Common questions to ask during a menstrual health interview?

• A. Eye color and hair type
• B. Travel history and occupation
• C. Age at first menstruation, cycle regularity, pain experienced, and impact on activities
• D. Diet, exercise, sleep patterns, and caffeine intake

Answer: (C)

Understanding menstrual health interviews hinges on gathering the menstrual history itself—when it began, how predictable the cycles are, what symptoms occur, and how those symptoms affect daily life. The best set of questions focuses on age at first menstruation (menarche), how regular the cycles are, what pain or cramps are experienced, and whether these issues interfere with activities. This combination directly reveals the patient’s current reproductive status, the presence of common problems like dysmenorrhea or irregular bleeding, and the level of functional impact, all of which guide diagnosis and management.

Eye color and hair type don’t inform menstrual function, so they aren’t useful for this interview. Travel history and occupation touch on broader health or social factors but don’t target menstrual physiology or symptom burden. Diet, exercise, sleep patterns, and caffeine intake can influence symptoms, but they are secondary to directly assessing menstrual history and its effects on daily life; they’re helpful as supplementary context but not as core questions for a menstrual health interview.