TMSS Medical College Journal

Background: Menstruation is an inevitable part of a female’s life and an important indicator of normal sexual and reproductive health. The changes in the normal menstrual pattern of female in the reproductive age may affect physical, physiological and psychological wellbeing. Stress may affect the pattern of menstrual cycle by stimulating hypothalamopituitary-adrenal axis which is responsible for the production of cortisol hormone. Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate menstrual disorders and their relationship with psychological stress among the students of Rajshahi Medical College, Rajshahi. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional type of descriptive study was carried out from January 2023 to December 2023 in the Department of Physiology, Rajshahi Medical College, Rajshahi. The study was conducted on 247 female students who were studying in Rajshahi Medical College after obtaining ethical clearance from the Ethical Review Committee of Rajshahi Medical College and informed written consent from the students. Data were collected by semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS software, version-24. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all tests. Results: The students were 21.89 ± 1.44 years old on average, 12.01 ± 1.37 years old when they menarched, BMI 22.07 ± 3.34 kg/m2, they had a monthly family income of 41874.49 ± 20436.26 taka, their menstrual cycle lasted 30.66 ± 6.43 days, and their flow lasted 5.26 ± 1.59 days. Marital status of the students showed that the majority (89.50%) of the students were unmarried, (75.70%) of the students were from urban area and majority (85.40%) of the students lived in hostel.Of the students, 20.24% experienced oligomenorrhea, 6.88% hypomenorrhea, 7.29% menorrhagia, and 5.26% polymenorrhea in relation to menstrual disorders. The majority of students (77.30%) experienced moderate stress, followed by high stress (19.00%) and low stress (3.60%). Medical students' psychological stress levels were statistically significantly correlated with both menorrhagia and oligomenorrhea (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, neither polymenorrhea nor hypomenorrhea was substantially associated with the medical students' psychological stress levels (p > 0.05 in both cases). Conclusion: Psychological stress was significantly associated with the prevalence of various types of menstrual disorders. Timely diagnosis and management of menstrual abnormalities with proper counselling are necessary for improvement of health, sense of well-being, overall quality of life of students and lower the risks for future diseases.

The normal reproductive years of females are characterized by monthly rhythmic changes in the rate of secretion of female hormones and corresponding Physical changes inthe ovaries and other sexual organs which is called menstrual cyele. A woman's menstrual eyele usually follows an average 28 day cycle.’ A normal menstrual cycle leads to formation of a dominant follicle with a maturc ovum in the ovary then ovulation. In absence of fertilization, the endometrial lining sheds out resulting in discharge of blood from the uterus through the vagina which is called menstruation - a natural physiological phenomenon occuring at a mare or less regular monthly interval during women's reproductive life ‘ovulatory, and luteal Menstruation firs occurs in adolescents between 11 and 14 years of age with a period length of average 7 days with a cycle length ranging from 21 to 45 days with an average blood loss of 20 to 80 ml. This phenomenon is not an easy one and is ofien associated with some degree of suffering. According to several studies, a large proportion of the female population of reproductive age suffer from menstruation elated health issues. There are various forms of menstrual disorders. The list of menstrual disorders ranges from dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome (PMS). polymenorthea, oligomenorthea, menorrhagia, amenorrhea to irregular menstrual_cycle. Dysmenorthea is the commonest gynecological disorder among women with prevalence OF 60% 10 93%.