The Menstrual Cycle and Associated Symptoms amongst Spanish School Girls and Students

Abstract

Objective: To study the menstrual cycle and the presence of premenstrual symptoms and dysmenorrhoea amongst Spanish schoolgirls and students.Methods: Description of the characteristics of the menstrual cycle of 130 schoolgirls and students. Analysis of the link between variables using the χ² test of independence with a significance level of 5%. Magnitude of the link quantified through binary or multinomial logistic regression.Results: Average age of the participants: 20 years old. Fifty-three per cent of cycles lasted 25-32 days. Eighty-eight per cent presented some premenstrual symptom and 98% dysmenorrhoea. The likelihood of a cycle of irregular length when compared to a cycle lasting less than 25 days is almost seven times greater in women aged between 17 and 20 as opposed to women aged between 21 and 25. Conclusion:Irregular cycles were reported most frequently in women further away from the postmenarchal period. The risk of suffering premenstrual symptoms and dysmenorrhoea increased with age.