Cultural Variations in Attitudes toward Menstruation*

Abstract

Attitudes towards menstruation play an important role in the perception of menstrual distress. The influence of cultural and Social factors was studied in a group of 48 Indian women using the Menstrual Attitudes Questionnaire (modified version). Women over 25 years of age were significantly more likely to consider menstruation as being “natural”. No other significant relationships were found between menstrual attitudes and demographic variables. The menstrual attitudes of Indian and American college women (from a previous study) were also compared.