A study of menstrual health perceptions, practices and prevalence of premenstrual symptoms in school-going adolescent girls in Chandigarh

Anuna Vinod; J. S. Thakur; Vineeth Rajagopal; Nisanth Thankaraj Vijayammal; Bushra Thasneem; Karthika Prashanth

doi:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20253252

Authors

Anuna Vinod Department of Family Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
J. S. Thakur Department of Community Medicine, School of Public Health, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Vineeth Rajagopal Department of Family Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Nisanth Thankaraj Vijayammal Department of Family Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Bushra Thasneem Department of Family Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Karthika Prashanth Department of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20253252

Keywords:

Menstrual perception, Menstrual hygiene, Premenstrual symptoms, Menstrual practices

Abstract

Background: Menstruation is a universal physiological process, yet it remains shrouded in cultural taboos and misinformation, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like India. These barriers contribute to poor menstrual health awareness and suboptimal hygiene practices, impacting adolescent girls’ physical and psychosocial well-being. This study aimed to assess menstrual health perceptions, practices, and the prevalence of premenstrual symptoms (PMS) among adolescent girls in government schools of urban Chandigarh.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 adolescent girls (aged 15-18 years) attending two purposively selected government schools in urban sectors of Chandigarh. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square/Fisher’s exact test to explore associations.

Results: The mean age of participants was 15.4 years. Premenarche awareness was reported by 63%, with mothers and sisters as the primary information sources (64%). Only 19% had good perception scores, and 34% reported good menstrual hygiene practices. While 94% used sanitary pads and 63% changed pads at school, 66% reported food restrictions and hesitance to discuss menstruation with male family members. PMS were common: 67% reported headaches, 62% breast pain, and 59% experienced anxiety or tension. Poor maternal education was significantly associated with poor perception among daughters (p=0.040).

Conclusions: Despite good access to sanitary products and school-based hygiene facilities, substantial gaps persist in menstrual perception and practices. Cultural stigma, dietary restrictions, and limited awareness of PMS are prevalent. Targeted health education and supportive school environments are vital to improving menstrual health outcomes among adolescents.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Garg S, Marimuthu Y, Bhatnagar N, Singh MM, Borle A, Basu S, et al. Development and validation of a menstruation-related activity restriction questionnaire among adolescent girls in urban resettlement colonies of Delhi. Indian J Comm Med. 2021;46(1):57-61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcm.IJCM_183_20

Jailkhani SM, Naik JD, Thakur MS, Langre SD, Pandey VO. Patterns and problems of menstruation amongst the adolescent girls residing in the urban slum. Sch J App Med Sci. 2014;2(2A):529-34.

Sharma N, Shekhawat R, Gaur K, Meena KK, Meena GL, Rathore M, et al. Assessment of knowledge and practice regarding menstrual hygiene among school going adolescent girls of Jaipur city. J Med Sci Clin Res. 2019;7(7):2808-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v7i7.108

Singh A, Chakrabarty M, Singh S, Chandra R, Chowdhury S, Singh A. Menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent women in rural India: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2022;22(1):2126. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14622-7

Department of Education, Chandigarh Administration. List of Government and Aided Colleges. Chandigarh: Chandigarh Administration. Available at: https://www.chdeducation.gov.in/?page_id=41. Accessed on 10 June 2025.

IndiaStat Chandigarh. Enrolment in senior secondary education in Chandigarh. New Delhi: Datanet India Pvt. Ltd. Available at: https://www.indiastatchandigarh.com/Chandigarh-state/data/education/enrolment-senior-secondary-education. Accessed on 10 June 2025.

Mohan M, Sunilkumar M, Thambi MS, Nizar MN, Ali M, Gopakumar S, et al. Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Menstrual Hygiene among High School Girls in Government Medical College Higher Secondary School, Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala Med J. 2024;17(2):67-74.

Amgoth D, Reddy RG. Study on menstruation and hygiene practices among adolescent girls in urban community. J Krishi Vigyan. 2019;7(2):234-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5958/2349-4433.2019.00038.2

Sivakami M, van Eijk AM, Thakur H, Kakade N, Patil C, Shinde S, et al. Effect of menstruation on girls and their schooling, and facilitators of menstrual hygiene management in schools: surveys in government schools in three states in India, 2015. J Global Health. 2018;9(1):010408.

Paria B, Bhattacharyya A, Das S. A comparative study on menstrual hygiene among urban and rural adolescent girls of West Bengal. J Family Med Prim Care. 2014;3(4):413-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/2249-4863.148131

Deshpande TN, Patil SS, Gharai SB, Patil SR, Durgawale PM. Menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls–A study from urban slum area. J Family Med Prim Care. 2018;7(6):1439-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_80_18

Kansal S, Singh S, Kumar A. Menstrual hygiene practices in context of schooling: A community study among rural adolescent girls in Varanasi. Indian J Comm Med. 2016;41(1):39-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/0970-0218.170964

Yasmeen T, Kumar S, Sinha S, Haque MA. Perceptions regarding menstruation and practices during menstrual cycles among school going adolescent girls in urban field practice area of Igims, Patna India. Int J Med Sci Diagn Res. 2019;3:15-22.

