Abstract
Despite the fact that menstruation is a natural occurrence, it is associated with myths. Adolescent females are more likely to experience dysmenorrhea and menstrual misery. School dropouts are widespread among girls. Tiredness, backaches, and headaches are other common menstruation symptoms affecting school attendance. A better understanding of how menstruation affects absenteeism at school or college students' academic achievement can lead to changes in infrastructural facilities. Comprehensive community educational efforts that promote awareness and understanding among girls, their families, schools, and communities is a major element in keeping girls in school. There has been continuous inquiry to investigate the workplace experience of menstruation. This chapter looked at knowledge of menstruation, impact of menstrual distress on interpersonal relationship, school attendance, academic performance, and work productivity. This chapter highlighted the available coping strategies and proposed recommendations at individual, familial, societal, national, and international level.
TopBackground
In India alone, according to National Family Health Survey 2015-2016 over 355 million women and girls menstruate, yet women face significant distress in managing comfortable and dignified experience with menstrual health.
Menstruation has stood the test of time of being a taboo in India. People across the society experience discomfort going about the topic of menstruation. We still get ‘Black Plastic Wrap’ to keep the purchase of sanitary napkins from shop to keep it as hush affair. Acceptance to the truth of menstruation is marginal in the society at a large. Furthermore, there is misinformation and misperception in the minds of people about the process of menstruation, and proper requirements for managing menstruation and its impact. Coupled with misinformation and taboos, girls and women are unable to articulate their needs and problems related to menstruation.
When the menstruating women face challenges in managing her menstrual health and cannot verbalize, it affects her physical and mental health. This eventually enhances the women’s risk of infection, and her education, self-esteem, and confidence will also be hampered.
Menstruation and its impact have been ignored or misunderstood for long in the society.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Academic Performance: The measurement of student’s academic achievement in the basis of formative and summative evaluation.
Absenteeism: Absence from school or workplace with or without good reasons.
Work Productivity: Efficient accomplishment of task and goals of the work within set time frame.
Menstrual impact: Effect on women's health as well as wellbeing affecting the overall standard of life due to menstruation.
Coping Strategies: Behavioral and cognitive measures used to manage situations, crises and conditions that are appraised as distressing.
Menstrual Distress: Physical and mentaldistress associated with menstruation generally manifested in the form of sore breasts, low back ache, nausea and vomiting, bloating, abdominal cramps and discomfort, skin conditions, exhaustion, palpitations, restlessness, irritability, mood swings, anxiety, lethargy and fatigue.
Interpersonal Relationship: Congenial connection of two or more people in terms of professional and social associations between them.
Menstruation: The cyclical vaginal blood and mucosal tissue discharge or shedding of endometrium of the uterus, occurring approximately monthly in the reproductive age group.