Between fear and acceptance: experiences of menarche and menstruation during adolescence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5902/2179769295150Keywords:
Adolescent Health, Adolescent, Menarche, Menstruation, Health EducationAbstract
Objective: to analyze the experiences, feelings, and meanings attributed by adolescents to menarche and menstruation. Method: a qualitative study conducted between September and December 2023 with 12 adolescents from public schools, using individual semi-structured interviews combined with the “Almanac” creativity and sensitivity activity, followed by content analysis. Results: experiences of menarche and menstruation varied according to access to information and the support received, ranging from experiences marked by fear, confusion, and shame to others that were calmer and more supportive. Feelings included insecurity, fear, irritability, and sadness, highlighting emotional impacts on the adolescents' daily lives. The meanings attributed went beyond the biological dimension, associating menstruation with control, surveillance, and social stigma, especially in the absence of dialogue. Conclusion: the findings reinforce the importance of early, continuous educational strategies that are sensitive to the emotional, social, and cultural dimensions of menstruation, with implications for adolescent health care.
Downloads
References
Mundim MLE, Souza MPL, Gama VC. Transformação da percepção da menstruação entre gerações. Tensões Mund. 2021;17(33):229-47. doi: 10.33956/tensoesmundiais.v17i33.3435.
Willig CL, Schmidt SP. “Tá de chico?”: estigmas da menstruação na mídia e no território escolar. Divers Educ. 2024;12(1):26-50. doi: 10.14295/de.v12i1.16050.
Sánchez López S, Barrington DJ, Poveda Bautista R, Moll López S. Stigma and silence: the menstrual taboo in Spain. Int J Equity Health. 2025;24:278. doi: 10.1186/s12939-025-02630-z.
Cechin MBC, Pugens NB, Rocha CMF. Meninas que sangram e viram lua: a menstrunormatividade da ginecologia natural na literatura infantojuvenil. SciELO Preprints [Preprint]. 2025. doi: 10.1590/SciELOPreprints.8303.
Adomaitis JCO, Stofel NS, Silva MGF, Santos VC, Borges FA, Carlos DM, et al. Menstrual health: an analysis of experiences among school-aged adolescents. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2025;59:e20250003. doi: 10.1590/1980-220X-REEUSP-2025-0003en.
Silva DAS, Duncan MJ, Kuzik N, Tremblay MS. Do movement behaviours influence the association between early menarche and depression symptoms among Brazilian adolescents? Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2024;49(9):1137-62. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2023-0230.
Holst AS, Jacques-Aviñó C, Berenguera A, Pinzón-Sanabria D, Valls-Llobet C, Munrós-Feliu J, et al. Experiences of menstrual inequity and menstrual health among women and people who menstruate in the Barcelona area (Spain): a qualitative study. Reprod Health. 2022;19(1):45. doi: 10.1186/s12978-022-01354-5.
Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância (UNICEF). Pobreza menstrual no Brasil: desigualdade e violação de direitos. 2021 [acesso em 2022 nov 04]. Disponível em: https://www.unicef.org/brazil/relatorios/pobreza-menstrual-no-brasil-desigualdade-e-violacoes-de-direitos.
Prado ICA. Políticas públicas sobre a saúde menstrual no Brasil: olhares pelas lentes dos movimentos sociais da menstruação. Mediações. 2024;29(1):e49150. doi: 10.5433/2176-6665.2024v29n1e49150.
Geertz C.A interpretação das culturas. Rio de Janeiro: LTC; 2008.
World Health Organization (WHO). Adolescent health [Internet]. Genebra (CH): WHO; 2025 [cited 2026 Jan 16]. Disponível em: https://www.who.int/health-topics/adolescent-health#tab=tab_1.
Baldin N, Munhoz EMB. Educação ambiental comunitária: uma experiência com a técnica de pesquisa snowball (bola de neve). Rev Eletrônica Mestr Educ Ambient. 2012;27. doi: 10.14295/remea.v27i0.3193.
Guest G, Bunce A, Johnson L. How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods. 2006;18(1):59-82. doi: 10.1177/1525822X05279903.
Minayo MCS. O desafio do conhecimento: pesquisa qualitativa em saúde. 14ª ed. São Paulo: Hucitec; 2014.
