Survey study, 2026
How does menstrual health affect your quality of life?
Menstrual health significantly affects quality of life. Women with frequent premenstrual symptoms, menstrual pain, and difficulty affording menstrual products reported lower quality of life, especially in daily activities, mood, and pain.
What they did
Researchers surveyed 1,381 women and people who menstruate aged 18 or older across five regions of Spain. Participants answered questions about their menstrual health and completed a standard quality-of-life assessment between May and September 2023.
What they found
Average age was 34.63 years. Quality of life scores averaged 0.88 (on a 0-1 scale) and 73.63 (on a 0-100 scale). Several menstrual factors linked to lower quality of life: high frequency of premenstrual symptoms (strongest connection), high impact of premenstrual symptoms, reduced social participation during menstruation, difficulty affording menstrual products, and menstrual pain intensity.
What it means for you
Menstrual problems significantly affect how satisfied you feel with your life, especially daily activities, emotional health, and pain. Health services should recognize menstrual health as important for overall well-being. Findings are from Spain and may differ in other countries.
1381
Participants
34.63
Mean age in years
5
Regions of Spain studied
About the study
- Original title
- Menstrual health and health-related quality of life in Spain: a multicenter cross-sectional study
- Authors
- García-Egea A, López-Jiménez T, Rodríguez-Domínguez C et al.
- Journal
- Reproductive health
- Year
- 2026
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 1,381
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1186/s12978-026-02401-1
Topics
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