Associations of adolescent menstrual symptoms with school absences and educational attainment: analysis of a prospective cohort study

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Overview

Paper Summary

Conflicts of Interest

Identified Weaknesses

Rating Explanation

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Paper Summary

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Period Problems and School Woes: Teens with Heavy Bleeding and Cramps Miss More School and Score Lower on Exams

This longitudinal study found that teenage girls who reported heavy bleeding and menstrual pain missed more school and performed worse on their GCSE exams. The use of administrative data for absence and exam results strengthened the objectivity of the outcomes. However, the study relied on self-reported symptoms and had a significant portion of the original sample excluded due to missing data.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified

Identified Weaknesses

Self-reported symptoms

The study relies on self-reported menstrual symptoms which has a potential of misclassification.

Limited participation

Although the study included a relatively large dataset, only 37% of the initial sample met the inclusion criteria, potentially skewing the results.

Binary measurement of symptoms

Menstrual symptoms were assessed as a binary variable. There was no differentiation between severity of symptoms.

Outdated data

The study's focus on GCSE students from 2006-2009 might limit its generalizability to the experiences of today's students, who may face different educational and societal contexts surrounding menstruation.

Rating Explanation

This is a well-executed longitudinal study using a large dataset with objective outcome measures. Despite some limitations, it provides valuable insights into an important topic with relevant implications.

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