This study surveyed African American women living in a northeastern city of the US to examine the relationships among menstrual learning, sharing menstrual information with others, and menstrual attitudes. Whether these relationships were influenced by socioeconomic status was also investigated. A total of 103 women were recruited through various sampling strategies. A minority of women reported receiving biological or behavioral information from various sources, with mothers being the main source.
The women, on average, expressed slight annoyance towards menstruating, did not endorse positive attitudes toward periods, and were somewhat secretive about the topic. The findings also indicated that the relationships among menstrual learning and menstrual attitudes are complex and not always positive. Further, SES indicators were not significantly influential in the relationships examined. The importance of knowledge about and acknowledging menstruation as a positive experience cannot be overstated.