Relationship between menstruation-related experiences and health-related quality of life of Japanese high school students: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Recently, there has been a growing global movement concerning menstruation, a healthy and natural physiological phenomenon in women. The disadvantages caused by menstruation are “gender-based obstacles.“ Adolescent girls are also under its influence and perhaps in a more vulnerable situation than adult women. This study investigated the experiences related to menstruation that affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of high school students in Japan. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted at a municipal high school in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The study population comprised 233 female students among which 198 completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire contained items about menstruation and HRQOL measured by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). RESULTS: Approximately a quarter had experienced difficulties in obtaining sanitary products in the past year, whether for economic or non-economic reasons. Menstruation-associated symptoms, impact on daily life, trouble with menstruation at an unexpected time, usage of painkillers, unhealthy lifestyle, and negative perception of menstruation were significantly associated with lower HRQOL scores, particularly in the mental component summary scores of the SF-36. CONCLUSIONS: For the high school students with severe menstruation-associated symptoms that interfere with their daily lives, the results of this study suggest that improving access to medical care, information, and education can contribute to a better HRQOL. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-023-02777-3.