Abnormal uterine bleeding and associated factors: a cross-sectional study in high-performance Peruvian athletes

Abstract

Background Abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) is a problem that affects women and can cause outcomes such as anaemia, affecting women’s quality of life. In high-performance athletes, this problem can be further exacerbated by intense physical activity, strict nutritional regimens and physical stress.Hypothesis There are factors that increase the risk of occurrence of AUB in high-performance Peruvian athletes.Study design Cross-sectional study.Level of evidence Level 4.Methods We applied an online questionnaire with questions to identify AUB according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics criteria, demographic characteristics, sport practised and evaluation of the risk of an eating disorder using the Eating Attitudes Test questionnaire. We used a generalised linear model to identify factors associated with AUB.Results We evaluated 101 participants whose mean age was 22.3±4.3 years. The body mass index had a mean of 22.6±2.4 kg/m2. From the total of athletes, 68.3% (95% CI 58.6% to 76.7%) presented AUB. The bivariate analysis showed that the type of sport and the duration of the sporting activity were associated (p<0.05) with AUB, with AUB frequencies of 76.5% observed in athletes who practised anaerobic sports. The multivariate analysis did not report factors significantly associated with AUB.Conclusion We found a high frequency of AUB in high-performance Peruvian athletes, especially in those who practice anaerobic and resistance sports.Clinical relevance High-performance female athletes health must be evaluated periodically, and immediate actions are taken to control and treat AUB.