--- title: What are the menstrual and premenstrual experiences of Black women in Zimbabwe? description: Black Zimbabwean women experience menstruation and premenstruation in ways shaped by culture and education. Professional women and domestic workers report dif url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-and-premenstrual-experiences-of-women-in-a-developing-country-1997/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - What are the menstrual and premenstrual experiences of Black women in Zimbabwe? Study, 1997 # What are the menstrual and premenstrual experiences of Black women in Zimbabwe? Black Zimbabwean women experience menstruation and premenstruation in ways shaped by culture and education. Professional women and domestic workers report different explanations for why menstruation happens and report different physical and emotional symptoms. Early or limited evidence 50 Black Zimbabwean women: 25 professional workers and 25 domestic workers. ## What they did Researchers interviewed 25 professional women and 25 domestic workers from Zimbabwe. They asked open-ended questions to understand what menstruation and premenstrual symptoms meant to them and how they experienced these parts of their cycle. ## What they found Both groups shared common themes: menstruation was talked about secretly, first period was negative, families no longer passed down information about periods the way they used to, and women accepted their cycle experiences. The main difference between groups was that professional women and domestic workers explained the purpose of menstruation differently and reported different physical and emotional symptoms, likely because of their different education levels. ## What it means for you How women experience premenstrual symptoms is not just biology. It is also shaped by culture, education, and family. The main limitation is that this study was small and included only women in one country, so the findings may not apply elsewhere. 25 Professional women interviewed 25 Domestic workers interviewed 50 Total women ## About the study Original title Menstrual and premenstrual experiences of women in a developing country Authors McMaster J, Cormie K, Pitts M Journal Health care for women international Year 1997 Study design Study What was tested None - this was descriptive. Read the paper [doi.org/10.1080/07399339709516309](https://doi.org/10.1080/07399339709516309) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/)[Economic burden](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-economic-burden/) 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 Survey study, 2020 What are the most common PMS symptoms and how much do they disrupt daily life? Case-control study, 2026 Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle? Systematic review, 2012 Does the menstrual cycle cause negative mood, especially before your period? Study, 2026 What coping strategies help women manage PMS symptoms? Cohort study, 2026 Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how much physical activity women do? Cohort study, 2026 How do beliefs about control and ways of handling emotions affect distress before your period? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