Prevalence of Menstrual Disorders and its Related Factors in 18-45 year-old Iranian Women in Four Selected Provinces

Menstrual disorders encompass a wide range of problems such as menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea, poly- and oligomenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of menstrual disorders and factors affecting them among Iranian women in reproductive age. This was a population-based study conducted among women (n=941) aged 18-45 years old. The participants were selected from four provinces using quota stratified cluster sampling. Nine hundred and forty one women were eligible for the study. The most common menstrual disorders in Iranian women were dysmenorrhea (67.5%) and premenstrual syndrome (54.9%), respectively. Some demographic factors such as younger age, married at older ages, as well as celibacy were correlated with the incidence of dysmenorrhea (P<0.5). Higher BMI and higher levels of education had significant relationships with oligomenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome respectively (P<0.5). The result of this study has shown that earlier menarche was significantly associated with the occurrence of menorrhagia. Almost one out of every four Iranian women in the reproductive age suffered from at least one menstrual disorder. Changing lifestyles of women in reproductive age and encourage them to marriage, and counseling and giving adequate information on menstrual disorders can play a main role in reducing the adverse effects of these disorders.