Conceptions and misconceptions of the menstrual cycle.

Eighty college women were queried about their knowledge of three aspects of the menstrual cycle (menstruation, ovulation, and menopause). Questions concerned the biology of each event and the physical, emotional, and cognitive changes believed to be associated with them. Reasoning from the biases and limitations in the scientific and popular literature, it was predicted that: (1) women would be relatively uninformed about the menstrual cycle, but more informed about menstruation than about ovulation or menopause, and (2) negatively valued changes would be described more frequently than positively valued ones. Results indicated that basic knowledge of the menstrual cycle, even among well-educated women, is at times incorrect, generally incomplete, and negatively biased. These findings confirm the need for a more comprehensive approach to menstrual education that speaks both to the biology of the menstrual cycle and to norms and variability of associated physical and behavioral changes.

Timing of menarche, preparation, and initial menstrual experience: Replication and further analyses in a prospective study.

The goals of this study were to assess the significance of two timing variables (objective timing of menarche and subjective timing, i.e., the belief-not necessarily true-about one's status as early, average, or late maturing) and two cognitive variables (preparation for menstruation and ego functioning) as predictors of the experience of menarche. Subjects were 92 girls who changed from pre- to postmenarcheal between two test occasions, six months apart. Findings were that subjective timing of menarche and preparation were significant predictors of menarcheal experience, while objective timing and ego functioning were not. The results replicated earlier findings based on cross-sectional analyses. Interpretation of the results suggested some directions for further exploration of determinants of initial menstrual experience.