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Menstrual health literacy has a direct impact on young peoples' quality of life, health, academic and professional performance. In Australia, the key learning area of Health and Physical Education [HPE] provides opportunities for students to develop menstrual health literacy. This paper reports on the findings of a survey of 5007 young Australian women aged 13-25 on their experiences of menstruation, dysmenorrhea and education. The discussion herein relates to the qualitative component that asked the question 'What was the most useful information about menstruation received in HPE [Health and Physical Education] class?' Applying a thematic analysis to the data, three key themes emerged. These include: (a) it's all just biology; (b) the cause but not the effect, and; (c) too little, too late. The findings suggest limitations in educational approaches taken by teachers potentially resulting in poor menstrual health literacy portending long-term negative health consequences for some individuals.

Background: Endometriosis, which affects 1 in 10 people assigned female at birth, is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease with a high symptom burden and adverse socioemotional impacts. There is a need for an accessible, cost-effective, and low-burden intervention to support individuals in managing their endometriosis condition. Objective: This study aimed to co-design and evaluate the acceptability, readability, and quality of a bank of supportive SMS text messages (EndoSMS) for individuals with endometriosis. Methods: In phase 1 of this mixed method design, 17 consumer representatives (individuals with endometriosis) participated across three 3-hour web-based (Zoom, Zoom Video Communications, Inc) focus groups. The transcripts were encoded and analyzed thematically. In phase 2, consumer representatives (n=14) and health care professionals (n=9) quantitatively rated the acceptability, readability, and appropriateness of the developed text messages in a web-based survey. All the participants initially completed a background survey assessing sociodemographic and medical factors. Results: Consumer representatives demonstrated diverse sociodemographic characteristics (Mage=33.29), varying in location (metropolitan vs rural or regional), employment, and relationship and educational statuses. Participants reached a consensus regarding the delivery of 4 SMS text messages per week, delivered randomly throughout the week and in one direction (ie, no reply), with customization for the time of day and use of personal names. Seven main areas of unmet need for which participants required assistance were identified, which subsequently became the topic areas for the developed SMS text messages: emotional health, social support, looking after and caring for your body, patient empowerment, interpersonal issues, general endometriosis information, and physical health. Through a web-based survey, 371 co-designed SMS text messages were highly rated by consumers and health care professionals as clear, useful, and appropriate for individuals with endometriosis. Readability indices (Flesch-Kincaid scale) indicated that the SMS text messages were accessible to individuals with a minimum of 7th grade high school education. Conclusions: On the basis of the needs and preferences of a diverse consumer representative group, we co-designed EndoSMS, a supportive SMS text message program for individuals with endometriosis. The initial evaluation of the SMS text messages by consumer representatives and health professionals suggested the high acceptability and suitability of the developed SMS text messages. Future studies should further evaluate the acceptability and effectiveness of EndoSMS in a broader population of individuals with endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coaches consider various competencies (e.g. conditioning, nutrition, skills and tactics), when planning sessions, though rarely the impact of menstruation on the efficacy of training and competition performance for athletes. Given the impact menstrual symptoms can have on athletes, the management strategies that athletes may use to minimise any potential impact, and the mechanisms that provide barriers to greater coach athlete interaction require investigation and consideration. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the strategies used by athletes to manage menstrual symptoms and the role coaches played in this process. An anonymous, 36-item questionnaire was developed and hosted on Qualtrics. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square statistics were used to analyse the data. One hundred and twenty-four valid responses from Australian athletes 16–45, with a mean age of 29 years, were received. Period pain (82%) and pre-menstrual symptoms (83%) were commonly reported and contributed to fatigue and to perceived reductions in performance during or just prior to the period (50.0% in training, 58.7% on 'game day'). Contraceptive use was reported by 42% of athletes. Those reporting heavy menstrual bleeding (29.7%) were more likely to report increased fatigue (relative risk 1.6, 95% CI 1.07 to 2.32). Over three-quarters of athletes reported neither they nor their coaches altered training due to the menstrual cycle. Most athletes (76%) did not discuss menstruation with their coaches. Given the perceived negative impact on performance and potential risks with contraceptive usage during adolescence, coaches, trainers and athletes need to have a more open dialogue around the menstrual cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dysmenorrhea (period pain) and associated symptoms are very common in young women <25 years. This time corresponds with a significant stage in adolescents and young women's academic lives at both school and in higher education. Dysmenorrhea may cause absenteeism from class or result in reduced classroom concentration and performance. Owing to cultural and economic differences, any impact may vary by country. This systematic review and meta-analysis examines the prevalence of dysmenorrhea in young women and explores any impact it has on their academic performance and other school-related activities. Materials and Methods: A search in Medline, PsychINFO, EMBASE, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature was carried out in June 2018. Results: Thirty-eight studies including 21,573 young women were eligible and included in the meta-analysis. Twenty-three studies were from low-, lower middle-, or upper middle-income countries, and 15 studies were from high-income countries. