Barriers to Achieving Menstrual Health: A Perspective from India

HEENA MISHRA, Student

Menstruation is a multifaceted phenomenon in the life course of menstruators. The reproductive health is enormously factored by experiences ranging from menarche to menopause of menstruators. In the present study, emphasis is given to the initial years of menstruation—menstrual health of adolescent girls. The study is conducted in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, and a modern city in India. The study intends to identify the factors that determine the menstrual health of adolescent girls. It gives an insight to thematically understand the primary and secondary issues that act as barrier in healthy menstrual experiences, for adolescent girls in India. The objective of the study is to assesses the core concerns that act as challenges in empowering, mainstreaming, and affecting the quality of life of adolescent girls during menstrual years. This empirical study, based on primary data, adopted a mixed method approach with a multi-stratified systematic random sampling. The data was collected from 330, school-going and non-school going adolescent girls of Chandigarh. A pre-coded schedule was used as tool for data collection. The sociocultural restrictions, economic constraints, lack of awareness on reproductive and sexual health issues and environmental degradation, are identified major barriers to menstrual health.

Keywords: Children, Adolescents, and Youth

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