Medical care-seeking for menstrual symptoms.

Fifty-six female undergraduates completed questionnaires regarding their menstrual symptoms, social learning experiences, and illness representations. The results showed that, compared to non-care-seekers, participants who had sought medical care for their menstrual symptoms reported more symptoms that had been problematic since menarche. Consistent with previous research, care-seekers reported more reinforcement for adolescent menstrual illness behaviours than non-care-seekers. Care-seekers also reported their symptoms as more serious and more difficult to ignore. The perceived seriousness and severity of symptoms were both correlated with reinforcement for adolescent menstrual symptoms. Lay referral was also a reported factor in care-seekers. The results of the present data are discussed with respect to previous research on care-seeking for menstrual and other symptoms.