Gbogbo S, Wuresah I, Gbogbo E, Axame WK, Klutse P, Dowou RK, et al. The socio-cultural construction of menstruation in the ghanaian context: a qualitative study of the perspectives of parents, teachers, and adolescent girls. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2025;22(3):349. doi: 10.3390/ijerph22030349.
Weichold K, Mahama S, Fehmer N, Natsuaki MN. Puberty through their lens: insights from youth around the world. Lifesp Develop Ment Health. 2025;1(2):10008. doi: 10.70322/ldmh.2025.10008.
Miller TA, Farley M, Reji J, Obeidi Y, Kelley V, Herbert M. Understanding period poverty and stigma: highlighting the need for improved public health initiatives and provider awareness. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2024;64(1):218-21. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2023.10.015.
Paula MC, Monteiro BB, Ruela LO, Silva MMJ. Period poverty: a scoping review. Rev Bras Enferm. 2025;78(2):e20240567. doi: 10.1590/0034-7167-2024-0567.
Silva MEP, Silva MHN, Marcon SS, Santos Junior AG, Canato GM, Furlan MCR. Challenges of menstrual management: an integrative review. Rev Pesq Cuid Fundam. 2024;16:e-13174. doi: 10.9789/2175-5361.rpcfo.v16.13174.
Yang YT, Chen DR. Effectiveness of a menstrual health education program on psychological well-being and behavioral change among adolescent girls in rural Uganda. J Public Health Afr. 2023;14(3):1971. doi: 10.4081/jphia.2023.1971.
Uzoechi CA, Parsa AD, Mahmud I, Alasqah I, Kabir R. Menstruation among in-school adolescent girls and its literacy and practices in Nigeria: a systematic review. Medicina (Kaunas). 2023;59(12):2073. doi: 10.3390/medicina59122073.
Msovela J, Shija AE, Ntuyeko H, Imeda C, Mugula A, Mgina E, et al. Puberty and menstruation knowledge, information sources and needs among secondary school adolescent girls and boys in Kibaha, Tanzania. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025;5(3):e0004176. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004176.
Taba M, Allen TB, Caldwell PHY, Skinner SR, Kang M, McCaffery K, et al. Adolescents' self-efficacy and digital health literacy: a cross-sectional mixed methods study. BMC Public Health. 2022;22(1):1223. doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-13599-7.
Chang FC, Chang C, Tao CC. Adolescent pursuit of health information online during the COVID-19 pandemic: The roles played by eHealth literacy and psychological distress. Glob Ment Health (Camb). 2023 Aug 16:10:e51. doi: 10.1017/gmh.2023.44.
Sutha DW, Christine, Novianti S, Solihin AH. Alfabetização em saúde digital e comportamento de busca de informações de saúde entre adolescentes na Indonésia. J Promkes. 2026;14(SI1):1-7. doi: 10.20473/jpk.V14.ISI1.2026.1-7.
Ayres JRCM, Mendes VM, Almeida IS, Devincenzi MU, Guimarães JS, Calazans GJ, et al. Comprehensive health care for adolescents and young people from the perspective of primary care professionals, San Pablo, Brazil. Salud Colect. 2025;21:e5419. doi: 10.18294/sc.2025.5419.
DallaCosta M, Rodrigues RM, Schütz G, Conterno S. Programa Saúde na Escola: desafios e possibilidades para promover saúde na perspectiva da alimentação saudável. Saúde Debate. 2022 Nov;46(spe 3):244-60. doi: 10.1590/0103-11042022E318.
World Health Organization (WHO). WHO statement on menstrual health and rights [Internet]. Geneva (CH): WHO; 2022 Jun 22 [cited 2026 Jan 16]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news/item/22-06-2022-who-statement-on-menstrual-health-and-rights.
United Nations (UN). Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025 [Internet]. New York: United Nations; 2025 [cited 2026 jul 26]. Available from: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4085123?v=pdf.
Santos AF, Honorato PF, Nascimento BC, Farias Neto LE, Flor UW, Queiroz CNSA, et al. Semáforo menstrual: ferramenta lúdica e tecnológica no autoconhecimento corporal de mulheres. Foco (Vila Velha). 2025;18(11):e10448. doi: 10.54751/revistafoco.v18n11-195.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Revista de Enfermagem da UFSM
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
