--- title: How common are menstrual problems in teenage girls and do they relate to early puberty? description: Menstrual pain was very common (69.60%), and over half the girls (51.20%) had PMS symptoms. Girls who started menstruating earlier experienced significantly m url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/characteristics-of-menstrual-cycles-in-moroccan-girls-prevalence-of-dysfunctions-1999/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How common are menstrual problems in teenage girls and do they relate to early puberty? Survey study, 1999 # How common are menstrual problems in teenage girls and do they relate to early puberty? Menstrual pain was very common (69.60%), and over half the girls (51.20%) had PMS symptoms. Girls who started menstruating earlier experienced significantly more menstrual pain. Moderate study design 495 girls aged 12-19 in Marrakech, Morocco ## What they did 495 girls aged 12-19 from Marrakech, Morocco answered questions about their menstrual cycles, including pain, PMS symptoms, and whether periods were regular. The study looked at whether these problems related to when they started menstruating. ## What they found By age 13, 40% of girls had started menstruating. The median age at first menstruation was 13.04 years. Menstrual pain occurred in 69.60% of girls, PMS symptoms in 51.20%, and irregular periods in 23.03%. Girls who started menstruating early experienced significantly more menstrual pain. ## What it means for you Menstrual pain and PMS symptoms are very common in teenage girls. Girls who reach puberty earlier tend to have more menstrual pain, which may help doctors identify girls at higher risk who need support. However, the study was conducted only in Morocco, so findings may not apply to girls in other countries or regions. 69.60% girls with menstrual pain 51.20% girls with PMS symptoms 13.04 median age at first menstruation ## About the study Original title Characteristics of menstrual cycles in Moroccan girls: prevalence of dysfunctions and associated behaviours Authors Montero P, Bernis C, Loukid M et al. Journal Annals of human biology Year 1999 Study design Survey study Participants 495 What was tested Menstrual cycle characteristics survey Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/030144699282741](https://doi.org/10.1080/030144699282741) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[GnRH agonists and ovarian suppression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-gnrh/)[Surgical menopause](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-surgery/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[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 Non-randomised trial, 2026 Does video-guided digital menstrual exercise reduce PMS and period pain in adolescent girls? Non-randomised trial, 2026 Can yoga reduce PMS pain in teenage girls? Cohort study, 2006 How should severe period pain in teenagers be treated? Survey study, 2005 What are the main symptoms and impacts of severe period pain in teenage girls? Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Survey study, 2026 Are menstrual characteristics linked to depression and anxiety in teenage girls? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