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was high 71.1% (N = 37, n = 20,813, 95% confidence interval [CI] 66.6–75.2) irrespective of the economic status of the country. Rates of dysmenorrhea were similar between students at school (N = 24, 72.5%, 95% CI 67.5–77.0) and at university (N = 7, 74.9%, 95% CI 62.9–84.0). Academic impact was significant, with 20.1% reporting absence from school or university due to dysmenorrhea (N = 19, n = 11,226, 95% CI 14.9–26.7) and 40.9% reporting classroom performance or concentration being negatively affected (N = 10, n = 5126, 95% CI 28.3–54.9). Conclusions: The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was high, irrespective of country, with dysmenorrhea having a significant negative impact on academic performance both at school and during higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dysmenorrhea (period pain) is common and affects around three quarters of all young women under the age of 25. The majority of young women, for a variety of reasons, think of period pain as ‘normal’ and something to be managed or endured. This normalisation of pain often is reinforced by family and friends and results in young women using self-care strategies to manage their pain rather than seeking medical advice. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined observational studies reporting on the prevalence of different types of self-care, both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical, self-rated effectiveness of self-care and the sources of information on menstruation in young women under 25 Methods: A search of Medline, PsychINFO, EMBASE and CINAHL in English was carried out from 1980 to December 2018. Studies that reported on menstrual self-care strategies in young women were included. Results: Nine hundred and forty-seven articles were screened. Twenty-four studies including 12,526 young women were eligible and included in the meta-analysis. Fifteen studies were from low, lower-middle or upper-middle-income countries (LMIC) and nine studies were from high income countries (HIC). Self-care was used by over half of all young women (55%, 95%CI 34.1–74.3) with both pharmaceutical (48%, 95%CI 40.0–57.0) and non-pharmaceutical (51.8%, 95%CI 31.3–71.7) options used. Paracetamol was the most common analgesic used (28.7%, 95%CI 19.6–39.9) but did not always provide sufficient pain relief in almost half of those using it. Contraceptive use was significantly higher (P<0.001) in HIC (22%) compared to LMIC (1%). Only 11% (95%CI 8.4–15.2) of young women reported seeing a medical doctor for their period pain. Conclusions: Self-care usage, both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical, was common, but young women were not necessarily choosing the most effective options for pain management. High-quality information on self-care for period pain is urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous ERP studies have provided mixed information about ADHD, especially in adults and when conscious attention to stimuli is not required. We used the auditory N1 to assess automatic attention in adults with and without ADHD. While participants watched a silent video, trains of 5 tones (400-ms onset-to-onset time) were presented with intertrain intervals ( ITIs) of 1 or 5 s. The P1, N1, P2, and N2 were analyzed. Compared to controls, participants with ADHD had relatively little N1 attenuation after the 5-s ITI, which was driven by uniformly small N1s to all tones. However, after the 1-s ITI, the ADHD group had relatively large N2s to all 5 tones in the train. The reduced N1 in adults with ADHD indicated reduced automatic attention to salient sound stimuli, which may be due to reduced function of brain-stem arousal mechanisms. However, the increased N2 in these participants suggests they had developed certain compensatory mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Dysmenorrhea (period pain) and associated symptoms are very common in young women <25 years. This time corresponds with a significant stage in adolescents and young women's academic lives at both school and in higher education. Dysmenorrhea may cause absenteeism from class or result in reduced classroom concentration and performance. Owing to cultural and economic differences, any impact may vary by country. This systematic review and meta-analysis examines the prevalence of dysmenorrhea in young women and explores any impact it has on their academic performance and other school-related activities. Materials and Methods: A search in Medline, PsychINFO, EMBASE, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature was carried out in June 2018. Results: Thirty-eight studies including 21,573 young women were eligible and included in the meta-analysis. Twenty-three studies were from low-, lower middle-, or upper middle-income countries, and 15 studies were from high-income countries. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was high 71.1% ( N  = 37, n  = 20,813, 95% confidence interval [CI] 66.6-75.2) irrespective of the economic status of the country. Rates of dysmenorrhea were similar between students at school ( N  = 24, 72.5%, 95% CI 67.5-77.0) and at university ( N  = 7, 74.9%, 95% CI 62.9-84.0). Academic impact was significant, with 20.1% reporting absence from school or university due to dysmenorrhea ( N  = 19, n  = 11,226, 95% CI 14.9-26.7) and 40.9% reporting classroom performance or concentration being negatively affected ( N  = 10, n  = 5126, 95% CI 28.3-54.9). Conclusions: The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was high, irrespective of country, with dysmenorrhea having a significant negative impact on academic performance both at school and during higher education.