Patterns and perceptions of menstruation. A World Health Organization international collaborative study in Egypt India Indonesia Jamaica Mexico Pakistan Philippines Republic of Korea United Kingdom and Yugoslavia.

Abstract

This report of cross-cultural patterns and perceptions of menstruation is based on findings from 10 countries which participated in a collaborative World Health Organization research program in which retrospective data were gathered using survey techniques and prospective data were collected using daily recordkeeping. Sources included interviews with 382 knowledgeable persons a survey of 5322 women a 90-day record of blood loss among 467 of the women and a literature review of over 500 items. The results of the study are intended to be used in assessment of new fertility regulating methods that affect menstrual bleeding and to provide information to help prepare women beginning use of family planning methods. The 8 chapters provide an introduction to the study and discussion of its cross-cultural perspectives; a description of the research administration and strategy including the research sites study design general survey and daily record of blood loss; a consideration of collection of menstrual data from illiterate women; presentation of the results of the general survey including perceived characteristics of menstrual blood and of physiological and psychological sequelae of menstrual bleeding behavior associated with menstrual bleeding and beliefs about and reactions to possible changes in patterns of menstrual bleeding; an analysis of prediction and recall of menstrual events; a discussion of the knowledgeable source survey findings on patterns of menstrual bleeding and the use of such sources as a methodological tool; conclusions and implications of the study; and the review of literature on perceptions of menstruation regarding amount and duration of bleeding prediction and recall blood characteristics sequelae of menstruation and psychsocial factors. 3 appendices include an annotated bibliography of 368 items dealing with menstruation a report on the frequency distributions of responses given to 6 items concerning perceptions of menstruation and selected cross-tabulations of data for each of 14 sociocultural groups included in the study.