--- title: What menstrual and premenstrual problems do girls with intellectual disability experience? description: Adolescent girls with intellectual disability commonly experience painful periods (94.2%), severe pain (67.3%), and premenstrual mood and behavioral symptoms. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/a-cross-sectional-study-on-menstrual-health-difficulties-and-premenstrual-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - What menstrual and premenstrual problems do girls with intellectual disability experience? Cohort study, 2026 # What menstrual and premenstrual problems do girls with intellectual disability experience? Adolescent girls with intellectual disability commonly experience painful periods (94.2%), severe pain (67.3%), and premenstrual mood and behavioral symptoms. Most need significant caregiver help with menstrual hygiene and require integrated support. Early or limited evidence 52 adolescent girls aged 10-19 with mild to moderate intellectual disability in Puducherry, India ## What they did Cross-sectional school-based survey of 52 girls aged 10-19 with mild to moderate intellectual disability in India. A gynecologist assessed menstrual history and hygiene. Caregivers reported premenstrual symptoms across mood, physical, and behavioral domains over 3 consecutive cycles. ## What they found 94.2% had dysmenorrhea (painful periods); 67.3% with severe pain. Nearly half experienced irregular periods. Over 90% needed partial to complete caregiver help with hygiene. Common premenstrual symptoms included mood changes, irritability, pain, aggression, excessive sleepiness, and school absence. No significant symptom differences by disability level, though hygiene dependence was higher in moderate versus mild disability. ## What it means for you This is the first Indian evidence of significant, underrecognized menstrual and premenstrual health problems in girls with intellectual disability across multiple domains. They need integrated multidisciplinary support. However, as an observational study, we cannot determine whether problems are caused by disability or other factors. 52 adolescent girls studied 94.2% with dysmenorrhea (painful periods) 67.3% with severe menstrual pain ## About the study Original title A cross-sectional study on menstrual health difficulties and premenstrual symptomatology in adolescent girls with intellectual disability: a salutogenic public health perspective Authors Jenisha A, Sugumaran A, Ramanathan M et al. Journal Frontiers in public health Year 2026 Study design Cohort study Participants 52 What was tested None - observational assessment of health and symptoms Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1771244](https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1771244) Original abstract Background: Adolescent girls with Intellectual disability (ID) are amongst the most vulnerable and underserved populations with special menstrual health needs. The prevalence of menstrual difficulties and premenstrual symptoms among people with ID often goes unrecognized, is poorly communicated and poorly managed which in turn contributes to functional limitations, increased caregiver burden and reduced quality of life. There is a lack of evidence from India regarding multidimensional PMS patterns and integrated supportive care approaches for girls with ID. Objective: To assess menstrual health difficulties and premenstrual symptom patterns among adolescent girls with intellectual disability and to describe multidisciplinary supportive care recommendations within a salutogenic public health framework. Methods: A cross-sectional school-based survey was conducted among 52 adolescent girls with mild to moderate ID aged 10-19 years in selected special schools of Puducherry. Menstrual history and hygiene practices were assessed by a gynecologist, and premenstrual symptoms across psychological, physical, and behavioral domains were evaluated using a caregiver-reported PMS screening tool over three consecutive cycles. Symptom clustering was performed by multidisciplinary experts. Exploratory inferential analysis was conducted using appropriate statistical tests to examine associations between level of intellectual disability and key menstrual health variables. Results: Dysmenorrhea was reported by 94.2% of participants with severe pain of 67.3%. Nearly half of them experienced menstrual irregularities, and over 90% needed partial to complete caregiver assistance in menstrual hygiene. Premenstrual symptoms were common across the domains: mood variability, irritability, pain, aggression, hypersomnia, and school absenteeism. Exploratory analysis showed no significant differences in symptom domain scores across levels of intellectual disability; however, hygiene dependence was significantly higher among adolescents with moderate intellectual disability. All participants exhibited overlapping symptom clusters-warranting integrated multidisciplinary recommendations. Routine supportive care gynecological, psychiatric, and yoga-based strategies were given. Emphasis was also laid on non-pharmacological management, behavior regulation, and body-mind coping. Conclusion: Adolescent girls with ID face a high burden of menstrual and premenstrual difficulties across physical, psychological, and behavioral domains. A salutogenic, multidisciplinary approach to gynecological care, together with behavioral support and yoga-based interventions, provided a culturally feasible framework for addressing menstrual health needs within special-school settings. For longitudinal effectiveness, such integrated strategies need to be evaluated. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Irritability and anger](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-irritability-anger/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Lab study, 2026 Do core stability exercises help women with PMDD? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does video-guided digital menstrual exercise reduce PMS and period pain in adolescent girls? Review, 2024 Does yoga help reduce period pain and premenstrual symptoms? Cohort study, 2019 How do exercise, diet and weight affect menstrual problems? Survey study, 2016 How common are menstrual problems in teenage girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