Cross-sectional interview-based study on profile of menstrual cycles and menstrual hygiene among undergraduate medical students in a metropolitan city

Pokle, Sanhita Shyam; Malgaonkar, Aniruddha A.; Kartikeyan, Sundaram

doi:10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20163777

Int J Res Med Sci

2016

DOI: 10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20163777

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Cross-sectional interview-based study on profile of menstrual cycles and menstrual hygiene among undergraduate medical students in a metropolitan city

Sanhita Shyam Pokle

Aniruddha A. Malgaonkar

Sundaram Kartikeyan

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Menstrual Practices among Rural High School Students in Thrissur - Central Kerala

Kala¹,

Areekal²,

Ravindran³

et al. 2020

jebmh

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BACKGROUND Adolescence is the transitional phase of growth and development between childhood and adulthood. Menstruation, which is a milestone event in a girl's reproductive life begins during this period and it is also one of the major causes of stress in this stage. Adequate knowledge and good menstrual practices can help in addressing this stress and also in preventing reproductive tract infections to a great extent. This study tries to assess the awareness with regard to menstrual practice and its determinants among adolescent girls in a rural area of Central Kerala. The study also aims to explore the social taboos related to menstrual practices. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted at two high schools in Thrissur district of Central Kerala. The study methodology involved visiting the selected schools and questions about menstrual practices were put to students individually ensuring adequate privacy, with the aid of a semi-structured interview schedule. 196 adolescent girls participated in the study. The data was coded and entered into MS excel. Further analysis was done using the software SPSS 16.0 version. RESULTS The percentage of girls using sanitary pad is 32.1 %, clothes were used by 12.2 % girls, and 55.6 % used either cloth or sanitary pad. Most of them disposed their sanitary pads by burning them (75.6 %), but 16.3 % threw their pads / clothes in the general waste, some flushed them in the toilet (8.1 %). 64.3 % of them washed and exposed their undergarments in the sun but 35.7 % washed and kept them inside their house. 84.7 % of girls were aware about menstruation at the time of menarche. In 58.7 % of cases the source of information was their mother. Regarding social taboos during menstruation, the most common one was inability to attend social or religious functions during menstruation (76 %) followed by restrictions in going out (9.7 %), and 7.7 % in food preparation. 7 % of girls had to sleep in a corner of the room while they were menstruating. Maternal education, family income and awareness regarding menstruation had statistically significant association with usage of sanitary pads. CONCLUSIONS Majority of the adolescent girls had awareness regarding menstruation. However, there were some who followed less than ideal practices when it comes to disposal of sanitary napkins / clothes and care of undergarments. The wrong concepts like menstruation is a ‘disease of impurity’ and menstruation occurs when ‘bad blood’ collects is still prevalent among the adolescent girls. It is of concern that the social taboos regarding menstruation are still widely embraced by the society. KEYWORDS Menstrual Practices, Menstrual Awareness, Kerala, Menstruation

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Menstrual Practices among Rural High School Students in Thrissur - Central Kerala

Kala¹,

Areekal²,

Ravindran³

et al. 2020

jebmh

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Assessment of Pattern, Determinants and Treatment Practices of Menstrual Disorders Among Medical Undergraduate Students

Joseph

Alfiya

Khurana

et al. 2022

CWHR

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Background: Menstruation-related symptoms (MRSs) have been observed to result in absenteeism from either work or education, more commonly among women below 21 years than women of any other age group. Despite its high prevalence and associated ill effects, it is generally ignored even by medical students. Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the pattern, determinants, and treatment practices of menstrual disorders among undergraduate medical students. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 215 female medical students from first to final year. Data were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire. The height and weight of participants were measured using standard procedures. Results: The most common menstrual disorders reported by participants over the past six months were dysmenorrhoea [191(88.8%)] followed by irregular cycles [43(20.0%)]. In multivariable analysis, the presence of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and excessive consumption of coffee was associated with irregular menstrual cycles; the presence of anaemia was associated with menorrhagia, the presence of fibroids and age of participants ≤18 years were associated with polymenorrhoea, excessive chocolate consumption was related to intermenstrual bleeding, excessive chocolate consumption, presence of anaemia, and low body mass index (BMI) were associated with premenstrual syndrome. Self-medication was reported by 15 (42.9%) out of the 35 participants on treatment. Conclusion: Dysmenorrhea, menstrual irregularities, and premenstrual symptoms were common among participants. They need to limit potential risk factors like excessive consumption of coffee and chocolates. Additionally, screening for anaemia, PCOS, fibroids and low BMI needs to be done. Self-medication practices need to be also dissuaded in the setting.

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Cross-sectional interview-based study on profile of menstrual cycles and menstrual hygiene among undergraduate medical students in a metropolitan city

Cited by 2 publications

References 17 publications

Menstrual Practices among Rural High School Students in Thrissur - Central Kerala

Menstrual Practices among Rural High School Students in Thrissur - Central Kerala

Assessment of Pattern, Determinants and Treatment Practices of Menstrual Disorders Among Medical Undergraduate Students

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