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The Journal of Adolescent Health :... Apr 2024To identify sources of information, perceptions, and potential misinformation about menstruation among college-aged men in the United States.
PURPOSE
To identify sources of information, perceptions, and potential misinformation about menstruation among college-aged men in the United States.
METHODS
This is a mixed-methods cross-sectional survey study of students in the United States. Inclusion criteria included participants aged 17-29 years, male gender identity, enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student, and no personal history of menstruation.
RESULTS
This study included 70 participants. Almost half of all participants (42.9%) first learned about menstruation from family members. More than two-thirds of respondents felt that menstrual education was essential or very important for all genders. The most common symptoms noted to be associated with periods included cramping (93.6%), mood changes (80.9%), and vague "hormonal" changes (36.2%). When asked how a menstrual period might affect someone's ability to perform daily activities, one-third reported debilitating or very burdensome symptoms, whereas one-fifth felt periods do not have much impact.
DISCUSSION
Comprehensive education and accurate reproductive health knowledge are critical in combating gender bias and stigma. Most males surveyed agree that education on menstruation is important, yet the majority do not have or do not remember formal education on this topic, instead relying on family members and friends as learning tools and resources. Most participants identified negative symptoms associated with menstrual periods, especially mental health concerns including mood changes and irritability. This association with mood changes, as well as vague "hormonal fluctuations," contributes to the societal bias against people who menstruate by marking them as prone to emotional instability, thereby exacerbating gender prejudices. It is therefore critical that accurate menstrual education be widely available for everyone, regardless of gender.
Topics: Female; Male; Humans; Young Adult; Menstruation; Cross-Sectional Studies; Gender Identity; Sexism; Attitude; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
PubMed: 38069935
DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.10.014 -
Molecular Medicine Reports Dec 2020Abnormal menstruation may result in several pathological alterations and gynaecological diseases, including endometriosis, menstrual pain and miscarriage. However, the... (Review)
Review
Abnormal menstruation may result in several pathological alterations and gynaecological diseases, including endometriosis, menstrual pain and miscarriage. However, the pathogenesis of menstruation remains unclear due to the limited number of animal models available to study the menstrual cycle. In recent years, an effective, reproducible, and highly adaptive mouse model to study menstruation has been developed. In this model, progesterone and oestrogen were administered in cycles following the removal of ovaries. Subsequently, endometrial decidualisation was induced using sesame oil, followed by withdrawal of progesterone administration. Vaginal bleeding in mice is similar to that in humans. Therefore, the use of mice as a model organism to study the mechanism of menstruation and gynaecological diseases may prove to be an important breakthrough. The present review is focussed ond the development and applications of a mouse model of menstruation. Furthermore, various studies have been described to improve this model and the research findings that may aid in the treatment of menstrual disorders in women are presented.
Topics: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Dysmenorrhea; Endometriosis; Endometrium; Estrogens; Female; Genital Diseases, Female; Menstrual Cycle; Menstruation; Mice; Ovary; Progesterone
PubMed: 33174022
DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2020.11567 -
Global Health Action Jul 2020The transition from childhood to adolescence is a critical transitional period for girls, and as they experience these changes, having knowledge of, and being able to...
BACKGROUND
The transition from childhood to adolescence is a critical transitional period for girls, and as they experience these changes, having knowledge of, and being able to practice, good menstruation hygiene management is crucial. The objective of this study was to understand in and out of school adolescents' menstrual hygiene management practice, sources of information and attitudes towards menstruation.
METHODS
A cross sectional, descriptive study was conducted between November 2018 and May 2019. The sampling included adolescent girls aged 11-19 years in higher secondary schools in Khammouane and Champassak provinces and out-of-school adolescent girls. Out of the total number of 433 participants enrolled in the study, only 343 girls had reached menarche and were included in the study. Factors associated with menstruation hygiene management practice were examined with bivariate and multivariate analyses.
