Assistant Professor, Amity College of Nursing, Gurgaon
Online published on 15 March, 2019.
Adolescence is defined as the period of transition from childhood to adulthood the World health organization has defined adolescenceas the age group of 10–19 years. The onset of menstruation is one of the most important changes occurring amonggirls during the adolescent years. Handling menstruation is considered a major challenge beforeevery adolescent girl, which is a normal body function in females. The profile of the woman's reproductive health is greatly influencedby the girl's reaction to menarche, her beliefs and attitude towards menstruation, and more important her behaviour during it Girls are affected by old women tales, thus, early in the first fewyears during the puberty period; a young girl is conditioned to theidea of dysmenorrhea. She may be discouraged from somatic, outdooractivities, discontinue bathing, and she may be encouraged to stay athome for a day from school. The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge and practices among rural adolescent girls regarding menstruation. A cross sectional Questionnaire based study among adolescent school going girls was conducted in selected rural schools of Haryana. One hundred adolescent girls of age group 13–17 years were involved in this study. Adolescence is one of the most crucial periods in the life of an individual, because between these ages, many key biological, social, economical, demographic and cultural events occur that set the stage for adult life. During this phase of growth the girls first experience menstruation and related problems which is marked by feelings of anxiety and eagerness to know about this natural phenomenon.
