Adolescent Menstrual Health: Tracing the impacts of unmet needs in Bangladesh

The ‘Adolescent Menstrual Experiences and Health Cohort (AMEHC) Study’ in Bangladesh aims to understand the way that menstrual health needs change during adolescence and to quantify the effects of early menstrual experiences on education and health outcomes.

AMEHC follows a cohort of 2,000 adolescent girls from 12 years of age, around the time of menarche, through to later adolescence. Yearly surveys document changing menstrual health experiences and track their impacts on girls’ lives. Embedded sub-studies include more intensive follow ups, measure development, and qualitative exploration.

The study includes a broad focus on menstrual health needs, including:

• knowledge and education
• water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in homes and schools,
• girls’ experiences of menstrual hygiene management needs
• social support and social norms surrounding menstruation
• care for discomforts and disorders, such as primary dysmenorrhea.

We have opportunities for PhD students to join the study and develop thesis proposals that sit within the broader program of work. We have opportunities for MSc/MPH students to use the quantitative cohort data to address defined research questions as part of a research project. The student will work with the Global Adolescent Health Working Group, Burnet Institute Myanmar Office, and research partners in Bangladesh.