Menstruation and Perspectives of Teenagers in 2025 and 2026: Menstrual Education's Relation to Menstrual Shame
Abstract: Menstruation is a biological process that is naturally occurring in the female body. However, despite this, it has become one of the most shameful aspects of womanhood in society. Because some research has explored how the lack of discussion relates to the treatment of menstruation, the purpose of this study is to explore how menstruation is taught, and how that affects students' perceptions on menstrual shame. This study was conducted through a survey sent out to students of all genders ages 12-18 asking them to rank and rate their comfort with various menstruation-related scenarios, the frequency of which students witness/experience certain emotions or treatments, and their overall perceived knowledge of menstruation. The findings then deduced that there is not a significant difference between how superior certain education sources are, but it does not suggest that more intimate education sources play a greater role on inherited perceptions and more comfortable education sources reflect more positive perceptions in students.
Keywords: Menstruation, Education, Shame, Menstrual Shame, Social Stigmas