Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42257129›Full record

ArticleJournal of family medicine and primary care2026

Menstrual characteristics and school absenteeism among adolescent school girls of Aligarh-A cross-sectional study.

Prashanth Karthika, Ali J Abedi, Tabassum Nawab, Saira Mehnaz, Anuna Vinod

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Article in Journal of family medicine and primary care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Prashanth KarthikaDepartment of Community Medicine, Al-Falah School of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Al-Falah University, Faridabad, Haryana, India.
Ali J AbediDepartment of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Tabassum NawabDepartment of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Saira MehnazDepartment of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Anuna VinodDepartment of Family Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Menstruation is a significant event during adolescence. It is often a challenging period for adolescent girls since it poses significant challenges. The stigma associated with menstruation, difficulties due to menstrual disorders, and period poverty can often lead to school absenteeism and school dropout among girls. Objectives: (1) To identify menstrual characteristics and explore the symptoms associated with menstrual cycles among adolescent school girls of Aligarh. (2) To examine whether adolescent school girls experience absenteeism during menstruation and to elucidate the reasons for such occurrences. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out among adolescent school girls of Aligarh. Two urban and two rural schools were selected randomly from the coeducational schools in Aligarh, with inclusion criteria comprising adolescent girls in grades six to ten who had experienced menarche at least six months prior. Parental consent and participant assent were obtained, resulting in the participation of 164 students. Data collection was conducted through a questionnaire method. Results: The respondents' average age was 14.5 ± 1.33 years, with 84.1% exhibiting regular menstrual cycles out of the 164 participants. The mean age at menarche was 12.7 ± 1.02, and the average duration of menstruation was 4.90 ± 1.54 days. Only 12% of students did not experience pain during menstruation, while the majority reported mild (35.4%), pain only on the first day (30.5%), or excessive (2.8%) pain. Predominant premenstrual symptoms included irritability, mood disturbances, and breast tenderness. Despite these challenges, a majority of students (84.1%) affirmed not taking leave during menstruation. Among those who did, the reasons included a lack of facilities for changing pads, insufficient disposal systems for pads, and dysmenorrhea. Conclusion: Despite having menstrual problems, the students show resilience by attending school regularly. This highlights the importance of improving school facilities to manage menstruation with dignity.

Indexed as

Adolescent girlsmenstrual characteristicsmenstrual hygiene managementpremenstrual syndromeschool absenteeism

Identifiers

PMID42257129
PMCPMC13241103

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