# Exploring the practice of Iranian adolescent females during menstruation and related beliefs: a qualitative study

## TL;DR

This study explores how Iranian adolescent girls manage menstruation and their beliefs, revealing gaps in knowledge and the impact of traditional practices.

## Contribution

The study identifies key themes influencing menstrual practices among Iranian adolescent females, offering insights for targeted health interventions.

## Key findings

- Three main themes emerged: lifestyle and beliefs, lack of support, and awareness levels.
- Misconceptions and incorrect behaviors were linked to traditional influences and insufficient knowledge.
- The findings suggest a need for interventions at multiple levels to improve menstrual health.

## Abstract

Menstruation is a natural occurrence that women experience during their reproductive years and may encounter many years throughout their lifespan. Many adolescent females lack accurate knowledge about menstruation, so they may face issues from receiving incorrect information from unreliable sources. Our study aimed to investigate the practices and beliefs surrounding menstruation among Iranian adolescent females.

This qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis. A purposeful sampling method was used to select 18 adolescent females from secondary and high schools located in the three regions of Neyshabur City-Iran. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews.

Three main themes were extracted, consisting of lifestyle and related beliefs, lake of support, and awareness and information.

misconceptions and wrong behaviors during menstruation indicate that the lake of knowledge an traditional factors influence adolescent girls’ health. The study provides the basis for intervention planning in this regard and different levels (individual, intrapersonal, health systems, and community).