PATTERN AND PREVALANCE OF MENSTRUAL DISOREDERS IN ADOLESCENTS

Background: Menstrual disorders frequently affect the quality of life of adolescents and young adult girls and can be indicators of serious underlying problems. Objectives: Study aims to determine the prevalence and pattern of menstrual disorders in adolescents and their effect on everyday life. Design: A cross sectional study design was adapted. Settings: Government and private schools of Arifwala city, District Pakpattan, Punjab, Pakistan. Materials and Methods: All girls between the age of 10 – 19 years were included in the study during the period, June-2016 to December-2016. Convenient sampling technique was used to select the schools, and to enroll the study participants, stratified sampling was utilized. A total of 1000 girls participated in the study. Main outcome measures: To determine the prevalence and pattern of menstrual disorders and their effect on everyday life. Results: Results showed that, significant relationship was found between age and dysmenorrhea (P < .001), irregular menstruation (P = .001), secondary amenorrhea (P = .005) and between BMI and dysmenorrhea (P =.004) and regular menstruation. (P =.013). Regularity of cycles was significant with economic status (P < .001) and dysmenorrhea (P < .001). Schooling was significant with amenorrhea (P = .002), regularity of cycles (P = .007) and dysmenorrhea (P < .001). Prevalance results showed regular menses in 43%, 44.4% experienced pain during menstruation, 75% experienced stress as premenstrual symptoms. Irregular cycles and dysmenorrhea have significant relation with duration of menses (P = .02, .021), length of menstrual cycle (P < .001, P < .001), secondary amenorrhea (P < .001, P < .001), presence of clots (P < .001, P < .001), visit to gynaecologists (P = .005, P < .001) and severity of pain (P < .001, P < .001). Conclusion: Economic status was the most influential factor to affect menstrual behavior. Dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptoms were most distressing, leading to school absenteeism and off days of work. Limitation: Data was collected from schools of only one city.