A study of the menstrual pattern and problems among rural school going adolescent girls of Amravati district of Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Twenty-five per cent of the populations of India were an adolescent in 2011. 1 Menstruation is a normal physiological process but the onset of menstruation is a unique phenomenon for adolescent girls. In India it is considered unclean, and young girls are restricted from participating in household and religious activities during menstruation. These restrictions extend to eating certain foods like jaggery and papaya as well. 2,3 Menarche is a complex of growing up. From both medical and social perspectives, it is often considered as the central event of female puberty, as it suggests the possibility of fertility. The age of onset of the menstrual cycle varies from 9-18 years, with the average age in the United States being ABSTRACT Background: Onset of menstruation is considered as a landmark in the growth and development of an adolescent girl. The age of onset and the pattern of menstrual cycles vary on different factors. After menarche many adolescent girls faces problems of irregular menstruation, excessive bleeding and dysmenorrhea and many more. Present study was carried in this line to find out problems. Objectives: To study the menstrual pattern & problems among school going adolescent girls in rural area of Amravati district of Maharashtra. Methods: The Prospective observational study was carried out among selected 435 Secondary and higher secondary girls students (12-16 years of age) of Ner Pinglai by purposive sampling method. The study was done in the month August 2013 to February 2014. Statistical analyses were done using SPSS 16.0 version. Results: Total 435 adolescent girls had attained menarche. The mean age of menarche was 13.5 (1.0) years. 17.9% of adolescent girls reported premenstrual syndrome. 81.3% girls had abdominal pain during menstruation followed by 28.5% cramp, 11% were uncomfortable, 11% had backache, 6.6% had headache and 2.5% girls had depression. 3.4% of the adolescent girls were did not have any symptoms during menses. Dysmenorrhoea was the most common menstrual complaint reported by 62.3% girls. 33.5 % girls have reported use of sanitary pads during menstruation. 41.6% girls have reported use of old clothes during menstruation. 21.8% had irregular menstrual cycle. Conclusion: Menstruation is an important milestone for adolescent girls and menstrual problems are common among adolescent girls. The mean age of menarche was 13.1 ± 1.0 of years. There were 1.5 menstrual symptom per adolescent girls commonest being abdominal pain. Dysmenorrhoea was seen in 62.3% of the adolescent girls. 33.5% girls have reported use of sanitary pads during menstruation. 41.6% girls have reported use of old clothes during menstruation.

Mapping the knowledge and understanding of menarche, menstrual hygiene and menstrual health among adolescent girls in low- and middle-income countries

“…Use of sanitary pads to absorb blood ranged from 2.0% of schoolgirls in rural Nepal [ 5 ] to 69.1–93.8% of urban-living girls in Nigeria [ 14 , 20 , 40 , 41 ]. All but one study of girls in rural parts of seven Indian states reported greater proportions of girls using cloth compared to sanitary pads [ 1 , 8 , 10 , 12 , 15 , 18 , 29 , 34 , 63 , 67 , 78 ]. Sanitary pad use was significantly higher among urban-living girls in India [ 22 ] and Ethiopia [ 21 ] as was use of sanitary pads or new cloth among school-going girls in India [ 1 ] ( p -value < 0.01).…”

Premenstrual syndrome among adolescent girl students in a rural school of West Bengal, India

“…[10,11] In a study at Amaravati district of Maharashtra, only 17.9% reported PMS. [12] The prevalence of PMS was more in the girls having homemaker mothers, which may be owing to more apprehensive mothers staying at home. In Iranian adolescents, the most-reported physical symptoms were lower abdominal and back pain, and lethargy was the major psychological complaint of the respondents, [13] whereas, in this study, irritability was the commonest psychological symptom and abdominal distension to be the most-common physical symptoms.…”

Mapping the Knowledge and Understanding of Menarche, Menstrual Hygiene and Menstrual Health Among Adolescent Girls in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

“…Use of sanitary pads to absorb blood ranged from 2.0% of schoolgirls in rural Nepal [5] to 69.1-93.8% of urban-living girls in Nigeria [14,20,40,41]. All but one study of girls in rural parts of seven Indian states reported greater proportions of girls using cloth compared to sanitary pads [1,8,10,12,15,18,29,34,63,67,78]. Sanitary pad use was significantly higher among urban-living girls in India [22] and Ethiopia [21] as was use of sanitary pads or new cloth among school-going girls in India [1] (p-value < 0.01).…”