Åkerman Eva, Wängborg Anna, Persson Maria, Sörensdotter Renita, Klingberg-Allvin Marie
Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Tomtebodavägen 18A, Stockholm, 171 77, Sweden.
Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University, Albanovägen 12, Stockholm, 106 91, Sweden.
BMC Public Health. 2024 Dec 17;24(1):3401. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20936-5.
Menstrual health is a recognised important public health issue and is essential for the realisation of gender equality and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. This study aimed to explore the menstrual health experiences of young people in Sweden and how the menstrual cycle affects their health and lives. The study also aimed to identify the facilitators and barriers to achieving menstrual health.
We conducted a qualitative study in Sweden. Sixteen young people aged 18-28 who have experienced the menstrual cycle participated in individual interviews. Purposeful sampling combined with snowball sampling was applied to recruit the participants. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Participants viewed menstruation as a sign of having a healthy and functioning body. Menstruation was linked to becoming a woman and fostered a sense of community and sisterhood, which was viewed as positive among cis women. Further, the results showed that physical and emotional symptoms related to the menstrual cycle limited the participants' everyday lives and social relationships and had a negative effect on their sexual and mental health. While managing their emotional discomfort and other menstrual complaints, they also had to deal with the public stigma and norms about menstruation contributing to shame and worries. Barriers to menstrual health included stigma and norms related to menstruation, which led to the adoption of expected behaviours, such as avoiding participation in social activities. The normalisation of menstrual complaints also contributed to delays in seeking healthcare, despite having symptoms that had a negative effect on their health. An important factor promoting menstrual health and quality of life is access to prompt treatment to mitigate and decrease symptoms that limit everyday life.
The results indicate that menstrual stigma and related norms create challenging situations limiting menstruating people's everyday lives and reluctance to seek healthcare despite needing to. To promote the menstrual health of menstruating young people in Sweden, organised and systematic screening of menstrual cycle-related symptoms should be provided within student health services at schools and universities, and primary healthcare. Policymakers should consider integrating stigma-reducing efforts into public health interventions to improve general awareness and promote gender equality.
月经健康是一个公认的重要公共卫生问题，对于实现性别平等和可持续发展目标至关重要。本研究旨在探讨瑞典年轻人的月经健康经历，以及月经周期如何影响他们的健康和生活。该研究还旨在确定实现月经健康的促进因素和障碍。
我们在瑞典进行了一项定性研究。16名年龄在18至28岁之间经历过月经周期的年轻人参加了个人访谈。采用目的抽样与滚雪球抽样相结合的方法招募参与者。使用反思性主题分析法对数据进行分析。
参与者将月经视为身体健康和机能正常的标志。月经与成为女性相关联，并培养了一种社区感和姐妹情谊，这在顺性别女性中被视为积极的。此外，结果表明，与月经周期相关的身体和情绪症状限制了参与者的日常生活和社会关系，并对他们的性健康和心理健康产生了负面影响。在应对情绪不适和其他月经问题时，他们还必须应对关于月经的公众污名和规范，这些导致了羞耻和担忧。月经健康的障碍包括与月经相关的污名和规范，这导致了一些预期行为的出现，比如避免参加社交活动。月经问题的常态化也导致尽管出现了对健康有负面影响的症状，但寻求医疗保健的延迟。促进月经健康和生活质量的一个重要因素是能够获得及时治疗，以减轻和减少限制日常生活的症状。
结果表明，月经污名和相关规范造成了具有挑战性的情况，限制了月经来潮者的日常生活，并且尽管需要医疗保健，但他们仍不愿寻求帮助。为了促进瑞典月经来潮的年轻人的月经健康，应在学校、大学的学生健康服务机构以及初级医疗保健机构内，对与月经周期相关的症状进行有组织、系统的筛查。政策制定者应考虑将减少污名的努力纳入公共卫生干预措施，以提高公众意识并促进性别平等。