Dharni I, Sood AK. Menstrual Hygiene Practices Among Adolescent Girls of Urban and Rural Schools of Ludhiana, Punjab. Nursing Journal of India. 2018;109:178-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48029/NJI.2018.CIX403

Kiran VK, Yashoda K. Menstrual hygiene management among rural adolescent girls of agrarian families. Int J Curr Microbiol App Sci. 2020;9(01):891-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.901.099

Vashisht A, Pathak R, Agarwalla R, Patavegar BN, Panda M. School absenteeism during menstruation amongst adolescent girls in Delhi, India. J Family Comm Med. 2018;25(3):163-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jfcm.JFCM_161_17

Juyal R, Kandpal SD, Semwal J, Negi KS. Practices of menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in a district of Uttarakhand. Indian J Comm Health. 2012;24(2):124-8.

Surana A, Rajesh DR, Tank R, Singh A, Gupta V, Agrawal D, et al. Social determinants of menstrual hygiene among school-going girls in a rural area of Southern Haryana, India. Asian J Social Health Behav. 2020;3(3):117-23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/SHB.SHB_33_20

Sarkar I, Dobe M, Dasgupta A, Basu R, Shahbabu B. Determinants of menstrual hygiene among school going adolescent girls in a rural area of West Bengal. J Family Med Prim Care. 2017;6(3):583-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/2249-4863.222054

Choudhary N, Gupta MK. A comparative study of perception and practices regarding menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in urban and rural areas of Jodhpur district, Rajasthan. J Family Med Primary Care. 2019;8(3):875-80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_69_19

Senapathi P, Kumar H. A comparative study of menstrual hygiene management among rural and urban adolescent girls in Mangaluru, Karnataka. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2018;5(6):2548-56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20182193

Boratne AV, Datta SS, Karthiga V, Singh Z, Dongre AR, Mail ID. Perception and practices regarding menstruation among adolescent school girls in Pondicherry. Health. 2014;2(4):114-9.

Sundari T, George AJ, Sinu E. Psychosocial problems of adolescent girls during menstruation. J Mental Health Educat. 2022;3(2):47.

Bali S, Sembiah S, Yadav K, Burman J. Poor management of menstrual hygiene: a leading cause of school absenteeism among adolescent girls in the urban slum of Madhya Pradesh. Int J Reproduct Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2020;9(10):4103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20204295

Sivakami M, van Eijk AM, Thakur H, Kakade N, Patil C, Shinde S, et al. Effect of menstruation on girls and their schooling, and facilitators of menstrual hygiene management in schools: surveys in government schools in three states in India, 2015. J Global Health. 2018;9(1):010408. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.09.010408

Shipra Singh SS, Rituja Kaushal RK, Saxena DM. Indigenous research study to elucidate the barriers of menstrual hygiene in adolescent school girls of Kolar area in Bhopal city. Natl J Community Med 2019;10(4):197-202.

Dhingra R, Kumar A, Kour M. Knowledge and practices related to menstruation among tribal (Gujjar) adolescent girls. Studies Ethno-Med. 2009;3(1):43-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09735070.2009.11886336

Khatuja R, Mehta S, Dinani B, Chawla D. Menstrual health management: Knowledge and practices among adolescent girls. Trop J Obstet Gynaecol. 2019;36(2):283-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/TJOG.TJOG_93_18

Sultan S, Sahu DS. Knowledge, attitude and practices about menstruation and related problems in adolescent girls. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2017;6(12):5235-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20175088

Kalyan G, Walia AK, Kaur M, Kaler A, Bajwa AK, Kaur A, et al. A study to assess the knowledge and practices related to menstruation and menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls of selected school of District Ambala, Haryana. IP Int J Med Paediatr Oncol. 2021;7:145-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijmpo.2021.029

Kumar D, Goel NK, Puri S, Gupta N. Dietary practices during menstruation among unmarried girls in Chandigarh. Int J Med Sci Clin Invent. 2015;2(4):860-5.

Syed Abdullah SZ. Menstrual food restrictions and taboos: A qualitative study on rural, resettlement and urban indigenous Temiar of Malaysia. Plos one. 2022;17(12):e0279629. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279629

Ravivarman G, Gupta MS, Nirupama AY. Cross‑sectional study on prevalence of early menarche and knowledge about menstrual hygiene practices among adolescent girls in rural Tamil Nadu. Int J Dent Med Sci Res. 2020;2(3):34-9.

Kailasraj KH, Basavaraju V, Kumar J, Manjunatha S. A study of knowledge and practice of menstrual hygiene among adolescent school girls in rural and urban field practice area of RajaRajeswari Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore, India. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2020;7(2):665. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20200446

Goel MK, Kundan M. Psycho-social behaviour of urban Indian adolescent girls during menstruation. Aust Med J. 2011;4(1):49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4066/AMJ.2011.534

Jalan A, Baweja H, Bhandari M, Kahmei S, Grover A. A sociological study of the stigma and silences around menstruation. Vantage: J Thematic Analysis. 2020;1(1):47-65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.52253/vjta.2020.v01i01.06

Dambhare DG, Wagh SV, Dudhe JY. Age at menarche and menstrual cycle pattern among school adolescent girls in Central India. Global J Heal Sci. 2012;4(1):105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v4n1p105

Singh S, Kaushal R, Saxena DM. Indigenous research study to elucidate the barriers of menstrual hygiene in adolescent school girls of Kolar area in Bhopal city. Age. 2019;13(37):12-33.