Pattern of Menstrual Cycles and Menstrual Hygiene among married women living in an urban slum - A pilot study

Sandhya S. Khadse; Pradnya S. Jadhav; Sundaram Kartikeyan

Volume : VII, Issue : V, May - 2018

Pattern of Menstrual Cycles and Menstrual Hygiene among married women living in an urban slum - A pilot study

Sandhya S. Khadse, Pradnya S. Jadhav, Sundaram Kartikeyan

Abstract :

This cross–sectional interview–based pilot study was conducted on urban slum–dwelling married women (mean current age: 25.8�3.92 years; mean living children: 2.26�1.19) to determine the profile of menstrual cycles and levels of menstrual hygiene.Only three participants had completed higher secondary level of education.Friends and mothers were the leading sources of information on menstruation. Most respondents had regular menses (mean duration: 3.8 �1.2 days) with moderate bleeding.A majority reported symptoms during the pre–menstrual period and menses. During menses, all the participants cleaned the genital area after micturition. 64% used anded disposable sanitary napkins while 36% used home–made sanitary napkins that were washed and re–used. The frequency of changing sanitary napkins ranged from 1–2 times per day (n=29) to 3–5 times per day (n=21).Community–based educational interventions can create awareness on menstrual hygiene, menstrual disorders and their management.