"They had the lunch lady coming up to assist": The experiences of menarche and menstrual management for adolescents with physical disabilities.
Courtney S Streur, Jodi M Kreschmer, Susan D Ernst and 4 others
PMID 37544804WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of adolescent girls with physical disabilities said period management was hard because products require both hands, school help is often unavailable, and they wanted more anticipatory guidance from providers.
Key findings
01Parents said accessible menstrual management was difficult because products required two hands, and many daughters needed help even if independent in toileting.
02School management was challenging because daughters wanted privacy and female help, but private bathrooms and reliable support were often unavailable.
03Parents wanted anticipatory guidance about menarche and menstrual management, and many reported provider resistance when they sought or declined contraception.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study reports parents' perceptions, not the adolescents' own experiences. Only mothers or female parents participated, so it may not reflect fathers, guardians, or other caregivers. Participants were recruited through convenience, purposive, snowball, and theoretical sampling, so parents who chose to take part may differ from those who did not. The sample was small and came from one institution plus two referral centers, so it may not represent all girls with physical disabilities. No member checking or repeat interviews were done, and race, sexual identity, and gender identity were not assessed.
Declared interests
All authors reported no conflict of interest. The publication types indicate NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that a product, school policy, or provider approach improves menstrual management. It reports parents' perceptions, not measured outcomes, and the adolescents themselves were not interviewed.