Menarche stories: reminiscences of college students from Lithuania, Malaysia, Sudan, and the United States

Women college students in four countries were invited to write the story of their first menstruation in as much detail as memory allowed. Stories were received from 26 Lithuanians, 27 Americans, 20 Malaysians, and 23 Sudanese. The stories were read and their contents analyzed for the presence or absence of information on such topics as emotional reaction, preparedness, sources of information about menstruation, changes in body image, and celebrations of this rite of passage. Similarities and differences among the groups are discussed, and passages from particularly interesting stories are quoted.