title: Characteristics of the menstrual cycle in 13-year-old Flemish girls and the impact of menstrual symptoms on social life.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of symptoms related to the menstrual cycle and their impact on social activities in young teenage girls. Between March and June 2009, all girls born in 1996 who were residents of eight regions in Flanders (Belgium) received a semi-structured questionnaire, including questions about the age of menarche, characteristics of the menstrual cycle, and its impact on social activities. Participants were 792 13-year-old girls (15.7 % of the target population). Out of 363 (47.2 % of participants) postmenarcheal girls, 41.6 % (95 % confidence interval (CI) 36.4-47.0 %) reported painful menstruations. The proportion of girls with painful menstrual periods decreased approximately 16 % with each year the age at menarche increased (relative risk (RR) = 0.84; 0.73-0.98; p < 0.05) and was positively correlated with the amount of blood loss (RR = 0.33; 0.16-0.67; p < 0.05 when little and 1.85; 1.49-2.31; p < 0.001 when abundant, compared to average). One in four (25.4 %) postmenarcheal girls indicated a negative impact of menstruation on social activities, but this proportion was significantly higher in girls who experienced menstruation as painful (41.3 %) compared to those who did not (14.2 %).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early menstrual complaints are common in young adolescent girls and the likelihood of pain increased significantly with lower menarcheal age. What is Known? • Menstrual cycle-related symptoms may negatively interfere with school absence and social activities. • Early menarche and severe dysmenorrhea are correlated with endometriosis. What is New? • In this large population-based study on the characteristics of the menstrual cycle in young teenage girls at or shortly after menarche, painful menstruation was highly prevalent (41.7 %), but related school absenteeism was low (3.2 %). The likelihood of pain increased significantly with lower menarcheal age. • The findings support the need for a systematic evaluation of the characteristics of the menstrual cycle shortly after menarche.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Environment and Health, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, block d, 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. karel.hoppenbrouwers@med.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoppenbrouwers
authors.affiliation: Centre of Environment and Health, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 35, block d, 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roelants
authors.affiliation: University Fertility Centre, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Christel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meuleman
authors.affiliation: University Fertility Centre, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rijkers
authors.affiliation: Parenting and Special Education Research Group, University Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Karla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Leeuwen
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, University Ghent, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Annemie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Desoete
authors.affiliation: University Fertility Centre, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University Hospital Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: D'Hooghe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D008599:Menstruation Disturbances / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012574:Schools; D066107:Social Skills; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Impact on social life; Menstrual cycle characteristics; Menstrual pain; Young adolescent girls