A pilot survey of the impact of menstrual cycles on adolescent health.
BACKGROUND
The experience of menstruation and reproductive health by adolescent girls has been poorly studied in New Zealand.


OBJECTIVE
To develop and pilot a Web-based survey of 16-year-olds' experience of menstruation and reproductive health with the eventual objective of conducting a larger population-based survey. A secondary aim was to report on the experience of menstrual and reproductive health in a group of 16-year-old girls in an urban setting.


METHODS
A Web-based survey was developed and tested in 2006 with assistance of a multidisciplinary advisory group. The final version of the questionnaire had 146 questions in 11 sections and the topics were menstrual history, general health including use of medications, access to medical care or health information, sexual health, family history and personal information including smoking, height, weight, ethnicity, paid employment of parents, drug and alcohol use and exercise patterns.


RESULTS
Seventy-five 16-year-old students completed the survey. Twenty-five per cent considered that their periods were quite a bit or a lot of trouble and 10% avoided certain activities during their menstrual periods, nearly 50% of girls always experienced some pain with every period, and 30% had seen a health professional about their period pains. Thirty-three stated that menstruation was moderately to severely painful and that daily activity was affected. Fifty per cent of girls were sexually active and of these 80% described it as painful.


CONCLUSIONS
The Web-based survey was a successful approach to collecting information and could be used in a larger study.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, University of Auckland, Level 12, ACH Support Building, Auckland City Hospital, Park Road, Grafton, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1020, New Zealand. c.farquhar@auckland.ac.nz
Cynthia M
CM
Farquhar
Helen
H
Roberts
Quirine L
QL
Okonkwo
Alistair W
AW
Stewart
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D003270:Contraceptive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004412:Dysmenorrhea / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population
D003270:Contraceptive Agents