Comparing menarche age, Menstrual regularity, Dysmenorrhea and analgesic consumption among athletic and non-athletic female students at universities of Tabriz-Iran

Abstract

Objectives: Although sport has many advantages, it sometimes causes disorders on women’s menstrual cycles. One of these can be delaying the menarche age and creating disorder in the menstrual cycle. On the other hand, sport is effective on dysmenorrhea and the pain resulted from it. This research aims at comparing the menarche age, menstrual regularity, dysmenorrhea and analgesic consumption among athletic and non-athletic students at the universities of Tabriz. Materials and Methods: This study is a causal comparative one which was done in 2010 on 360 girl students in 18-28 years old majoring in medicine and non-medicine at the universities of Tabriz. Samples were chosen selectively and completed the questionnaires, visual analogue scale (VAS), sport and menstrual record. The data were analyzed by SPSS 16 statistical software via descriptive and inferential statistical tests (Mann-Whitney U and Chi-square). P<0.05 was considered as significant. Results: In studying data, menarche age (P=0.001) and menstrual disorder (P=0.026) had significant difference which was higher in athletic group. The frequency of dysmenorrhea in athletic and non-athletic group did not have significant statistical difference (P=0.39) while the analgesic consumption was significantly lower in the athletic group (P=0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that sport can improve dysmenorrhea and decrease the need for analgesic for improving the dysmenorrhea among the people. Meanwhile, it is necessary to pay more attention to nutrition which is one of the important reasons of delayed menarche and menstrual disorder.