Is body mass index associated with irregular menstruation: a questionnaire study?

Abstract

Background Irregular menstrual cycles including the length of cycles and menses, and heavy menstrual blood loss are linked to many gynaecological diseases. Obesity has been reported to be associated with irregular menstrual cycles. However, to date, most studies investigating this association are focused on adolescence or university students. Whether this association is also seen in adult women, especially women who had a history of birth has not been fully investigated. Methods Questionnaire data were collected from 1012 women aged 17 to 53 years. Data on age, weight and height, gravida, the length of menstrual cycles and menses, and the number of pads used during menses were collected. Factors associated with menstrual cycle according to BMI categories were analysed. Results There were no differences in the length of menstrual cycles and menses in women of different body mass index (BMI) groups. However, there was a significant difference in menstrual blood loss in women of different BMI categories. The odds ratio of having heavy menstrual blood loss in obese women was 2.28 (95% CL: 1.244, 4.193), compared to women with normal weight, while there was no difference in the odds ratio of having heavy menstrual blood loss in overweight, compared to normal weight, women. In contrast, the odds ratio of having heavy menstrual blood loss in underweight women was 0.4034 (95% CL: 0.224, 0.725), compared to women with normal weight. Conclusion Although BMI was not correlated with the length of menstrual cycle and menses, BMI is positively associated with menstrual blood loss. Our data suggest that BMI influences menstrual blood loss in women of reproductive age and weight control is important in women’s reproductive years.

Association of Body Mass Index with Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Ovarian Axis Hormones in Infertile Women in the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

“…E. Nelson, E. F. Chukwuma Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Amenorrhoea in obese infertility women. This confirms the findings of Yunhui et al [51] and Labban, [52] which reported that BMI is positively associated with Amenorrheoa and Hypogonadism. However, the study observed no correlation between BMI and Hypergonadism and Hypergonadotropic in infertile obese women.…”

A novel hypothesis-generating approach for detecting phenotypic associations using epigenetic data

“…These hypotheses warrant further investigation in a causally motivated framework, as what we present here is purely associational. We were able to replicate previously reported associations with own smoking (12, 40) and higher BMI (15, 41) with both menstrual symptoms, guided by methylation markers. We believe that this is the first study to present evidence that that early life experiences such as ACEs and prenatal exposures such as maternal smoking are associated with these conditions.…”

“…ALSPAC has repeat measures of the presence of dysmenorrhea and HMB throughout adolescence. In the literature, known causes and risk factors (outside diagnosed gynaecological problems) are scant, with some evidence suggesting smoking (40) and BMI (15, 41) are associated with these conditions.…”

Association of Anthropometric Indices with Menstrual Abnormality among Nursing Students of Nepal: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…However, both extremes of BMI were associated with abnormal periodic blood loss compared to individuals with normal BMI, although the risk of abnormal periodic menstrual bleeding was higher in overweight and obese compared to underweight individuals. In the study by Yunhui Tang, the odds of having heavy menstrual bleeding were less in underweight individuals as compared to those with normal BMI [ 30 ]. Increased menstrual blood loss in obese women is attributed to delayed endometrial repair secondary to a proinflammatory local endometrial environment in obese women [ 31 ].…”