Trial reportBJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology2026
Menstrual Pain Management, School Absenteeism and Educational Performance Among Adolescent Students: Cross-Sectional Mixed-Methods Analysis Nested Within a Cluster Randomised Trial.
Trial report in BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo describe menstrual pain and pain management, and the associations of pain relief with school absenteeism and educational performance, among Ugandan adolescents.
designCross-sectional mixed-methods study, nested within a school-based cluster randomised controlled trial. SETTING AND POPULATION: Adolescent girls in 60 secondary schools in Uganda.
methodsQuantitative surveys, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were conducted. Data were analysed using thematic framework analysis for qualitative data, and random-effects regression analysis for quantitative data.
main outcome measuresSelf-reported pain during the last menstrual period (LMP), school absenteeism and educational performance.
resultsAmong 2683 participants, the majority (n = 2227; 83.0%) reported pain during their LMP and were more likely to miss school than those without pain (mean days missed per month 2.1 vs. 1.4; adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] = 1.46, 95% CI 1.30-1.65). Participants reported that menstrual pain hindered their ability to engage at school, leading to reduced class attendance and participation. Pain management strategies (painkillers, warm water bottles, stretching, or exercise) were reported by 1587 (71.3%) participants with pain at LMP, and were less commonly reported among participants with mental health problems and poorer menstrual self-efficacy. Participants who did not report pain relief missed more school days than those who did report pain relief (aIRR = 1.39, 95% CI 1.11-1.74).
conclusionMenstrual pain without effective relief was associated with increased school absenteeism. There is a need to improve the uptake of effective pain relief strategies in Ugandan schools and similar settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.