The association between subjective assessment of menstrual bleeding and measures of iron deficiency anemia in premenopausal African-American women: a cross-sectional study

BMC Women's Health

Research Article

Erica E Marsh¹  Lia A Bernardi¹  Carolina Andrade¹  Marissa S Ghant¹  Hannah Recht¹ 

[1] Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 676 N. St. Clair Street, Suite 1845, 60611, Chicago, IL, USA;

关键词: Heavy menstrual bleeding;    Menorrhagia;    African-American;    Anemia;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12905-016-0329-z

 received in 2016-01-16, accepted in 2016-07-22,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundBoth iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia are common in the United States with a prevalence amongst women of 12 % and 4 % respectively. These numbers are even higher in African-American women (AAW) and are often a result of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB). The primary objective of this study was to determine if perceived assessment of menstrual bleeding was associated with objective and subjective measures of anemia in AAW.MethodsQuantitative cross-sectional pilot study with surveys and venipuncture.Results44 premenopausal AAW (mean age 37.9 years ± 9. 4) participated in the study. Iron deficiency was present in 68.2 % of the participants and 18.2 % were anemic. Almost half of the participants reported that their menses were heavy or very heavy, and there was a relationship between perceived heaviness of menstrual flow and anemia (P = 0.021). Of the individuals who reported that their menses were heavy or very heavy, 35.0 % were anemic. AAW who reported heavy or very heavy menses had significantly lower hemoglobin (P = 0.015), hematocrit (P = 0.003), and ferritin (P = 0.012) levels, as well as more general (P = 0.006) and menses-associated symptoms of anemia (P = 0.015) than those who reported normal or light menses.ConclusionsThis pilot study of premenopausal AAW found that a significant percentage of women who report HMB are not only iron deficient, but also anemic. AAW should be educated on the consequences of HMB and counseled to seek care with a women’s health provider when they perceive HMB. More importantly, providers should be aware that when AAW report HMB, evaluation for iron deficiency and anemia are essential.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2016