Survey study, 2011
Is academic stress linked to menstrual disorders in female students?
Yes. Women with academic stress have about 2 times the risk of menstrual disorders. PMS is one common disorder, affecting about one-third of those with any menstrual problem.
What they did
Cross-sectional survey of 393 female students aged 16 to 35 at a Nigerian university during 2009/2010. Participants completed questionnaires about menstrual history and academic stress.
What they found
34.6% had menstrual disorders overall. Women with academic stress had 2 times the risk (odds ratio 2.0). The most common disorder was menorrhagia (37.5% of cases), followed by PMS (33.1%), oligomenorrhea (19.9%), and amenorrhea (5.9%).
What it means for you
Stress management might help prevent menstrual problems. Main limits: cross-sectional study in one country so cannot prove stress causes disorders, and individual cause-and-effect relationships remain unclear.
34.6%
with menstrual disorders
2.0
risk ratio with stress
33.1%
PMS among all disorders
About the study
- Original title
- Academic stress and menstrual disorders among female undergraduates in Uyo, South Eastern Nigeria - the need for health education
- Authors
- Ekpenyong CE, Davis KJ, Akpan UP et al.
- Journal
- Nigerian journal of physiological sciences : official publication of the Physiological Society of Nigeria
- Year
- 2011
- Study design
- Survey study
- What was tested
- None - observational study
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22547190/
Topics
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