Menstrual Abnormality and Cycle Tracking Among Female Students

Menstrual health has become a highly significant but long-neglected public health concern with implications on the wellbeing, productivity, and quality of life of women and girls worldwide. It has been estimated that over 1.9 billion individuals in the world menstruate, and a significant percentage of them have some type of menstrual abnormality throughout their reproductive years (WHO, 2022). Among the most common gynecological complaints reported by adolescents and young adult women, especially in educational institutions, there are menstrual abnormalities including dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, oligomenorrhea, polymenorrhea, and amenorrhea (Critchley et al., 2020). These are not only the inconveniences of a physiological nature, but the key characteristics of these conditions include major physical discomfort, mental distress, poor academic performance, absenteeism, and poor social functioning (Hennegan et al., 2019). Menstrual abnormalities form a significant part of the reproductive morbidity of women of reproductive age globally. Dysmenorrhea is reported to have a prevalence of 50 to 90 percent in adolescents and young women across the world, with serious symptoms experienced by one-third of the affected patients (Armour et al., 2019). Irregular menstrual cycles have been associated with endocrine disorders, nutritional deficiencies, stress, and lifestyle habits such as physical inactivity and poor sleep patterns (Teede et al., 2020). Menstrual abnormalities are also becoming more commonly known to be an early warning of more extensive reproductive and metabolic health issues such as infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and mental illness (Bull et al., 2022). Structural disparities, sociocultural beliefs and weak health systems exacerbate menstrual health issues in Sub-Saharan Africa, where high prevalence of menstrual abnormalities among adolescents and young adult women is reported, with dysmenorrhea and irregular cycles being the most frequent manifestations (Munro et al., 2021).

The primary aim of this study is to assess the prevalence and patterns of menstrual abnormalities and examine menstrual cycle tracking practices among female students of the University of Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria.

1. 1What is the prevalence of menstrual abnormalities among female students of the University of Uyo?
2. 2What are the patterns of menstrual cycles among female students of the University of Uyo in terms of cycle length, regularity, and duration of menstrual flow?
3. 3What types of menstrual abnormalities are experienced by female students of the University of Uyo?
4. 4What are the menstrual cycle tracking practices among female students of the University of Uyo?
5. 5What factors are associated with menstrual abnormalities among female students of the University of Uyo?
6. 6Is there a relationship between menstrual cycle tracking practices and the occurrence or recognition of menstrual abnormalities among female students of the University of Uyo?
7. 7What health-seeking behaviors are adopted by female students of the University of Uyo in response to menstrual abnormalities?

1. H1There is no statistically significant relationship between menstrual cycle tracking practices and the occurrence or recognition of menstrual abnormalities among female students of the University of Uyo
2. H2There is no statistically significant association between selected socio-demographic and lifestyle factors and the occurrence of menstrual abnormalities among female students of the University of Uyo