ABSTRACT
Menstrual change can impinge upon and occasionally disrupt women’s lives outside as well as inside the home. In the first part of this chapter the focus is on menstrual change in relation to school and work. There is a discussion of how to interpret the links frequently postulated in the medical and academic literature between periods, period problems, absenteeism and diminished work performance. Attention is paid also to the coping strategies adopted by girls and women in the face of self-or other-defined obstacles to working through menstrual change. This is followed by a brief review of analyses of menses and sporting activity.
