Menstrual Experience in Adolescents in Seven Municipalities of Colombia, a Study of the Menstrual Education Process of the Valiente Project.

Monica Alfonso Gómez, Asociación Profamilia
Paola Montenegro, Magister
Maria Alejandra Diaz, university
Luisa Alba, Asociación Profamilia

Objective: Presents perceptions about the menstrual experience and use of menstrual management supplies of adolescent women in seven municipalities in Colombia. Methods: Descriptive statistical study in which two surveys were carried out in selected municipalities according to sociodemographic indicators, between September 2023 and May 2024. Inclusion criteria were defined as menstruating adolescent females, schooled between eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh grades, mainly between 11 and 20 years of age, with habitual residence in the municipality. A baseline workshop with multiple-choice questions was applied to 3,505 women with menstrual experience and a telephone adherence survey 6 months after the delivery of the menstrual education kit was applied to a sample of 385 participants selected with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%. Finally, a descriptive analysis of the defined indicators was performed. Results: Before the process, participants experienced greater barriers to access to supplies for the management of their menstruation and greater situations of exclusion during menstruation. Conclusions: It is evident that participating in menstrual education processes and accessing reusable products contribute to overcoming menstrual poverty and social exclusion during menstruation contributing to the mitigation of gender gaps in the territory.

Keywords: Children, Adolescents, and Youth, Gender Dynamics, Data and Methods

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