Implicit messages concerning menstruation in commercial educational materials prepared for young adolescent girls

Interviews with young girls aged 9 to 18 revealed that commercial educational materials are an important source of information about menstruation. Although these materials are valuable educational supplements, they do not provide a complete, accurate, and realistic description of menarcheal changes and emphasize good hygiene rather than dealing with the young girl's emotional needs and anxieties. The authors stress the need for more research into the physiological, cognitive, and psychological changes during puberty and the obligation of parents, schools, and other social institutions to provide more comprehensive information to the maturing girl about the essential issues of pubertal development.