Menstrual characteristics and association of body mass index with dysmenorrhoea among the medical students in South India

• Author Details:   
• Anju Arpana
• Lokeshwari K ^*
• Rashmi BM

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Introduction: Menstrual cycle is a physiological phenomenon consisting of cyclical shedding of endometrium, occurring on an average of 28±7 days in every woman’s life in response to hormones during their reproductive years. The production of hormones from hypothalamus (gonadotropin-releasing hormone), pituitary (FSH and LH) and ovaries (progesterone and androstenedione, etc.) are regulated by positive and negative feedback mechanisms. The interaction of these hormones result in the menstrual cycles. Dysmenorrhea, is a cyclical painful cramping sensation in the lower abdomen, which might radiate to the back, occurring before and/or during menstruation. Its prevalence ranges between 25-90%. Medical students endure relatively greater amount of stress due to the vast subject which is to be studied in their MBBS course coupled with the lack of outdoor physical activity. Also, a high prevalence of irregularity of periods if undetected early can lead to polycystic ovarian diseases which are one of the causes of infertility. The menstrual characteristics (the menstrual cycle bleeding patterns, length, etc.) are important indicators of endocrine and uterine dysfunctions/abnormalities like Polycystic Ovarian Disorders. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the menstrual pattern in young adult females.
Material and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among female MBBS students and interns of a medical college in South India. Data was collected in a semi-structured questionnaire consisting of details regarding the menstrual history followed by clinical examination and relevant investigations as necessary.
Results: Total 204 female MBBS students with an average age of 21.1±2 years participated in the study. Polymenorrhea and oligomenorrhea was seen in 3% and 13% of the students respectively. Dysmenorrhea was reported by 53.9% of the students. Study found that a high percentage (83.3%) of students who were over weight/obese suffered from dysmenorrhea. Whereas a lesser percentage underweight (40.5%) and normal weight (59.3%) students suffered from dysmenorrhea. This association was found to be statistically significant.
Conclusion: Early diagnosis and management of dysmenorrhea should be done and appropriate necessary life style modification should be encouraged among young females to reduce the incidence of PCOD and metabolic syndrome later in life.

Keywords: Dysmenorrhea, PCOD, Medical students, South India.