NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia; Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia; Department of Sociology/Anthropology, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont.
J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2021 Apr;34(2):135-143. doi: 10.1016/j.jpag.2020.11.007. Epub 2020 Nov 12.
To explore key aspects of menstrual health literacy and menstrual management in young women at school or in tertiary education.
Cross-sectional online survey.
Australia-wide.
A total of 4202 adolescent and young women (13-25 years of age; median age 17 years), having reached menarche, living in Australia and currently attending school (n = 2421) or tertiary education (n = 1781).
Online survey hosted by Qualtrics between November 2017 and January 2018. Data were collected on contraceptive use, management strategies, sources of information, and knowledge of menstruation.
Information on prevalence and effectiveness of different management strategies, health-seeking behavior, knowledge about menstruation, and common menstrual disorders such as endometriosis.
The majority of young women did not seek medical advice for their menstrual symptoms, but used information from the Internet (50%) and engaged in self-management, most commonly with over-the-counter medications such as paracetamol (51%) or ibuprofen (52%). Oral contraceptive use was relatively common (35%), and mostly for reduction of menstrual pain (58%). Despite having significant dysmenorrhea, approximately one-half of the participants (51%) thought that their period was normal. Women with higher pain scores were more likely to rate their period as "abnormal" (P < .0001) but not more likely to consult a doctor (P = .13). Only 53% of those at school had heard of endometriosis.
Self-management of menstrual symptoms is common, but a significant minority of women are underdosing or choosing ineffective methods. Most women do not seek medical advice even when symptoms are severe, and cannot identify symptoms suggestive of secondary dysmenorrhea. Improved education on menstruation is vital.
探索在校或接受高等教育的年轻女性的月经健康素养和月经管理的关键方面。
横断面在线调查。
澳大利亚。
共有 4202 名青春期和年轻女性（13-25 岁；中位数年龄 17 岁），已经初潮，居住在澳大利亚，目前正在上学（n=2421）或接受高等教育（n=1781）。
2017 年 11 月至 2018 年 1 月期间，在 Qualtrics 上进行在线调查。收集有关避孕措施、管理策略、信息来源和月经知识的数据。
不同管理策略的流行率和有效性、求医行为、月经知识以及子宫内膜异位症等常见月经疾病的信息。
大多数年轻女性没有因月经症状而就医，而是从互联网上获取信息（50%）并进行自我管理，最常见的是使用非处方药物，如扑热息痛（51%）或布洛芬（52%）。口服避孕药的使用相对普遍（35%），主要用于减轻月经疼痛（58%）。尽管有明显的痛经，大约一半的参与者（51%）认为他们的月经是正常的。疼痛评分较高的女性更有可能认为自己的月经“异常”（P<.0001），但不太可能去看医生（P=.13）。只有 53%的在校女性听说过子宫内膜异位症。
月经症状的自我管理很常见，但少数女性用药不足或选择无效的方法。即使症状严重，大多数女性也不会寻求医疗建议，并且无法识别提示继发性痛经的症状。加强月经教育至关重要。