RESULTS
Out of 343 subjects who had reached menarche, 44% reported good menstrual hygiene management practice. Over half of the participants, however, were unable to access the tools of good menstruation hygiene management practice, including having somewhere to dispose of used sanitary pads in private. Being older (16-19 years) (AOR:2.4; 95%CI 1.4 to 3.9), and having primary education (AOR 0.4; 95%CI 0.2 to 0.9) were associated with good practice as was fathers' level of education (AOR 2.1; 95%CI 1.0 to 4.1) and mother-girl discussion about menstruation (AOR 2.2; 95%CI 1.0 to 5.0). No significant differences were found between in- and out-of-school adolescents.
CONCLUSIONS
In this study, not all participants were able to practice optimal menstruation hygiene management. This is important as good menstrual hygiene management is associated with better health and being able to participate fully in education and work. Further education is needed, but it is also important to ensure that all adolescent girls have access to the necessary tools for effective menstruation hygiene management.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Hygiene; Laos; Menarche; Menstruation; Students; Young Adult
PubMed: 32741349
DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2020.1785170 -
BioEssays : News and Reviews in... Jun 2019A new interpretation of human menstruation is presented, resulting from a cross-disciplinary investigation of evolution, developmental biology, and physiology. A process... (Review)
Review
The Link Between Human Menstruation and Placental Delivery: A Novel Evolutionary Interpretation: Menstruation and fetal placental detachment share common evolved physiological processes dependent on progesterone withdrawal.
A new interpretation of human menstruation is presented, resulting from a cross-disciplinary investigation of evolution, developmental biology, and physiology. A process evolutionarily associated with childbirth expresses itself as menstruation in women for whom frequent and continual failure to conceive has become the default situation. In humans and Old World primates, contractile uterine spiral arterioles evolved as the complement of the highly invasive hemochorionic placenta and is the selected phenotype. Placental progesterone withdrawal during the last stage of birth leads to arrested blood flow through maternal spiral arterioles, allowing detachment of the deciduous placenta with minimal maternal hemorrhage. In nonpregnant females, progesterone withdrawal from a degenerating corpus luteum initiates menstruation and stops blood flow through uterine spiral arterioles. Both events share similar physiological mechanisms and sequences. This explanation may improve our understanding of a recurrent event experienced by half of the human population and for a quarter of their adult reproductive life.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Arterioles; Brain; Female; Fetus; Humans; Menstruation; Parturition; Placenta; Pregnancy; Progesterone; Reproduction; Uterus
PubMed: 31119755
DOI: 10.1002/bies.201800232 -
The Journal of Adolescent Health :... Jul 2022While some adolescents celebrate menstruation as a rite of passage, others seek discretion due to stigma. Many youth have used Twitter to combat stigma and raise...
PURPOSE
While some adolescents celebrate menstruation as a rite of passage, others seek discretion due to stigma. Many youth have used Twitter to combat stigma and raise awareness about other culturally taboo topics, but previous work has not explored youth conversations regarding menstruation. This study aims to assess whether Twitter can provide useful insights into how youth perceive menstruation.
METHODS
The team searched 162,316,839 tweets of 71,443 users of the age range 13-25 years in the Health Language Processing Twitter Youth Cohort for tweets that matched menstruation-related keywords: a pad, my pad, my period, her period, your period, tampon, diva cup, menstruate, that time of the month. Twelve codes emerged using a grounded theory approach and were sorted into three themes.
RESULTS
Analysis was conducted on 10,000 tweets. Three themes emerged, including menstrual health, menstrual stigma, and menstrual positivity. Tweets related to menstrual health included physical complications, sexual/reproductive health, health education, and LGBTQ health. Tweets that addressed menstrual stigma included inconvenience/limitations, shame/stereotypes, religion/alternate perceptions, access/affordability, and self-depreciation/harm. Tweets related to menstrual positivity included awareness/community, strength/resilience, and environment/sustainability.
DISCUSSION
This study provides insights into youth perceptions about menstruation. There was overwhelming emphasis placed on the negative expectations and shame around menstruation. A significant minority of tweets were directly or indirectly related to advocacy or education, which supports the potential use of Twitter as a platform to improve public health messaging, transform health outcomes, and promote equity among youth who menstruate.
