Menstrual pattern and common menstrual abnormalities in the high school girls in Underdeveloped district (Rewa) of Madhya Pradesh: A cross sectional study in school girls at central India
Abstract
Menstrual disorders may affect the life of adolescents and young adult women, and may sometimes cause serious problems. The patterns of menstrual cycles were analysed for association with age of menarche, prevalence of menstrual irregularity, dysmenorrhoea, prolonged menstrual bleeding, and effect of menstrual disorders, especially dysmenorrhoea, on social activities and school attendance among the female students.
Methods: A total of 149 students were randomly selected and asked to complete the anonymous questionnaire of 27 items.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 15.66 ± 0.96 years ranging from 14 to 17 years; mean menarche age was 12.81 ± 1.09 years with a range of 9–16 years. The duration between two periods and the menstrual flow were 27.7 ± 2.5 days and 5.8 ± 1.4 days, respectively. The prevalence of scanty bleeding, menorrhagia \ hypermenorrhoea, oligomenorrhoea, metrorrhagia, and dysmenorrhoea were 26.10%, 12.08%, 10.06%, 5.36% and 52.34%, respectively. Approximately 3.81% of dysmenorrhoeic subjects had severe dysmenorrhoea; dysmenorrhoea affected school concentration in 25.49%, sports participation in 39.59%, social withdrawal in 31.54% and school absenteeism in 20.80%. Most common symptoms of dysmenorrhoea was abdominal cramps 81.81%, others are 38.96% backache, 24.67%, headache, 33.76% fatigue, 7.79% diarrhea, 6.49% vomiting and 31.16% abdominal bloating were reported.
Conclusion: The prevalence of menstrual abnormality and dysmenorrhoea was high, and most adolescents have inappropriate and insufficient information about menstrual problems. Hence, an education programme is needed at the end of primary school about menarche and menstruation.
References
2. Frederic Fluhmann C. Menstrual problems of adolescence. Peditrics Clin North Am. 1958;2: 51-60.
3. Chumlea WE, Schubert CM, Roche AF. Age at menarche and racial comparison in US girls. Pediatrics. 2003; 111: 110-113.
4. National centre for health statistics. Age at menarche: United States. Rockville MD: US department of health, education and welfare; 1973; Series 11: no. 133.
5. WHO Task force on adolescent reproductive health. Longitudinal study of menstrual patterns in the early post menarcheal period, duration of bleeding episodes and menstrual cycles. J Adolesc Health Care. 1986;7:236-244.
6. ACOG Committee Opinion No. 349, November 2006: Menstruation in girls and adolescents: using the menstrual cycle as a vital sign. Obstet Gynecol. 2006;108: 1323-1328.
7. Widhom O, Kantero RL. A statistical analysis of the menstrual patterns of 8000 Finnish girls and their mothers. Act a Obstet Gynecol Scand Suppl. 1971; 14 (Suppl 14): 1-36.
8. Hickey M, Balen A. Menstrual disorders in adolescence: investigations and management. Hum Reprod Update. 2003; 9: 493-504.
9. Flug D, Largo RH, Prader A. Menstrual pattern in adolescent Swiss girls: a longitudinal study. Ann Hum Biol. 1984; 11:495-508.
10. Menstruation among adolescent girls in Malaysia: a crosssectional school survey. Singapore Med J. 2006; 47 (10):869.
11. Frank D, Williams T. Attitudes about menstruation among fifth, sixth and seventh- grade pre and post menarcheal girls. J SchNurs. 1999;15:25-31.
12. Rowland AS, Baird DD, Stuart L. Influence of medical conditions and lifestyle factors on the menstrual cycle. Epidemiology. 2002;13:668-74.
13. Paula JAH.: Benign diseases of the Female Reproductive Tract. Berek & Novak’s Gynecology, Lippincott William & Wilkins: Wolters Kluwer business, Philadelphia 2007; 14th
(ed.): 446.
14. Andersch B, Milsom I. An epidemiologic study of young women with dysmenorrhea. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1982;144:655-60.
15. Sharma P, Malhotra C, Taneja DK. Problems related to menstruation amongst adolescent girls. Indian J. Pediatrics. 2008; 75 (2):125-129
16. Banikarim C, Chacko MR, Kelder SH. Prevalence and impact of dysmenorrhea on Hispanic female adolescents. Arch PediatrAdolesc Med. 2000;154:1226-9.
17. Cakir M, Mungan I, Karakas T, Girisken I, Okten A. Menstrual pattern and common menstrual disorders among university students in Turkey.Pediatr Int. 2007;49(6):938-42.
18. Demir SC, Kadayýfçý TO, Vardar MA, Atay Y. Dysfunctional uterine bleeding and other menstrual problems of secondary school students in Adana,Turkey.J PediatrAdolesc Gynecol. 2000;13(4):171-5.
19. Lee LK, Chen PCY, Lee KK, Kaur J. Menstruation among adolescent girls in Malaysia: a cross-sectional school survey. Singapore Med J. 2006;47(10):874.
20. McEvoy M, Chang J, Coupey SM. Common menstrual disorders in adolescence: nursing interventions. MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs.2004;29:41-9.
21. Sharma M, Gupta S. Menstrual pattern and abnormalities in the high school girls of Dharan: a cross sectional study in two boarding schools.Nepal Medical College J.2003; 5(1):34- 6.
22. Jerry R. Klein, MD, and Iris F. Litt, MD Epidemiology of adolescent dysmenorrhea. Pediatrics. 68:661-664, 1981;
23. Pullon S, Reinken J, Sparrow M. Prevalence of dysmenorrhoea in Wellington women. N Z Med J. 1988;101:52-4.
24. Ng TP, Tan NC, Wansaicheong GK. A prevalence study of dysmenorrhoea in female residents aged 15-54 years in Clementi Town, Singapore. Ann Acad Med Singapore. 1992;21: 323- 7.
25. Sundell G, Milsom I, Andersch B. Factors influencing the prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhoea in young women. Br J Obstet Gynaecol.1990;97:588-94.
