Menarche and Menstruation Through the Eyes of Pubescent Students in Eastern Taiwan

Chang, Yu-Ting; Lin, Mei‐Ling

doi:10.1097/jnr.0b013e3182829b26

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Oftentimes they were discouraged to discuss menstruation at all. This has also been reported in studies conducted with adolescents in Taiwan and Rwanda [ 20 – 22 ], who similarly reported lack of knowledge on the link between menstruation and ovulation, and reported beliefs such as menstruation being a punishment from the gods, resulting from injury, or that it is a mental or physical ‘disease’. A consequence of this ignorance and secrecy is the maintenance of the stigma surrounding menstruation and menstrual issues.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

“…In another Indian study based in West Bengal, boys also requested menstruation to be included in the school curriculum [ 23 ] . Chang and colleagues (2013) reported that boys in Taiwan resorted to going online to investigate this topic [ 20 ], as did some of our participants. We wonder therefore, why boys are poorly informed when they could be provided with information that they request, which would serve for their future role as husbands, partners and fathers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Currently, there is a dearth of literature exploring male knowledge, and perspectives on menstrual hygiene mostly come secondhand through narratives of women and girls [ 17 – 19 ]. Even fewer studies have specifically explored MHM with males [ 4 , 20 , 21 ]. The current study adds to this small body of knowledge using primary data collected from adolescent schoolboys.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘We do not know’: a qualitative study exploring boys perceptions of menstruation in India

et al. 2017

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BackgroundIn low-middle income countries and other areas of poverty, menstrual hygiene management (MHM) can be problematic for women and girls. Issues include lack of knowledge about menstruation and MHM, and stigma around menstruation, also access to affordable and absorbent materials; privacy to change; adequate washing, cleaning and drying facilities; as well as appropriate and accessible disposal facilities. In order to effect change and tackle these issues, particularly in patriarchal societies, males may need to become advocates for MHM alongside women. However, little is known about their knowledge and attitudes towards menstruation, which may need addressing before they can assist in acting as advocates for change. The present study was undertaken to explore knowledge and attitudes about menstruation among adolescent boys across India, in order to gauge their potential to support their ‘sisters’.MethodsThe study was undertaken across three states in India, chosen a priori to represent the cultural and socio-economic diversity. Qualitative data using focus group discussions with 85 boys aged 13-17 years, from 8 schools, was gathered. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsThe results were organised into three main themes, reflecting the key research questions: boys’ knowledge of menstruation, source of knowledge, and attitudes towards menstruation and menstruating girls. Knowledge comprised three aspects; biological function which were generally poorly understood; cultural rites which were recognized by all; and girls’ behaviour and demeanour, which were noted to be withdrawn. Some boys learnt about puberty and menstruation as part of the curriculum but had concerns this was not in-depth, or was missed out altogether. Most gathered knowledge from informal sources, from overhearing conversations or observing cultural rituals. Few boys openly displayed a negative attitude, although a minority voiced the idea that menstruation is a ‘disease’. Boys were mostly sympathetic to their menstruating sisters and wanted to support them.ConclusionsThese findings provide some optimism that males can become advocates in moving forward the MHM agenda. The reasons for this are twofold: boys were keen for knowledge about menstruation, searching information out despite societal norms being for them to remain ignorant, they were also largely sympathetic to their menstruating sisters and fellow classmates and understanding of the issues surrounding the need for good MHM.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘We do not know’: a qualitative study exploring boys perceptions of menstruation in India

et al. 2017

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“…In this study, we examined the perception of menarche among members of a particular ethnicity (Korean). Attitudes toward and perceptions of menarche or menstruation have been extensively documented across diverse cultural backgrounds-researchers have examined not only females in Zambia, Nepal, and Hong Kong but also those in Kenya (Secor-Turner, Schmitz, & Benson, 2016), Canada (Rempel & Baumgartner, 2003), Brazil (Makuch, Osis, Petta, De Pádua, & Bahamondes, 2011), Mexico (Marván & Molina-Abolnik, 2012), India (Yagnik, 2012), Taiwan (Chang & Lin, 2013), Jordan (Al Omari et al, 2016), and so on. However, these attitudes and perceptions have not yet been studied in South Korea.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptation to Transition: Meaning of Menarche for Female Adolescents in South Korea

Kwon

Park

2018

The Journal of Early Adolescence

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Menarche is one of the most important transitions for women. Perceptions of menarche play an important role in this transition process and appear to be influenced strongly by culture. The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of menarche among female adolescents in South Korea. Fifty-three female students’ essays and drawings representing their own perceptions of menarche were qualitatively analyzed. Five themes emerged from the data: something unfamiliar, lack of welcome, reaching maturity, pain and discomfort in my body, and changes in my daily life. When we quantitatively compared the themes, fifth-grade students and students who had not yet experienced menarche tended to focus more on the theme of reaching maturity, whereas students who had experienced menarche regardless of grade tended to focus on the theme of pain and discomfort in my body.

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Efficacy and safety of over-the-counter analgesics for primary dysmenorrhea

Nie

Hao

et al. 2020

Medicine

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Background: Primary dysmenorrhea is common and troublesome. The comparative efficacy of over-the-counter analgesics (OTCAs) for dysmenorrhea is unclear. This study was aimed at conducting a network meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of 5 OTCAs – naproxen, ibuprofen,diclofenac, aspirin, and ketoprofen – in patients with primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: The study was registered with PROSPERO (number: CRD42019133556). The search strategy involved a review of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and CINAHL for relative randomized controlled trials of the 5 analgesics from the date of database establishment to July 2019. The outputs are presented as odds ratios (ORs), their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and the surface under the cumulative ranking area (SUCRA) probabilities. Results: Thirty-five trials with 4383 participants were included in our study. As for efficacy outcomes, all the included analgesics except aspirin were more effective than placebo in treating dysmenorrhea [naproxen (OR 3.99, 95% CI 2.18–7.30), ibuprofen (OR 10.08, 95% CI 3.29–30.85), diclofenac (OR 11.82, 95% CI 2.66–52.48), and ketoprofen (OR 5.12, 95% CI 1.57–16.69). The OTCAs were superior to the placebo in terms of pain relief in primary dysmenorrhea. Aspirin was less effective than ibuprofen (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.04–0.73) and diclofenac (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.02–0.85). The SUCRA curves showed that diclofenac and ibuprofen were the most and second most effective (85.1% and 83.8%, respectively), followed by ketoprofen, naproxen, and aspirin. Regarding safety, there was no significant difference between the 5 OTCAs included and the placebo. Diclofenac versus ibuprofen (OR 4.31, 95% CI 1.18–15.67), ketoprofen versus diclofenac (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.04–0.78), and ketoprofen versus aspirin (OR 0.41, 95% CI 0.18–0.97) presented statistically significant differences. Ketoprofen and ibuprofen were ranked the best (SUCRA 90.6% and 79.6%), followed by naproxen, aspirin, and diclofenac. Conclusion: Considering the efficacy and safety, ibuprofen is recommended as the optimal OTCA for primary dysmenorrhea. Further well-designed studies that directly compare these analgesics are needed to support our conclusion.

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Menarche and Menstruation Through the Eyes of Pubescent Students in Eastern Taiwan

Cited by 7 publications

References 17 publications

‘We do not know’: a qualitative study exploring boys perceptions of menstruation in India

‘We do not know’: a qualitative study exploring boys perceptions of menstruation in India

Adaptation to Transition: Meaning of Menarche for Female Adolescents in South Korea

Efficacy and safety of over-the-counter analgesics for primary dysmenorrhea

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