Survey study, 1991
How do beliefs about menstruation affect premenstrual symptoms in India?
Women who see menstruation as natural and normal experience fewer distressing premenstrual symptoms. Women who see it as debilitating or unhealthy experience more distress.
What they did
Researchers gave 48 Indian women a questionnaire about their attitudes toward menstruation, adapted for Indian culture. They looked at whether women saw menstruation as natural, bothersome, or debilitating, and related these attitudes to their premenstrual experiences.
What they found
Most women rated menstruation as natural. Older women were more likely to see it as natural. Women whose premenstrual symptoms caused distress were more likely to believe menstruation is debilitating or unhealthy. Women who felt well before their period were more likely to see menstruation as a natural part of life.
What it means for you
A woman's beliefs about menstruation appear to influence how much her premenstrual symptoms bother her. The study is very small and based only on Indian women, so we cannot be sure whether this is true in other cultures.
48
women studied
About the study
- Original title
- Sociocultural aspects of menstrual attitudes and premenstrual experiences in India
- Authors
- Chaturvedi SK, Chandra PS
- Journal
- Social science & medicine (1982)
- Year
- 1991
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 48
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(91)90114-r
Topics
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