Adolescent girls’ perceptions and cultural beliefs about menstruation and menstrual practices: A scoping review

Abstract

Menstruation is experienced differently among school-going adolescents in various cultures and social contexts. This scoping review summarises the emerging evidence on adolescent girls’ perceptions and cultural beliefs about menstruation and menstrual practices. A search was conducted via relevant databases and journals for the period 2004 to 2020. Two reviewers independently evaluated the methodological quality of the identified articles. The 35 articles included in the review represented adolescent girls’ perceptions and cultural beliefs about menstruation and menstrual practices. Narrative analysis revealed that cultural perceptions and beliefs, economic and institutional resources and primary sources of information influenced the experience of menstruation and its management. Menstruation remained shrouded in secrecy and shame for many girls, leading to absenteeism from school. These findings underscore the need to further explore cultural practices and beliefs about menstruation that influence school attendance and long-term educational prospects of adolescent girls.