The prevalence of various menstrual disorders and its association with psychological stress in medical faculties students. A Cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Abstract Background: Menstrual disorders are of the most prevalent health issues in young female students studying in health science faculties. The purpose of this study was to provide an insight on the menstrual patterns among medical faculties students, and to determine whether stress can be an identified factor for its various disorders. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the Faculties of Medicine, Dentistry and pharmacy in the Syrian Private University, Damascus, Syria, between October and November of 2022. Nine hundred and eighty female students anonymously completed the identification of menstrual problems and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaire. The date was analyzed with Social Science Statistics Package. Results: The mean age of the students was 21.52 ± 2.06 years. The most common menstrual disorders in this study were dysmenorrhea (88%), premenstrual syndrome (87%), and irregular menstrual cycle (21%). We found a statistically significant relationship between the occurrence of irregular menstrual cycle and amenorrhea, polymenorrhea, and oligomenorrhea. 82% had mild to moderate stress, 10% had high stress, while 8% had low stress. There was a statistically significant relationship between stress and abnormal vaginal bleeding, oligomenorrhea, and menstrual irregularity. Conclusion: There was a really high prevalence of stress among these students, which was also associated with the occurrence of various menstrual disorders, both of which can not only have an impact on a student's ability to function academically, but also may potentially have detrimental impacts on their reproductive and mental health. It is for that reason we advise that all students of medical faculties get brief courses on stress management strategies as part of their curriculum. Additionally, all medical faculties universities should set up procedures for the early detection of individuals with stress and menstruation disorders. The identified students with high stress levels should also get prompt gynaecological and psychiatric counselling.