A Cross-sectional Study on Menstrual Coping among Reproductive Age Group Women in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu

Context: Menstruation is one of the important indicators of women’s reproductive health. As menstruation-related problems are becoming increasingly common both globally as well as in India, dealing with problems during menstruation has become a challenge in the life of women belonging to the reproductive age group. Aims: The present study is designed to assess menstrual coping and various coping mechanisms adopted by women during menstruation. Setting and Design: This study was conducted amongst adolescents/women of reproductive age (Women who are currently menstruating) who visited SRM medical college hospital and its field practice areas (both rural and urban) Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was developed specifically for this study, comprising of questions about the sociodemographic characteristics of the study population as well as menstrual history, emotional coping during menstruation & perception about menstruation. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: More than 2/3rd of the participants (87.38%) reported regular menstrual cycles with a majority of women (90.03%) experiencing 3-5 days cycles. Some of the prominent symptoms experienced by the participants during menstruation were pain (80.73%), backache (29.90%), and headache (23.59%). Conclusions: In the present study, 40% of the women were having emotional problems during menstruation and factors like frequency of symptoms, commitments during menstruation, taking off during menstruation, and responsibility-sharing during menstruation were found to have a significant effect on emotional problems during menstruation.