Topics: Adolescent; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Infant; Menstruation; Public Health; Reproductive Health; Social Media; Social Stigma
PubMed: 35283044
DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.01.224 -
Biology of Reproduction Aug 2016
Topics: Animals; Menstruation; Mice
PubMed: 27563028
DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.116.143511 -
Journal of Religion and Health Oct 2023This study aimed to determine health, nutrition, religious beliefs, hygiene, and beliefs concerning menstruation of women aged between 18 and 49 years. This research...
This study aimed to determine health, nutrition, religious beliefs, hygiene, and beliefs concerning menstruation of women aged between 18 and 49 years. This research was conducted as a descriptive study in primary health centers in one province in eastern Turkey between 2017 and 2019. The study sample consisted of 742 women. In the research, a questionnaire form that included the sociodemographic characteristics of the women and their thoughts regarding beliefs about their menstrual period was used. The biggest myth about food preparation was that 22% of the women believed that they will spoil food if they are involved in the food canning process while menstruating. The greatest menstrual beliefs about religious belief were that 96.1% of the women felt that it was wrong to have sexual intercourse while menstruating. The biggest beliefs about social life were that 26.5% of the women felt that they cannot have blood drawn while menstruating. The biggest beliefs about cleanliness were 89.8% of the women stated that it was necessary to take a bath at the end of menstruation. Generally, of all menstrual beliefs, opening pickles was highest among all groups. Notably, the second cluster, with a low value for kneading dough and shaving the genital area, showed a better cluster structure.
Topics: Female; Humans; Adolescent; Young Adult; Adult; Middle Aged; Menstruation; Islam; Turkey; Hygiene; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
PubMed: 36913054
DOI: 10.1007/s10943-023-01793-9 -
Acta Neurologica Belgica Aug 2021To determine the relation between headache and menstruation in women with migraine and the use of estrogen by these women. This was a prospective, cross-sectional,... (Observational Study)
Observational Study
To determine the relation between headache and menstruation in women with migraine and the use of estrogen by these women. This was a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study with group comparison, using non-random sample and convenience. We interviewed 79 women diagnosed with migraine or tension-type headache (TTH), according to the ICHD-3, regarding the relation between headache and menstruation. Of the 79 women with headache, 60 (76%) had migraine and 19 (24%) had episodic TTH. The most frequent subtype of migraine was without aura (54/60, 90%). The age ranged from 18 to 42 years, with an average of 22.6 ± 4.1 years. Migraine affected women aged 22.4 ± 3.6 years, whereas in TTH, the age was 23.0 ± 5.4 years. Menstruation-related headache occurred in 41.9% of women with migraine and in only 6.3% of those with TTH. These differences were significant (χ = 5.2; p = 0.022). Of the five women diagnosed with migraine with aura, two used estrogen. Menstruation-related headache predominates in women with migraine and often women with migraine with aura use estrogen.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Estrogens; Female; Humans; Menstruation; Migraine Disorders; Prospective Studies; Tension-Type Headache; Young Adult
PubMed: 33721258
DOI: 10.1007/s13760-021-01646-w -
Reproductive Health Jun 2020Menstruation, a natural biologic process is associated with restrictions and superstitious beliefs in Nepal. However, factual data on women's perspectives on menstrual...
BACKGROUND
Menstruation, a natural biologic process is associated with restrictions and superstitious beliefs in Nepal. However, factual data on women's perspectives on menstrual practices and restrictions are scarce. This study aimed to assess socio-cultural perceptions of menstrual restrictions among urban Nepalese women in the Kathmandu valley.
METHODS
Using a clustered random sampling, 1342 adolescent girls and women of menstruating age (≥15 years) from three urban districts in the Kathmandu valley completed a survey related to menstrual practices and restriction. This was a cross-sectional survey study using a customized program allowing pull-down, multiple choice and open-ended questions in the Nepali language. The self-administered questionnaire consisted of 13 demographic questions and 22 questions related to menstruation, menstrual hygiene, socio-cultural taboos, beliefs and practices. Univariate descriptive statistics were reported. Unadjusted associations of socio-cultural practices with ethnicity, education, four major social classes, three major religions, marital status and family type were assessed using logistic regression models.
