Magnitude and associated factors of menstrual irregularity among undergraduate students of Debre Berhan University, Ethiopia

Abstract

Plain language summary Menstrual irregularity is a common problem among university students. It affects their daily activities. But it lacks attention, especially in developing countries. Additionally, menstrual irregularity is defined differently by different researchers which results in a difference in prevalence. So it is difficult to compare. Therefore this study aims to assess the magnitude and associated factors of menstrual irregularity among undergraduate students of Debre Berhan University, Ethiopia. To avoid the inconsistent definition of menstrual irregularity which is used by different researchers, we used the standard of menstrual irregularity definition which was prepared by the international federation of obstetrics and gynecologist in 2018. This study uses across sectional study design among 660 undergraduate students of Debre Berhan University, Ethiopia. A self-administered questioner which includes socio-demographic data, menstrual-related questions, lifestyle and behavioral questions, and medical history questions were used to collect data. Besides, physical examination and anthropometric measurement were done. Of a total 620 students who participated in the study: 202 (32.6%) had menstrual irregularity. Factors that had significant association with menstrual irregularity were, anemia (AOR = 2.1; 95%CI 1.337–3.441), alcohol intake (AOR = 2.4; 95%CI 1.25–4.666), < 5 sleep hours (AOR = 5.4; 95%CI 2.975–9.888), 6–7 sleep hours (AOR = 1.9; 95%CI 1.291–2.907), Perceived stress (AOR = 3.3; 95%CI 1.8322–5.940), iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) (AOR = 3.9; 95%CI 1.325–11.636) and underweight (AOR = 1.8; 95%CI 1.109–2.847). In conclusion, the finding of this study reported a low magnitude of menstrual irregularity as compared to previous studies.

Keywords

• Menstrual irregularity
• Anthropometric measurement
• Lifestyle