Global Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Menstrual Hygiene: Knowledge, Practise and Restrictions amongst Girls of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India

Divya Raina and Geeta Balodi

Menstruation is one of the most basic characteristic features of women and so are the society regulated customs,practises and restrictions related to the process of menstruation. The current paper attempts to study the knowledge level of 150 girls of Dehradun-the capital of Uttarakhand, India regarding menstruation. A pre-designed, pretested and structured questionnaire was used for this purpose. The results also highlight the common practises followed by these young girls and the restrictions placed upon them during the menstrual period. An urgent need to address the issue of Menstrual Hygiene Management while providing appropriate information to young girls regarding the process of menstruation and basic hygiene practises to be adopted to avoid genital problems was felt. Efforts should also be made to eradicate orthodox thinking and the invalid restrictions placed upon them during this period.