Publication

Abstract : Background: Menarche and menstruation are important aspects of female life. Even though the menstruation is a normal physiological process, adolescent girls have difficulty to handle menstruation. The main objective of this study was to identify the menstrual problems and related practices among adolescent girls. Methodology: A descriptive survey approach was adopted for the study. The sample consisted of 350 adolescent girls selected by proportionate stratified random sampling from the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th standards of Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data regarding background information, menstrual characteristics, menstrual problems, and related practices. Biophysical measures such as weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were taken along with the data. Results: Most of the adolescent girls had irregular menstruation (24%), 12.6% had polymenorrhea, 6.3% had scanty menstruation and only 4% adolescent girls had menorrhagia. The majority (79%) were experiencing dysmenorrhea during menstruation. The menstrual symptoms experienced were abdominal pain (74%), backache (42.9%) and fainting (8.9%). Conclusion: Menstrual problems form an important domain of adolescent health and because of these problems are unreported, it is necessary that adequate attention and care is provided. The consequences of the neglect of menstrual problems result in impaired reproductive and sexual health in older women.