Prevalence of Menstrual Disorder in Women and Its Correlation to Body Mass Index and Physical Activity

Regular menstruation represents reproductive health and quality of life of women. However, many women suffer from menstrual disorders at some point in their life. The occurrence of such abnormalities is affected by two key factors: BMI and physical activity. This study aims to analyse the relationship of these two factors to menstrual disorders.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 502 women in Uttar Pradesh, India, from July 2021 to January 2023. Samples were selected using purposive sampling technique. The data were analysed using Pearson's Chi-square test on MS Excel 2013 and IBM SPSS 29.0.0.0 (240) software.

Mean age of the research subjects was 25.84 + 6.30 years, mean weight was 60.29 + 11.22 kg, mean height was 155.34 + 11.77 cm, and mean BMI was 25.36 + 6.06 kg. 68.92% subjects had regular age at menarche. Most common menstrual disorders were PMS (41.63%) and dysmenorrhea (28.29%). As per BMI categories, most disorders were found in obese (94.87%) and underweight (93.62%) subjects. As per physical activity categories, most disorders were found in low (76.55%) and high (76.40%) category subjects. A significant relationship was found between menstrual disorder and BMI (χ² = 80.49, p < 0.001) and physical activity (χ² = 70.09, p < 0.001).

The menstrual disorders in women are significantly related to their BMI and physical activity. Women are advised to focus on having a balanced, nutritious diet and indulge in moderate physical activity to improve their reproductive health and quality of life.