RESULTS
More than half (59%) of the participants were aged between 15- < 25 years. The majority were Hindus (84.5%), reported not praying during menstruation (83.1%) and were encouraged by their mothers (72.1%) to practice a range of menstrual restrictions. Purifying either the kitchen, bed, bedsheets or other household things on the fourth day of menstruation was reported by 66.1% of the participants, and 45.4% saw menstruation as a "bother" or "curse." There were differences among social classes, where participants of the Janajati caste, an indigenous group, were more likely to enter places of worship [OR (95%CI): 1.74 (1.06-2.86)] and pray [OR (95%CI): 1.79 (1.18-2.71)] while menstruating, compared to the Brahmins. Participants with a master's degree were more likely to pray while menstruating, compared to participants with less than a high school education [OR (95%CI): 2.83 (1.61-4.96)].
CONCLUSION
This study throws light on existing social discriminations, deep-rooted cultural and religious superstitions among women, and gender inequalities in the urban areas of Kathmandu valley in Nepal. Targeted education and awareness are needed to make changes and balance between cultural and social practices during menstruation.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Cross-Sectional Studies; Culture; Educational Status; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Hygiene; Menstruation; Nepal; Religion; Social Class; Socioeconomic Factors; Young Adult
PubMed: 32487096
DOI: 10.1186/s12978-020-00935-6 -
BMC Medicine Dec 2023Preliminary evidence demonstrates some parameters of metabolic control, including glycaemic control, lipid control and insulin resistance, vary across the menstrual...
Association between menstrual cycle phase and metabolites in healthy, regularly menstruating women in UK Biobank, and effect modification by inflammatory markers and risk factors for metabolic disease.
BACKGROUND
Preliminary evidence demonstrates some parameters of metabolic control, including glycaemic control, lipid control and insulin resistance, vary across the menstrual cycle. However, the literature is inconsistent, and the underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the association between the menstrual cycle phase and metabolites and to explore potential mediators and moderators of these associations.
METHODS
We undertook a cross-sectional cohort study using UK Biobank. The outcome variables were glucose; triglyceride; triglyceride to glucose index (TyG index); total, HDL and LDL cholesterol; and total to HDL cholesterol ratio. Generalised additive models (GAM) were used to investigate non-linear associations between the menstrual cycle phase and outcome variables. Anthropometric, lifestyle, fitness and inflammatory markers were explored as potential mediators and moderators of the associations between the menstrual cycle phase and outcome variables.
RESULTS
Data from 8694 regularly menstruating women in UK Biobank were analysed. Non-linear associations were observed between the menstrual cycle phase and total (p < 0.001), HDL (p < 0.001), LDL (p = 0.012) and total to HDL cholesterol (p < 0.001), but not glucose (p = 0.072), triglyceride (p = 0.066) or TyG index (p = 0.100). Neither anthropometric, physical fitness, physical activity, nor inflammatory markers mediated the associations between the menstrual cycle phase and metabolites. Moderator analysis demonstrated a greater magnitude of variation for all metabolites across the menstrual cycle in the highest and lowest two quartiles of fat mass and physical activity, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
Cholesterol profiles exhibit a non-linear relationship with the menstrual cycle phase. Physical activity, anthropometric and fitness variables moderate the associations between the menstrual cycle phase and metabolite concentration. These findings indicate the potential importance of physical activity and fat mass as modifiable risk factors of the intra-individual variation in metabolic control across the menstrual cycle in pre-menopausal women.
Topics: Female; Humans; Cholesterol, HDL; Cross-Sectional Studies; Biological Specimen Banks; Menstruation; Menstrual Cycle; Risk Factors; Insulin Resistance; Triglycerides; Glucose
PubMed: 38066548
DOI: 10.1186/s12916-023-03195-w