Premenarcheal Mexican girls' expectations concerning perimenstrual changes and menstrual attitudes.

The objective of this study was to determine both the perimenstrual changes that Mexican premenarcheal girls expect to experience and their attitudes toward menstruation. A total of 750 premenarcheal girls in fifth and sixth grade were studied. Participants completed a Perimenstrual Change Checklist, which listed 20 negative possible perimenstrual changes and ten positive ones, and a Spanish version of the Adolescent Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire. The results showed a set of mostly negative perimenstrual expectations, the most common being discomfort, cramps or abdominal pain and mood swings. Concerning menstrual attitudes, the girls scored highest on secrecy, followed by negative feelings and by positive feelings. The girls who perceived menstruation as a negative event and with secrecy, expected more negative perimenstrual changes, while those who perceived menstruation as a positive event expected more positive perimenstrual changes. We believe premenarcheal girls, with no personal experience, must be more influenced by cultural stereotypes which are of a negative nature.

A comparison of menstrual changes expected by pre-menarcheal adolescents and changes actually experienced by post-menarcheal adolescents in Mexico.

This survey explored para-menstrual changes that Mexican pre-menarcheal girls expect to experience and paramenstrual changes actually experienced by post-menarcheal girls. The survey included 95 pre-menarcheal girls who reported what they expected to experience in the para-menstruum, and their answers were compared with para-menstrual changes reported by 98 post-menarcheal girls. There were more post-menarcheal than pre-menarcheal girls who reported negative physical changes, while more pre-menarcheal girls expected to experience negative changes related to cognitive-emotional expressions. Regarding positive para-menstrual changes, despite the fact that hardly any of the girls named them, more post-menarcheal girls reported positive changes than pre-menarcheal girls who expected the changes. The dominant menstrual discourse concerning menstruation focused on para-menstrual negative changes, which can lead pre-menarcheal girls to anticipate their periods with fear and to overlook positive changes that may occur in the para-menstruum.