Research Studies Actively Recruiting Participants

The menstrual cycle is a normal biological process experienced during decades of the lives of women and persons with a uterus, from menarche to menopause. Knowledge of the normal and abnormal features of the menstrual cycle is key for recognizing when potential conditions and disease processes could be present, prompting seeking medical care early when needed. With that purpose, we are conducting a study entitled: “Menstrual health characteristics and education in adolescents from Puerto Rico’, to assess the menstrual cycle’s features and the prevalence of menstrual cycle dysregulations and gynecologic health conditions among adolescents in Puerto Rico.

This study is from Dr. Idhaliz Flores-Caldera from the Ponce Research Institute, Women’s Health Division, in collaboration with Dr. Maricarmen Colon-Diaz from San Juan Bautista School of Medicine.

The rationale for this study is to fill a gap in the literature on this topic that will inform the Department of Health, medical professionals, and public policy stakeholders on the island about the needs of this population. This study involves the completion of an anonymous questionnaire that will be sent electronically via social media and text messaging. In the long term, we hope to collect essential data that will help to develop a curriculum about the menstrual cycle that is based on actual data from Puerto Rican teens and to promote better education and awareness in the general community about this topic that is associated with substantial stigma and taboos in our population.