{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T20:36:53Z","timestamp":1792787813265,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":71,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788220800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788220800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"funder":[{"name":"Institute for Lifecourse Development at the University of Greenwich","id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00bmj0a71","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Womens Health (Lond Engl)"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Attitudes towards menstruation are shaped by cultural and social norms and can result in misperceptions, impacting women\u2019s health. Yet, research on cultural differences in menstrual health remains limited.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aimed to examine whether South Asian and White British women living in the UK differ in menstrual health, with a focus on menstrual experiences, menstrual literacy, stigma-related factors, and ethnic microaggressions in the healthcare context.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      White British (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">n<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 153) and South Asian (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">n<\/jats:italic>\n                      = 153) menstruating women living in the UK participated in a preregistered cross-sectional online survey.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Menstrual experiences were assessed via menstrual distress, symptom management, and hygiene behaviors. Menstrual stigma was measured through affective internalized stigma, internalized stigma of seeking help, secrecy, and avoidance behaviors.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>In addition to differences in menstrual experiences (menstrual pain, symptom management, hygiene behaviors), South Asian women reported lower menstrual literacy than White British women. South Asians also reported greater secrecy as well as stronger avoidance behaviors related to discussing menstruation and engaging in daily activities while menstruating, but also more positive emotions towards menstruation. Additionally, they experienced more ethnic microaggressions in healthcare. Secrecy and microaggressions mediated the effect of cultural group on self-stigma of seeking help.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our findings suggest cultural differences in menstrual health, emphasizing the need for inclusive health education and stigma-reduction interventions. Addressing menstrual literacy gaps and tackling stigma in families and microaggressions in healthcare settings may improve support for South Asian women in the UK.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/17455057261478339","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]],"date-time":"2026-09-28T11:48:56Z","timestamp":1790596136000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Period and prejudice: Cultural differences in menstrual health between South Asian and White British women"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"22","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2383-9197","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mich\u00e8le D.","family":"Birtel","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Greenwich"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-7065-9820","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lucia","family":"Volpi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Vienna"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aisha","family":"Mirza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura M.","family":"K\u00f6nig","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Vienna"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_7_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajog.2020.06.004"},{"key":"e_1_3_7_3_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/26410397.2021.1911618"},{"key":"e_1_3_7_4_2","volume-title":"How menstrual health can be a catalyst for gender equality and sustainable development","author":"Tesfu S","year":"2025","unstructured":"Tesfu S, Williams M. 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