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Empowering Women Through Knowledge: A Systematic Review of Literature on Menstrual and Reproductive Health Literacy
Ashleigh Hansen1, Jessica Bayes1, Janet Schloss1
1Faculty of Health, National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.
Background:
Reproductive health, including menstrual health, is a critical element of the overall well-being of women. Knowledge of menstrual health increases personal empowerment and self-care. This review explores adult women's knowledge of menstrual and reproductive health.
Methods:
A systematic literature review was conducted across ProQuest, PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, and AMED, targeting original, peer-reviewed articles published between 2013 and 2023. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2020 guidelines, 649 articles were screened. Eighteen cross-sectional studies met the inclusion criteria after critical appraisal using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for analytical cross-sectional studies.
Results:
Mean percentages of overall correct knowledge were provided in a limited number of studies, with scores ranging between 35.6% and 57.3%. In this review, mean values were calculated to represent categorical analysis of adult women's correct knowledge of ovulation, menstruation, and female physiology. The following values represent women's correct knowledge of these factors: timing of ovulation (43.7%), definition of ovulation (75.3%), identify physical signs of ovulation (52.4%), definition of menstruation (92.8%), identify menstrual cycle length (58.9%), identify duration of menstruation (44.6%), identify physical changes that might occur 2 weeks prior to menstruation (76.8%), identify female reproductive anatomy (68.9%), identify the term reproductive "hormones" (37%); identify the hormone estrogen (30.4%), identify the hormone progesterone (24%), correct knowledge of reproductive functional biology (51.2%), and correct knowledge of factors affecting reproductive health (62.8%).
Conclusion:
Adult women's knowledge of reproductive and menstrual health remains lower than expected due to various personal, cultural, and social factors. Developing educational and health promotion interventions is crucial to improving women's reproductive knowledge globally.
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