Academic and Social Impact of Menstrual Disturbances in Female Medical Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Frontiers in Medicine

article

Sabyasachi Maity¹  Jadzia Wray²  Tamara Coffin²  Reetuparna Nath³  Shreya Nauhria⁴  Ramsagar Sah⁵  Randall Waechter¹  Prakash Ramdass⁶  Samal Nauhria⁷ 

[1] Department of Physiology, Neuroscience, and Behavioral Sciences, St. George's University School of Medicine;Medical Student Research Institute, St. George's University School of Medicine;Department of Educational Services, St. George's University;Department of Psychology, University of Leicester;Sagar Hospital;Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, St. George's University School of Medicine;Department of Pathology, St. Matthew's University School of Medicine

关键词: menstrual disturbances;    pre-menstrual syndrome;    pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder;    dysmenorrhea;    prevalence;    medical students;    undergraduate students;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmed.2022.821908

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Background The stressful academic schedule of medical students poses an obvious challenge to their daily lifestyle. Psychosomatic discomfort poses a significant risk for inaccurate self-medication for ameliorating menstrual complications and feeling better, thus directly impacting personal and academic wellbeing. Objective The impact of menstrual disturbances on academic life is not extensively explored. Therefore, the primary objective of this research was to probe the prevalence of menstrual disturbances and assess the academic and social impact. Finally, the authors provide an overview of pharmacological and other interventions students adopt to reduce clinical symptoms. Methods A database search was conducted from the year 2016 till September 2021 for the studies reporting the prevalence of menstrual disorders in all geographic locations of the world. Keywords used for searching databases included “menstrual disturbances” and “medical students,” “prevalence” OR “symptoms” of “Premenstrual syndrome” OR “Premenstrual dysphoric disorder” OR “Dysmenorrhea” in medical students. Prospero Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) protocols were followed. The protocol was registered in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO), the Center for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York (CRD42021277962). The quality of the methodologies used in selected studies was evaluated by a modified version of Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results Initially, 1527 articles were available. After a review, 26 papers were selected for analysis. A total of 25 citations were identified for quantitative analyses, out of which 16 studies reported Pre-menstrual syndrome, 7 reported Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, and 13 articles reported dysmenorrhea. The pooled prevalence of Pre-menstrual syndrome was 51.30%, Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder was 17.7%, and dysmenorrhea was 72.70%. Most common associated lifestyle factors were stress, excessive caffeine intake and lack of exercise. Painkillers, hot packs and hot beverages were amongst the common measures taken by the students to relieve their symptoms. Conclusions The current situation calls for action to accommodate students' needs and bridge the social gap regarding menstrual health. Proactive measures by medical educators and stakeholders are required for an inclusive, accommodating educational environment which will minimize the gender discrepancy in academic satisfaction and professional life.

【 授权许可】

CC BY