Prevalence of Menstrual Disorders among Secondary School Girls in Taif, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the prevalence of menstrual disorders and unusual symptoms among teenagers. A questionnaire survey was conducted amongst girls aged 15–19 years attending government secondary schools in Taif. Respondents were asked basic demographic information and questions about their menstrual cycles. They were also asked whether their cycles interfered with their activities of daily living. An independent sample t-test and chi-squared test were used to assess the difference between students’ frequency of school absenteeism and demographic and puberty characteristics. Of the 450 students who were invited to fill in the questionnaire, 400 (88.9%) completed the survey. Approximately 59.5% of the girls had missed school due to menstruation-related symptoms, and about 79.9% reported general body pain as the primary symptom associated with school absenteeism. Teenagers whose periods were irregular were 2.72 times more likely to miss school than those who had regular periods (p = 0.002). Most respondents (83.5%) reported that menstrual symptoms impacted their general activities of daily living. Overall, menstrual disorders are common among secondary school girls in Taif. Menstrual disorders such as menorrhagia, dysmenorrhea, and metrorrhagia affected the academic and social lives of some students.