Menstrual Myths and Women’s Health: A cross sectional study on menstrual myths and menstrual practices among educated women in an urban population

Abstract

Introduction: In today’s world, despite increasing education and awareness regarding menstruation, there is still a large group of people who are still misinformed about what changes take place during menstrual cycles in a woman’s body, and how it should be managed. In the Indian subcontinent, there exist many myths surrounding menstruation that have been passed on from generation to generation. To effectively combat menstrual period-related misinformation, we must address menstrual hygiene management and societal myths simultaneously. Method: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among female college students aged 20–24 years at NIIMS Medical College, Greater Noida, from September 2025 to March 2026. Data were collected using a structured electronic questionnaire administered under researcher supervision. The questionnaire assessed menstrual hygiene practices, general health concerns, menstrual symptoms, use and frequency of changing menstrual products, and beliefs related to menstrual myths. Of the 321 responses received, 299 complete responses were included for analysis after excluding 22 incomplete submissions. Participation was voluntary, informed consent was obtained, and anonymity and confidentiality were maintained. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and presented as frequencies and percentages.Results: The preferred menstrual products used by the participants of the study were - menstrual pads only (95.98%), menstrual cup only (2.01%), period panties (.67%) and others using a combination of menstrual products. 52% of participants found it difficult to navigate daily life during menstruation. Only 15.8% of the participants did not believe in any common menstrual myths. Around 44.7% reported one or more genitourinary symptoms after periods ended. Conclusions: Good menstrual hygiene practices were associated with better menstrual understanding, improved management of menstrual concerns, and fewer self-reported genitourinary symptoms. However, menstrual myths continued to be prevalent despite awareness, potentially affecting daily life and well-being. Menstrual health education should therefore promote evidence-based hygiene practices and encourage open discussion to challenge persistent myths.