Exploring Menstrual Literacy And Awareness Among Adolescent School Girls In Nowshera: A Comprehensive Study.

Background: Menstruation is a natural process, and most adolescent girls in Pakistan do not have proper knowledge and awareness, causing misconceptions, inconvenient stigma, and poor menstrual health. Objectives: To estimate the degree of menstrual awareness and literacy among schoolgirls in District Nowshera, Pakistan, and determine the contributing sources of menstrual knowledge that affect the highest degree of awareness and literacy. Study Design: A Quantitative Cross-Sectional Study. Place and Duration of Study. From june 2024 to dec 2024 In Nowshera Medical College , Nowshera Methods: This was a quantitative cross-sectional study that surveyed 200 adolescent schoolgirls aged 11-15 years old. The history of menstrual health was obtained through a structured questionnaire aimed at determining menstrual awareness, menstrual knowledge, and the source of menstrual information. Results: The Study found that there were substantial differences in menstrual awareness and literacy; 70.5 percent of respondents had no prior knowledge of menstruation when they entered menarche. The key informants were mothers, peers, and siblings. There were still unhealthy beliefs and cultural stigmas, which shows that menstrual education is long overdue. Conclusion: The Study emphasizes the significance of including menstrual health education in school programs, filling knowledge gaps and myths, and encouraging open conversations to de-stigmatize the situation and enhance menstrual health conditions in teenage girls in Pakistan.