Prevalence and Associated Factors of Menstrual Disturbance Among University Students in Bangladesh

Background: Menstrual disturbances are physical and psychological symptoms just before and during the menstruation period including problems such as painful, irregular, and uncontrollable. The study determined the prevalence of menstrual disturbance and its associated factors of university female students in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Methods: In the study, 470 university female students were considered as samples. Data were collected from the University of Rajshahi from September to November 2022 using a standard semi-structured questionnaire for this cross-sectional study. Menstrual disturbance of students was measured by their two menstrual problems: (1) painful menstruation during or before the period and (2) irregular menstruation. Data were analyzed by frequency distribution, descriptive statistics, chi-square (χ2) tests, and binary logistic regression model. Results: The study found that the prevalence of menstrual pain among university female students was very high (71.1%), while the prevalence of irregular menstrual cycles was (17.7%). Notably, 63.20% of students reported that they had at least one menstrual disturbance, and 12.80% suffered from both (menstrual pain and irregular menstrual cycles) disturbances. The logistic model demonstrated that students who reported they had menstrual disturbances were more likely to get painful menstruation than those who reported they had no menstrual disturbances (p < 0.01). Students who suffered from fever during menstruation were more likely to get painful menstruation (p < 0.01). Students who preferred to consume healthy foods also experienced menstrual pain more than those who preferred to consume oily foods or fast food (p < 0.05). Students whose duration of menstrual flow was less than 4 days or more than 7 days were more likely to get irregular menstruation (p < 0.05). Students who were not engaged in any physical activities were more likely to get irregular menstruation compared with students who were engaged in physical activities (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results showed that a remarkable number of students are suffering from menstrual disturbance, and its impact on their daily activities. Our findings would help policymakers to take the necessary steps.