Abstract

PIP: Puberty initiation rites heralding menarche are common across cultures. Paige (1973) reflected that societies with the highest levels of social rigidity and male solidarity also have the strongest codification of menstrual taboos. This may reflect a need to maintain clear sex roles, often by controlling women and their fertility. Social and cultural factors impact on adjustment to menses and have an effect on the early menarcheal experience. Certain common features, however, were observed in that most girls reported their mothers as a principal source of information and received some limited education about menses in school with frequent emphasis on hygienic aspects of menstruation. A more positive attitude toward menses can be achieved if girls are physically and emotionally prepared. The most current evaluation of educational materials on menses dates back to 1975 and reveals a preponderance of emphasis on hygiene to the exclusion of issues of emotional and psychological development. Women perceive themselves as being very knowledgeable but cannot accurately answer physiological questions. A content analysis of advertisements for sanitary products and medications for the relief of menstrual symptoms in a popular teen magazine indicated that advertisements conveyed the image that hygienic aspects of migration could be dealt with effectively. There were no significant relationships between reported incidence of menstrual symptoms and adequacy of preparation for menarche. Nurses involved in the planning or implementing of educational programs for girls regarding the menarche should be sensitive to the adolescent's desire for control of the learning environment and a need for selective sharing of the event. Strategies for coping with the "inconvenience" may be usefully developed with the girls as a part of the learning situation.