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.
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
Topics
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