---
title: Do rural and urban adolescent girls have different menstrual cycle patterns?
description: Yes, significantly. Rural and urban girls differ in period pain, PMS symptoms, menstrual flow, and practices. Rural girls also know less about their menstrual
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-pattern-in-adolescent-girls-among-urban-and-rural-regions-a-2020/
---

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- Do rural and urban adolescent girls have different menstrual cycle patterns?

Survey study, 2020

# Do rural and urban adolescent girls have different menstrual cycle patterns?

Yes, significantly. Rural and urban girls differ in period pain, PMS symptoms, menstrual flow, and practices. Rural girls also know less about their menstrual cycles.

 Moderate study design

868 adolescent girls in rural and urban regions

## What they did

Cross-sectional study of 868 adolescent girls ages 10-19 in rural and urban regions. Researchers used a questionnaire to compare menstrual experiences including period pain, PMS, bleeding, menstrual awareness, and cultural practices.

## What they found

Rural and urban girls had statistically significant differences in period pain, PMS symptoms, menstrual flow problems, and practices such as diaper use and food habits (P ≤ 0.05). Rural girls showed less awareness of their menstrual cycle.

## What it means for you

Where you live affects your menstrual experience and menstrual awareness. Rural girls may benefit from better health education about periods. The study does not explain why these differences exist.

868

Number of girls studied

10-19 years

Age range of adolescents

14-16 years

Typical age of first menstruation

## About the study

Original title Menstrual cycle pattern in adolescent girls among urban and rural regions - A comparative cross-sectional study Authors Kanmani Karthikkeyan, Nisa Meina Nirmala, P Thirumalaikolundhusubramanian et al. Journal International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health Year 2020 Study design Survey study Participants 868 What was tested None (observational) Read the paper [doi.org/10.5455/ijmsph.2020.0202118022020](https://doi.org/10.5455/ijmsph.2020.0202118022020)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

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## Related studies

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Is a negative attitude toward menstruation linked to worse PMS symptoms?

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