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Survey study, 2014

How common are period pain and PMS in rural Indian school girls, and how much do they affect daily life?

More than half of the girls reported period pain (60.19%) and PMS (52.30%). These conditions significantly interfered with school attendance, concentration, exercise, household tasks, and social activities.

Early or limited evidence 304 adolescent school girls in rural areas of Bangalore, India who had started menstruating

What they did

Surveyed 304 high school girls in rural areas near Bangalore about whether they experienced period pain and PMS, and how these affected their daily activities and school attendance.

What they found

183 girls (60.19%) reported period pain and 159 girls (52.30%) reported PMS. During menstruation: 208 girls (68.42%) could not attend school, 196 (65.13%) could not concentrate on studies, 181 (60%) could not participate in sports, 235 (77.30%) could not do household activities like cooking, and 76 (25%) did not attend social gatherings.

What it means for you

This shows that over half of these rural girls had significant menstrual problems that disrupted their education and daily life. This is from one region in India and is a snapshot in time. The study documents how common the problem is but does not test any treatments or explain why these symptoms occur.

60.19%

Girls with period pain

68.42%

Girls who could not attend school

52.30%

Girls with PMS

About the study

Original title
Dysmenorrhoea and Premenstrual Syndrome: Frequency and effect on daily activities of adolescent girls in rural areas of Bangalore
Authors
Kavita Konapur, Chitra Nagaraj
Journal
International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health
Year
2014
Study design
Survey study
Participants
304
What was tested
None (observational study)

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