Practices and Problems during Menarche among Adolescent Girls in Sultanpur, Uttarpradesh, India

  Introduction: Menarche is a highly emotional experience for the young pubescent. The intensity of experience for the young pubescent is maximum at the time of menarche and depends on how well she is informed about menstruation and the type of support system around her. The subject of menstruation revolves around notion of dirt, taboos and restrictions in various spheres of a woman’s life. The objective of this study is to ascertain and compare practices and problems during menarche among adolescent girls in Sultanpur, Uttarpradesh (UP), India.   Methods: The comparative study was conducted in both urban (Civil Lines) and rural (Wallipur Village) areas in Sultanpur district of UP, India. A cross-sectional study was followed from August  to November 2011. Two hundred adolescence girls were selected through simple random procedure. Interview schedule was used to collect information from respondents.   Results: The mean age of menarche among adolescence girls was 12.16 years. There was no statistical difference between rural and urban population with regard to knowledge about menstruation. Menstruation was taken as a disease by 20.6% and 23.7%. in each population. Use of sanitary pads was more in urban girls. Unhygienic practices like using no means of menstrual absorbent were more prevalent among rural girls.   Conclusion: Unhygienic practices during menstruation among adolescent girls was common in adolescent girls in rural population.