The frequency of menorrhagia and bleeding disorders in university students

Menorrhagia is an important health problem in women of reproductive age. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of menorrhagia and hemostatic abnormalities associated with menorrhagia in university students.

The pictorial blood assessment chart (PBAC) was used to identify students with menorrhagia. Those with a PBAC score > 100 were examined by pelvic ultrasound and laboratory tests including complete blood count, levels of clotting factors, von Willebrand factor antigen, and ristocetin cofactor activity and Platelet Function Analyser-100 (PFA-100). Platelet aggregation was studied in students with prolonged PFA-100 closure time.

Menorrhagia was identified in 82 (21.8%) of 376 students. Six of 82 students who had pelvic pathologies were excluded. Eleven (14.5%) of the remaining 76 students were found to have bleeding disorders, including von Willebrand disease in five (6.5%), platelet function disorder in four (5.2%), and clotting factor deficiencies in two (2.6%).

Menorrhagia is a common but mostly unrecognized and untreated problem among university students. Underlying bleeding disorders are not rare and require comprehensive hemostatic evaluation for identification.