department in the Medical Services World E. Bates, Health Systems and Public Scrutiny D. Blazer and I. Siegler, eds, A Family Approach to Health Care of the Elderly D. Jerrome, ed. Ageing in Modern Society J.A. Macheath, Activity, Health and Fitness in Old Age M.A. Smyer and M. Gatz, eds. Mental Health and Aging. J.L. Ruffini, ed., Advances in Medical Social Science I.K. Zola, Socio-Medical Inquiries: Recollections, Reflections and Reconsiderations J.T. Ziegenfuss, Jr. Patients Rights and Organizational Models: Sociotechnical Systems Research on Mental Health Programs R. Snowden and B. Christian, eds, Patterns and Perceptions of Menstruation S. Golub. ed., Lifting the Curse of Menstruation: A Feminist Appraisal of the Influence of Menstruation on Women's Lives T. Vaskilampi and C. P. MacCormack, eds., Folk Medicine and Health Culture: Role of Folk Medicine in Modern Health Care J. H. Thompson, Spiritual Considerations in the Prevention, Treatment and Cure of Disease Volume7, Issue1March 1985Pages 118-138 RelatedInformation

Patterns and Perceptions of Menstruation. Edited by R. Snowden and B. Christian. (Croom Helm, and St Martin's Press, in co-operation with WHO, 1983.)

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Patterns and Perceptions of Menstruation.

Patterns and Perceptions of Menstruation.