Survey study, 2006
How common are PMS and period problems in teen girls, and do attitudes affect school attendance?
Among urban teens, PMS is very common (84%) and period pain affects 65 percent. Girls with negative expectations about periods are significantly more likely to miss school and activities.
What they did
Surveyed postmenarcheal girls ages 12-21 years at an urban health center using 35 questions about menstruation knowledge, attitudes, expectations, and period-related problems. Compared rates of period problems with girls' period expectations.
What they found
84.3 percent reported premenstrual syndrome (most common), 65 percent had dysmenorrhea (period pain), 13.2 percent had abnormal cycle lengths, and 8.6 percent had excessive uterine bleeding. 91.5 percent of respondents were African-American. Only 2 percent received information about menstruation from their doctor. Teens with negative period expectations had higher rates of school absenteeism and missed activities.
What it means for you
PMS and period pain are very common among teenage girls and significantly disrupt their school attendance and daily activities. Doctors rarely discuss periods with teens. A teen's mindset about her period may influence whether it disrupts her life. Main limitation: the study only included girls from one urban health center, mostly Black, so findings may not apply to all teens.
84.3%
with premenstrual syndrome
65%
with dysmenorrhea
2%
received period info from doctor
About the study
- Original title
- Knowledge, attitudes, and consequences of menstrual health in urban adolescent females
- Authors
- Houston AM, Abraham A, Huang Z et al.
- Journal
- Journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology
- Year
- 2006
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None (observational survey)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2006.05.002
Topics
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