Menarche as a silent transition: islamic modesty norms, mother–daughter communication, and menstrual readiness among rural Indonesian adolescents

BackgroundMenarche is a key developmental milestone for adolescent girls, yet in many Muslim-majority rural settings it occurs within strong norms of modesty and silence. Although prior research has identified gaps in menstrual knowledge and hygiene, limited evidence explains how Islamic modesty norms and mother–daughter communication jointly influence menstrual readiness during the early transition around menarche.ObjectiveThis study examined menarche as a culturally patterned silent transition