Young western women's experiences of menarche and menstruation.

A qualitative approach was used to examine young women's experiences of menarche and menstruation that were included in personal stories of growing up sexually. The personal experiences were examined by cross-case analysis to learn more about the narrators' attitudes toward menarche and their menstrual-related education. This was a secondary analysis using data collected for a study of common themes in the stories gathered in a 1998 study by Beausang. The data came from 332 stories written by students taking a sexuality course in a Midwestern community college. Of 227 stories written by women, 85 stories included menstrual experiences. Eleven narrators described menarche as a positive experience. In 10 of these stories, the mother was the primary teacher. The two most frequently identified sources of information by narrators were mothers and schoolteachers, with most narrators having a primarily negative view of their menstrual education regardless of the source. Problems with menstrual-related education were described as perceptions of unwillingness by teachers to discuss menstruation, time limits for education, unclear instruction leading to misconceptions, and the presence of peers in group learning situations that lead to embarrassment.

Personal stories of growing up sexually.

Prevention of problems related to sexuality during adolescence continues to be a major public health challenge. Describing childhood perceptions of sexuality is an important step in understanding sexual issues during adolescence. However, there is a paucity of information about sexuality in early life. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe recurrent themes in personal stories of growing up sexually. A thematic analysis with a narrative perspective was applied using the method described by Miles and Huberman (1994). Four interrelated themes pervaded the stories: parents as teachers, sex is secret, learning by experience, and first intercourse as a turning point. These findings have major implications for sexual health education and counseling in addition to further research.