Evaluation of correlation between body mass Index with menstrual cycle pattern among young female medical students

Abstract

Introduction: Adolescence is a period of maturity, a point of physical, emotional, social and psychological change. Menstruation is described as the exclusive sign of femininity and it is a physical manifestation of complex endocrine axis. Body mass index or BMI have the most control over menstrual irregularity. The increasing trends in the prevalence of childhood obesity, early puberty and menarche, and ethnic racial differences in the effect of body mass index on the reproductive characteristics of young females around the world, warrant continuous evaluation. Hence, we aim to investigate possible variations in the influence of body mass index on the age at menarche as well as duration of menstrual cycle and menses in young girls. Material and Method: Present study was conducted on 300 young female medical students over a period of 18 months. Young and unmarried female medical students in the age group of 17-25 years of age group were included. Married or who were on treatment for menstrual problem or had primary amenorrhoea or undergone pelvic surgery were excluded. Structured questionnaire was used to determine the occurrence of menstrual problem. Body mass index was calculated and the collected data was analysed between the relationship parameter i.e. body mass index and menstrual abnormalities. Result:The mean age of the study population was 21.98 yrs. The mean of BMI in the study population was found to be 21.42kg/m 2 . Irregular menses (including short and long cycles) is highly significantly associated with underweight and overweight BMI as clear with P-value of 0.0001 and 0.0001 respectively. Irregular cycles were seen in 45 cases out of which 9 were having Polymenorrhea i.e. cycle length less than 21 days, 10 were having irregular cycle with no fixed length, and 26 were having oligomenorrhea. Out of 45 cases with irregular cycle 19 were in underweight category, 9 in overweight category, and 2 in obese class 2 and rest 15 in normal BMI category. Conclusion:The present study suggests alteration in body mass index was associated with changes in menstrual pattern. Maintaining the correct weight according to the height is utmost important to avoid so many menstrual irregularities as well as long term metabolic complications.

Are Menstrual Patterns Associated with the Body Mass Index of University Students? A Descriptive Study in Mangalore, Karnataka, India

“…A study conducted by Dars et al from Pakistan revealed that 67.33% of the girls had their first menstrual period between the age of 11 and 13 (mean ¼ 12.92 years, standard deviation of 1.41 years) 1 Similar study result reported by Rai et al from India revealed that the average age of menarche was 13.5 years with a standard deviation of 1.35. 2 Ramraj et al from Pune also reported similar findings that age of menarche was 12 years. 3 Another study results also showed similar results as present study like the mean age at menarche was 12.59 (AE 1.86) years study report by Ganesan et al 4 So, we conclude that the average age of menarche is between the ages of 11 and 13 years based on data from both previous studies and this study.…”

“…The cycle length was 29.79 days with standard deviation of 4.87. 2 Another study reported by Zohora reported that out of the 250 respondents, most of them reported their menstruation duration range between 4 and 7 days (80.8%), 72.4% had regular menstrual cycles, and the length of the menstrual cycle of the 127 respondents (50.8%) was 21 to 35 days. Moderate blood flow was reported by 62% of respondents, 24% had heavy blood flow, and 14% had scanty or little blood flow.…”

“…The following tools were used in this study to collect data; a demographic proforma was used to collect demographic variables, a self-reported menstrual pattern questionnaire was used to identify the menstrual pattern among students that questionnaire with 12 items was developed by the investigator. 2 7 8 9 It includes menstrual characteristics and menstrual problems. The details of the menstrual cycle, including cycle length, number of days the period lasts, menstrual flow, dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, polymenorrhagia, oligomenorrhea, hypomenorrhea, and amenorrhea, are measured by a self-reported menstrual pattern questionnaire.…”

Factors influencing menstrual regularity among female workers: a cross-sectional analysis study

“…However, in a study examining the prevalence of menstrual cycle disorders in physically active women with a BMI of less than 18.5 kg/m 2 , half of the underweight women reported menstrual cycle disorders [ 34 ]. Additionally, a study conducted on medical students aged 18–25 years reported a relationship between low BMI and irregular menstrual cycles [ 35 ], and a study conducted on female college students aged 18–26 years also reported a relationship between low body weight and irregular menstrual cycles [ 36 ]. In this study, the relationship between being underweight and menstrual cycles was not found.…”

“…It may also be related to the subjects. Most of the participants in studies that reported a relationship between being underweight and menstrual cycles were female college students and adolescents [ 35 – 37 ]. The poor nutritional status of young women appears to have a greater impact on the menstrual cycle, which may be related to the different age groups in this study.…”