The EMPOWER Laboratory at Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) has published the first comprehensive menstrual health profile of adolescents in Puerto Rico, documenting their menstrual cycles, symptoms, and information sources. The profile is based on an anonymous survey of 1,094 menstruating adolescents ages 11 to 20 from Puerto Rico’s seven educational regions, conducted between January 2023 and April 2024 through an electronic survey distributed via social media, text messages, and, with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Department of Education, in health and development classes at intermediate and senior high schools.
The research was led by Dr. Idhaliz Flores-Caldera, professor in PHSU’s departments of Basic Sciences and of Obstetrics and Gynecology and director of the EMPOWER Laboratory, and was published in open access in Elsevier’s journal Dialogues in Health on July 27, 2026. The study allows researchers to examine menstrual symptoms alongside the education teens receive, identifying differences by school type, residential area, and region.
Only 1% reported ever receiving a medical diagnosis of endometriosis, a finding the researchers say warrants deeper study of the relationship between reported symptoms and the clinical evaluation teens receive. On menstrual education, 90% reported receiving some type of guidance: school was the most frequent source (72%), followed by home (60%), while only 17% received it from a physician.
Next phases include a psychoeducational intervention and, eventually, a Puerto Rico Menstrual Health Academy. The team included professionals from PHSU, the University of Puerto Rico, San Juan Bautista School of Medicine, California State University Los Angeles, and Community College of Allegheny County.