Prevalence and effects of menstrual disorders on quality of life of undergraduate students in Makerere University College of Health Sciences

Abstract

Introduction. Menstrual problems affect as high as 90% of adolescent females and are a main reason for gynecology visits. Dysmenorrhea was the most frequent menstrual disorder for which adolescents and their parents referred to a physician. Majority of female young adults are adolescents who undergo several hormonal changes that affect menstrual patterns. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of menstrual disorders and to determine the effect of menstrual disorders on quality of life of female undergraduate students in Makerere University college of health sciences. Methods. A cross sectional study design using a self-administered questionnaire that included sociodemographic characteristics, the general health status of the participant, menstrual characteristics and quality of life of participants. WHO QOL-BREF questionnaire was used to assess QOL of participants. Collected data was checked for completeness, double entered into EPIDATA, cleaned, and coded before being transferred to STATA for analysis. Data was presented using tables and graphs, and analyzed using percentages, frequencies, means and standard deviations, t-test and ANOVA were used to establish relationship between the reported menstrual disorders and quality of life scores, P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. A total of 275 participants were included in the data analysis. The median age of the participants was 21 years with range of 18-39 years and interquartile range of 20-24 years. All the participants had attained menarche. Of participants, 97.8% reported some form of menstrual disorder. Premenstrual symptoms were the commonest disorder (93.7%) followed by dysmenorrhea (63.6%), irregular menstruation (20.7%), frequent menstruation (7.3%) and infrequent menstruation (3.3%). Dysmenorrhea and premenstrual symptoms significantly reduced the QOL of participants. Conclusion. Menstrual disorders were highly prevalent with negative effects on QOL and class attendance. Efforts should be made to screen and possibly treat menstrual disorders among university students as well as to conduct further research on the effect of menstrual disorders on QOL of undergraduate students studying health sciences.