Review articles
A scoping review on psycho-social challenges of menstruation in adolescent women
2023 Volume 37 Issue 2 Pages 100-113
Details
2023 Volume 37 Issue 2 Pages 100-113
Purpose
The aim of this study was two-fold: 1) to focus on qualitative studies in which data on adolescent women's psychosocial challenges related to their menstruation were collected and 2) to conduct a scoping review the literature in different countries to identify adolescent women's challenges through their experiences of menarche and menstruation.
Methods
We conducted a search for qualitative studies published after 2000 on challenges related to menstruation for adolescent women in November 2021 on PubMed and the NPO Japan Medical Abstracts Society database (Ichushi-Web). We extracted categories and raw data from each of the included studies. We then compared and re-categorized the interpretations and raw data or codes of each study (registered: UMIN000048385).
Results
The re-categorization resulted in four categories and 14 subcategories―four subcategories under Individual Challenges: (a) impact of physical changes, (b) impact of psychological changes, (c) access to information and education on menstruation, and (d) knowledge and perception of menstruation; six subcategories under Social Challenges: (a) social prejudice, (b) feeling of shame, (c) taboo of menstruation, (d) restrictions on social life, (e) religious challenges, and (f) interaction with others who have experienced menstruation; two subcategories under Family-level Challenges: (a) relationship with mother and (b) relationship with family and guardians, including mother; and two subcategories under Lack of Access to Resources: (a) fragility of infrastructure and (b) lack of privacy.
Conclusion
This study revealed that adolescent women undergo diverse experiences and face various challenges when it comes to menarche and menstruation. The results can help understand adolescent women's menstrual experiences and the factors that should be considered to improve reproductive health. The results also indicate the need to ensure that all women have access to accurate information, appropriate menstrual management, psychological support to view menstruation positively, and the necessary menstrual resources.
