Menstrual practices are still bounded by social restrictions and taboos. This may result in ignorance of hygienic practices during menstruation. So there should be proper knowledge given to the girls since childhood. The present study was conducted in rural areas of Aligarh. It was conducted in 70 adolescentgirls before taking verbal consent from them. The aim of the study was to find menstrual pattern among the rural adolescentgirls, the various menstrual problems among them and the effect of this problem on their daily routine. Material and
Methods:
A cross sectional study was conducted among girls of age group 13 to 19 years attending the rural healthtraining centre of Department of Community Medicine, J.N. Medical College, Aligarh. Seventy girlswho had given verbal consent were interviewed. Data was collected by personal interview and semi structure questionnaires. Data was analyzed using SPSS software. 35.7% were in 13-15 years age group, 21.4% were in 15- 17 years age group and 42.9% were in 17-19 years age group. Regarding problems related to menstrual cycle, dysmenorrhea (71.4%) was the commonest problem. Other then this, girls had pre-menstrual syndrome (57.14%), backache (50%), fatigue (42.8%), breast heaviness ( 28.5%), joint pain (21.4%), increased weight (28.5%), headache( 28.5%) and abdominal bloating (50%). The menstrual problems affected their daily routine. Around 71.4% of the subject were forced to have prolonged bed rest, 64.28% had missed social activities. 50% of them had disturbed sleep, 35.7% had decreased appetite, 42.8% had missed classes, 50% who were employed had to abstain from their work.