Gao Yifei, Wang Jue, He Mulan, Jiang Ruhe, Du Yan, Chen Qi
Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200011, China.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Heliyon. 2025 Feb 21;11(4):e42904. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e42904. eCollection 2025 Feb 28.
Adolescent girls undergo a transformative period of both physical and emotional changes. Menarche, the first onset of the menstrual cycle, is one of the physical changes, and this could be a challenging time for the girls. For many, menarche remains a difficult experience in both developed and developing countries due to limited understanding and awareness of this process. An inadequate explanation of menarche by the family or society can lead to positive emotions during this transition. Unfortunately, limited availability of puberty education persists, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, including China. In this cross-sectional paper-based survey study with a moderate sample size, we evaluated Chinese adolescent girls' knowledge and emotional responses to menarche. The study included 2,032 teenage girls aged 10 to 17 from primary and middle schools in Shanghai and Yunnan Province, China. The mean age at menarche was 12.7 years. 36 % of the participants did not receive any information about menarche before their first menstrual cycle. Mothers, rather than schools, were the primary source of knowledge about menarche and also the main individuals girls sought advice from. The school provided limited knowledge on menstruation, leaving many girls without the necessary knowledge. Additionally, 57 % of adolescent girls reported experiencing varying degrees of negative emotions regarding menarche. Given that the average age of pubertal onset is now below ten years, our paper-based survey highlights the growing importance of puberty education, including stating earlier that it needs to be a high priority in managing adolescent girls' health, at least at the community level in low- and middle-income countries.
青春期女孩经历着身体和情感变化的转型期。月经初潮，即月经周期的首次开始，是身体变化之一，而这对女孩们来说可能是一个具有挑战性的时期。对许多人来说，由于对这一过程的理解和认识有限，在发达国家和发展中国家，月经初潮仍然是一段艰难的经历。家庭或社会对月经初潮的解释不足可能导致在这一转变过程中产生负面情绪。不幸的是，青春期教育的可获得性仍然有限，特别是在包括中国在内的低收入和中等收入国家。在这项基于纸质问卷的横断面调查研究中，我们评估了中国青春期女孩对月经初潮的认知和情绪反应。该研究纳入了来自中国上海和云南省中小学的2032名10至17岁的少女。月经初潮的平均年龄为12.7岁。36%的参与者在首次月经周期之前没有收到任何关于月经初潮的信息。母亲而非学校是月经初潮知识的主要来源，也是女孩们寻求建议的主要对象。学校提供的月经知识有限，导致许多女孩缺乏必要的知识。此外，57%的青春期女孩报告称在月经初潮方面经历了不同程度的负面情绪。鉴于现在青春期开始的平均年龄低于10岁，我们基于纸质问卷的调查凸显了青春期教育日益增长的重要性，包括更早地指出它需要成为管理青春期女孩健康的高度优先事项，至少在低收入和中等收入国家的社区层面是如此。
