Menstrual education is a vital aspect of adolescent health education. Culture, awareness, and socioeconomic status often exert profound influence on menstrual practices. However, health education programs for young women in developing countries do not often address menstrual hygiene, practices, and disorders. Developing culturally sensitive menstrual health education and hygiene programs for adolescent females has been recommended by professional health organizations like the World Health Organization and UNICEF. These programs cannot be developed without understanding existing myths and perceptions about menstruation in adolescent females of developing countries. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study from India was to document existing misconceptions regarding menstruation and perceptions about menarche and various menstrual restrictions that have been understudied. Out of the 612 students invited to participate by asking questions, 381 girls participated by asking specific questions about menstruation (response rate = 62%). The respondents consisted of 84 girls from sixth grade, 117 from seventh grade, and 180 from eighth grade. The questions asked were arranged into the following subthemes: anatomy and physiology, menstrual symptoms, menstrual myths and taboos, health and beauty, menstrual abnormalities, seeking medical advice and home remedies; sanitary pads usage and disposal; diet and lifestyle; and sex education. Results of our study indicate that students had substantial doubts about menstruation and were influenced by societal myths and taboos in relation to menstrual practices. Parents, adolescent care providers, and policy makers in developing countries should advocate for comprehensive sexuality education and resources (e.g., low-cost sanitary pads and school facilities) to promote menstrual health and hygiene promotion.

Purpose:Adolescence is a period of rapid physical, emotional, cognitive, social growth and development. Though menstrual education programs are conducted in schools, the factual information that adolescent girls need is not always available to them leaving behind a large number of unanswered questions, ranged from sophisticated to poignantly ignorant, in the minds of young girls.Method:1,430 female Indian students from middle and lower socioeconomic class, ranging in age from 12 to 15 years of a Pune city school were given a chance to ask anonymous written questions after the menstrual health and hygiene classes.Result:The most popular categories of questions were on menstrual physiology; beauty and symptoms associated with menstruation, followed by myths and taboos, use of sanitary pads, anatomy of reproductive organs, diet and menstrual disorders. Among 258 questions asked voluntarily, the most popular topic for 6th graders was menstrual physiology (45%) and beauty for 7th (39%) and 8th (19%) graders. Why does baby grow in mother's womb only, how do astronauts get menses in space, do boys too develop pubic hair, does a girl become pregnant immediately after menarche, etc. were some of the interesting questions showing the curiosity and ignorance in the minds of young girls. Myths and taboos like during menses a girl shouldn’t enter kitchen, perform religious activities and touch others, getting infertility if disposed sanitary pad is sniffed by a snake etc. were persistent. The significant increase in the questions under beauty category from 2% (6th grades) to 39% (7th grades) depicts sudden increase in level of self-consciousness and attraction towards opposite sex.Conclusion:Questions asked by local adolescent girls should be considered by physicians and health education policy makers as the bases for designing subsequent material and programs on menstrual health education.