Prevalence of menstrual disorders in adolescent girls with taking into account gynecologic age: a cross-sectional study

Menstrual disorders (MD) in adolescents are the predictor of reproductive problems in older age; nevertheless, the data on the prevalence of MD in adolescent girls are controversial.

The aim. To estimate the prevalence of menstrual disorders in the urban subpopulation of 14-17-year-old adolescent girls taking into account their gynecological age.

Methods. A cross-sectional study (2020-2023) was conducted with the participation of 417 adolescent girls - students of 1-2 years of pedagogical college, students of 9-11 grades of Lyceum No. 3, and School No. 14 in Irkutsk. The study used a questionnaire survey method and general clinical examination. The incidence of menstrual irregularity was assessed. Statistical analysis methods included descriptive statistics and statistical hypothesis testing.

Results. Four hundred seventeen adolescent girls aged 16.18 ± 0.7 years were examined. Menstrual dysfunction (MD) was detected in 56.35 % (235/417) of girls, and more than one type of dysfunction was observed. The most common disorder was oligomenorrhea, which occurred both in isolation and in combination with other dysfunctions, and was present in 31.17 % (130/417) of the girls; 23.3 % of the girls (97/417) suffered from abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), and 20.62 % (86/417) suffered from dysmenorrhea. In the structure of menstrual function disorders, isolated oligomenorrhea was detected in 29.79 % (70/235), oligomenorrhea in combination with AUB was detected in 15.74 % (37/235), AUB alone in 15.32 % (36/235), amenorrhea in 2.55 % (6/235) of adolescents, isolated dysmenorrhea occurred in 20.85 % of cases (49/235), and in combination with other types of MD - in 15.74 % (37/235) of the surveyed.

Conclusion. The results of the study indicate a significant frequency of menstrual disorders in a non-selective (non-hospital) sample of 14-17-year-old female adolescent students. The data obtained dictate the need for active detection and correction of menstrual cycle disorders, a prognostically significant marker of the state of the reproductive system in adolescent girls.

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