---
title: What lifestyle factors affect menstrual problems in female medical students?
description: Weight, stress, physical activity, and pandemic impacts all affected period regularity and symptoms. Nearly all students with severe stress had irregular peri
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-cycle-characteristics-and-relative-factors-among-vietnamese-female-2024/
---

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- What lifestyle factors affect menstrual problems in female medical students?

Survey study, 2024

# What lifestyle factors affect menstrual problems in female medical students?

Weight, stress, physical activity, and pandemic impacts all affected period regularity and symptoms. Nearly all students with severe stress had irregular periods.

 Early or limited evidence

Female 3rd-year medical students in Vietnam during COVID-19 pandemic

## What they did

Cross-sectional survey of 3rd-year female medical students in Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic, asking about menstrual patterns and measuring lifestyle factors including weight, stress, and exercise.

## What they found

All students (100%) with severe stress had irregular periods. Dysmenorrhea (painful periods) affected 39.7%. Most common PMS symptoms were abdominal and lower back pain. Overweight or obese students had 5 times more heavy bleeding. Central obesity increased heavy bleeding by 19-fold. Higher physical activity increased period pain risk. Students affected by COVID-19 had more painful periods.

## What it means for you

Weight, stress, exercise, and pandemic stress all influence period problems in young women. The relationships are complex and may work together. Results are from one country and need confirmation elsewhere.

100

percent with severe stress having irregular periods

39.7

percent with dysmenorrhea

19

fold increase in heavy bleeding with central obesity

## About the study

Original title Menstrual Cycle Characteristics and Relative Factors Among Vietnamese Female Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study During the COVID-19 Pandemic Authors Khanh Hoang Pham, Tin Hoang Nguyen, Thuc Vi et al. Journal Current Women s Health Reviews Year 2024 Study design Survey study What was tested lifestyle factors Read the paper [doi.org/10.2174/0115734048305970240325154923](https://doi.org/10.2174/0115734048305970240325154923)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Dysmenorrhea and period pain](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-dysmenorrhea/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Students and academic performance](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-education/)

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