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

Overview

Paper Summary › Explain Like I'm Five › Conflicts of Interest › Identified Limitations › Rating Explanation › Good to know › Topic Hierarchy › File Information ›

Paper Summary

Paperzilla title

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.

Explain Like I'm Five

Heavy periods and menstrual cramps can make teen girls miss school and do worse on their exams. Researchers looked at school records and exam results to figure this out.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified

Identified Limitations

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Outdated data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.

Good to know

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Topic Hierarchy

Domain: Health Sciences

Field: Medicine

Subfield: Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health

File Information

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

Uploaded: August 21, 2025 at 10:37 AM

Privacy: Public