We all have horror stories from our puberty phase: voice cracks, bad breakouts, hormone fluctuations; the list goes on. But on top of the awkwardness of growing up, many girls from low-income families in the United States feel unprepared for puberty, leading to negative experiences during their development.
According to research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health from the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Health and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the majority of low-income girls felt a lack of understanding and preparedness for menstruation, reproductive health and body changes.
For the study, the researchers reviewed data from peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2014 to assess experiences of low-income girls concentrated in the northeastern United States.
While many girls reported having learned some information about puberty through one source—such as a mother, sister or teacher—most felt what they were told was inaccurate, lacking or provided too late. In the research, many mothers of the girls said they felt unable to meet their daughters’ needs. Mothers described feeling uncomfortable with the topic, uncertain about when to introduce the conversation, and unaware of how menstruation works.