A cross-sectional study on relationship between body mass index and menstrual irregularity among rural women in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Background: Menstruation is a normal physiological process and irregular menstrual pattern is a problem affecting the quality of life among women in the reproductive age group. Although many factors contribute to the irregularity in menstrual cycles this study was conducted to find out the relationship between the body mass index (BMI) and irregular menstrual pattern.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural health and training centre of SRM hospital between August and October 2018 by using a convenience sampling method and data was collected from 163 women in the reproductive age group and analysed to find out the relationship between the BMI and menstrual irregularity.Results: The mean age of the study participants was 31.29 (±8.32) years and their mean age at menarche was 12.59 (±1.86) years. Majority of the study participants belongs to lower middle class (25%), Hindus (85%) by religion, married (82%), homemakers (53%) belongs to nuclear family (45%) having education up to high school level (61%). Only 44% of the participants have their BMI within normal range and 8% are obese. Irregular menstrual pattern was present in 13% of the study participants. The association between the BMI and the irregular menstrual pattern was found to be significant with a p<0.05.Conclusions: A significant association between the BMI and the irregular menstrual pattern highlights the importance of adapting simple and effective lifestyle and behavioural modifications in the reduction of excess weight thereby leading to healthy reproductive life among women.

Are Menstrual Patterns Associated with the Body Mass Index of University Students? A Descriptive Study in Mangalore, Karnataka, India

“…2 Ramraj et al from Pune also reported similar findings that age of menarche was 12 years. 3 Another study results also showed similar results as present study like the mean age at menarche was 12.59 (± 1.86) years study report by Ganesan et al 4 So, we conclude that the average age of menarche is between the ages of 11 and 13 years based on data from both previous studies and this study.…”

“…The main gynecological issue faced by adult females, particularly adolescent females, is irregular or disordered menstrual cycles, which can be extremely stressful for both the individual and their family. [4][5][6] The female reproductive cycle includes menstruation as a crucial component. Hormonal changes, genetics, significant illnesses, and body mass index (BMI) are among the variables that frequently affect the regularity and duration of a woman's menstrual cycle.…”

“…6,7 Menstrual cycle regularity is highly influenced by BMI. 4 The most notable alteration in girls is the beginning of menstruation, a common and natural process that occurs in women after puberty. It is possible to identify and treat several medical issues that can result in irregular or skipped menstrual cycles early on.…”

Meta-Analysis the Effect of Obesity and Stress on Menstrual Cycle Disorder

“…Increased BMI will have an impact on endometrial func-tion, increasing estrogen levels as a result of peripheral conversion of androgens by the adipose tissue aromatase enzyme. Ganesan et al (2019) also conducted a similar study with the results that obese women had a 3.08 times risk of experiencing irregular menstrual patterns compared to women with normal weight. This study found a very strong and significant relationship between BMI and irregular menstrual patterns similar to various studies around the world.…”

“…There are many factors that influence menstrual patterns to become irregular, including stress, hormonal imbalance, thyroid disorders, obesity or weight gain, polycystic ovary disease, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, medication, environment, behavior and lifestyle factors. Irregularities in the menstrual cycle can seriously impact a woman's immediate and long-term health causing disturbing symptoms that affect metabolism, sleep, fertility, sexuality, reproductive life, and more (Sommer et al, 2017;Ganesan et al, 2019) .…”