Menstrual Pattern of Teanage Girls in rural Community

Abstract

A survey on menstrual pattern of teenage girls was carried out during February, 1997 to October 1997. During this survey, 670 girls who visited health services research centre. Budhani were interveiwed. Majority of the girls were unmarried, uneducated / primary level educated and belonged to low socio-econimic status. Aming married girls, the common age at marriage was 15 to 18 years. 615 (91.79%) girls had their menarche between 12 - 14 years. The mean cycle length was found 28.6 days. Very few girls (5.5%) had un-usual length of menstrual cycle. Besides, most of the girls (97.8%) had 3 - 8 days duration of menstruation. Premenstrual syndrome was observed in 38.5% girls, with slightly higher freqeuncy in married girls and low socio-economic status. The common symptoms were pain in lower abdomen, cramps, backache, painful breast bad mood and depression.