Parental communication with adolescents during puberty can be a protective factor as young people manage the physical and emotional changes experienced during these ages. In Egypt, little is known about girls’ communication with parents or other sources of information around puberty. We use the nationally representative Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE) 2014 to examine the experiences and views of young women aged 13 – 34 around puberty. To help interpret the findings, we draw on in-depth interviews with 29 young mothers in Greater Cairo about their communication with their daughters about puberty.

Results from the SYPE show that nationally, two-thirds of young women reported knowing about menstruation prior to having their first period. Among those who spoke with someone about puberty, the large majority (80.6%) spoke with their mother. Girls in the youngest age group (13-17) were slightly more likely to have spoken with someone about puberty than those in older cohorts (p<0.05). When respondents were asked at what age they thought it is appropriate to discuss puberty with youth and (43.3%) mentioned ‘at menstruation/ puberty’ rather than a specific age. However, the qualitative data suggest that responses fail to capture nuances in when mothers think it is appropriate to talk to their daughters about different aspects of puberty such as menstruation, physical changes hygiene, and sex.

Our findings overall suggest that while mothers want to and do play a primary role in communicating with girls about puberty, these discussions are constrained by lack of information and embarrassment, and might be delayed or avoided due to strong social norms about what and when is appropriate for girls to know regarding different aspects of puberty. At the same time, younger generations of mothers may be adopting more open attitudes to discussing puberty with their daughters.