--- title: How do teenage girls in Malaysia learn about and manage periods and PMS? description: Many girls are not prepared for periods when they arrive, and both urban and rural girls manage PMS and period pain on their own without seeing a doctor. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-syndrome-and-dysmenorrhea-urban-rural-and-multiethnic-differences-2011/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How do teenage girls in Malaysia learn about and manage periods and PMS? Interview study, 2011 # How do teenage girls in Malaysia learn about and manage periods and PMS? Many girls are not prepared for periods when they arrive, and both urban and rural girls manage PMS and period pain on their own without seeing a doctor. Early or limited evidence 172 girls aged 13-19 in Malaysia (urban and rural) ## What they did Researchers conducted 27 focus group discussions with 172 girls aged 13-19 years between November 2008 and April 2009. The girls were from 7 schools in urban Kuala Lumpur and 4 schools in rural Kelantan, Malaysia. They were asked about their experiences with periods, premenstrual symptoms, and period pain. ## What they found Most girls had not received detailed information about how periods work before they started. Many described the first period as shocking and said it had a big emotional impact. Urban girls had more positive views of periods than rural girls. Both urban and rural girls saw PMS and period pain as completely normal and relied on self-care methods. Rural girls were more embarrassed to talk to their mothers or doctors about period-related problems than urban girls. ## What it means for you Better education about periods before they start could help girls feel more prepared and have better attitudes toward menstruation. Even with common problems like PMS and period pain, girls do not seek medical help. The main limitation is this is qualitative feedback from only one country and from over a decade ago. 172 girls in focus groups 27 focus group discussions 13-19 age range ## About the study Original title Premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea: urban-rural and multiethnic differences in perception, impacts, and treatment seeking Authors Wong LP Journal Journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology Year 2011 Study design Interview study Participants 172 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2011.03.009](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2011.03.009) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Psychotherapy, counselling and education](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-psychotherapy/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) 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? Non-randomised trial, 2023 Does education about healthy lifestyle reduce PMS symptoms in high school girls? Survey study, 2023 How common are PMS, PMDD, anxiety, and depression in rural adolescent girls? Non-randomised trial, 2021 Does teaching girls about PMS improve their knowledge? Survey study, 2020 Do rural and urban adolescent girls have different menstrual cycle patterns? Survey study, 2020 How many adolescent girls have PMS, and does teaching them about it help? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