Young adolescent girls' knowledge of menstruation and puberty: a rapid evidence review

This rapid evidence review (RER) was commissioned to answer the research question: How and what do girls aged 10-14 years know about puberty and menstruation in LMICs? This review of the evidence represents an opportunity for learning. It is the first attempt that the authors are aware of to conduct a systematic description of the evidence – across a range of evidence types – relating to young (10-14 years) adolescent females. There is an understanding that significant proportions of girls in LMICs attain menarche without any understanding of what is happening to them or how to manage it. To date, however, there has not been a systematic synthesis of the evidence about girls’ experience of knowledge (content, source, timing) about puberty, including menstruation. This review provides a base for future research. A key challenge for LMIC societies, policy-makers and programme managers is how to best support adolescent girls through adolescence, from pre-adolescence to early adulthood. The RER identifies gaps that future evidence must address in order to develop a better evidence base for decisionmakers.

Suggested citation

Coast, E. and Lattof, S. R. (2018) Young adolescent girls’ knowledge of menstruation and puberty: a rapid evidence review. London: Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence. (https://www.gage.odi.org/publication/knowledge-menstruation-puberty/)