Menstrual patterns and disorders among Chinese women of reproductive age: A cross-sectional study based on mobile application data

Menstrual disorder is associated with blood type in PCOS patients: evidence from a cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have shown a correlation between ABO blood type and the occurrence of certain diseases. However, there is limited research on the potential association between ABO blood group and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This study aims to investigate the potential connection between ABO blood type and the regularity of menstrual cycles, menstrual bleeding level, and additional metabolic indicators among individuals diagnosed with PCOS.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved 312 PCOS patients and 133 healthy controls whose menstruation and blood type were investigated by questionnaires. Their blood lipid content and hormone levels were also measured. We assessed the association between ABO blood type distribution in different groups and the occurrence of menstrual conditions in PCOS patients.

RESULTS

445 women participated in the study. There was a statistically significant difference in ABO blood type distribution among PCOS patients with varying menstrual levels (P = 0.036). Compared with other blood type groups, PCOS patients with blood type O exhibited statistically significant differences in BMI (P = 0.033), E2 levels (P < 0.001), LH levels (P = 0.022), and FSH levels (P < 0.001), and showed a higher tendency towards greater menstrual bleeding.

CONCLUSION

There exists a correlation between ABO blood type and menstrual bleeding level among PCOS patients. In particular, individuals with blood type O display a heightened likelihood of experiencing greater menstrual bleeding with more favorable endocrine status compared to non-O blood types in the population.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04264832 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov ). Registered on February 7, 2020.

Social Determinants of Health and Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review

Social determinants of health play a key role in health disparities. Dysmenorrhea is a highly prevalent and impactful public health problem affecting reproductive-age females. Systematically examining social determinants of health (SDoH) in dysmenorrhea is important for identifying gaps in the literature and informing research, policy, and clinical practice to reduce the public health burden associated with dysmenorrhea. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize the literature on SDoH and dysmenorrhea. The review protocol was prospectively registered. We searched Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Google Scholar through February 2024 using search strategies informed by the literature. Screening of the articles, data extraction, and risk-of-bias (RoB) assessment were conducted independently by at least 2 reviewers on the Covidence platform. Among 2,594 unique records screened, 166 met eligibility criteria and were included for data extraction and RoB assessment. Evidence suggests traumatic experiences, toxic environmental exposures, female genital mutilation, job-related stress, lack of menstrual education, and low social support were associated with worse dysmenorrhea outcomes. However, evidence was equivocal regarding the relationships between dysmenorrhea outcomes and SDoH factors, including socioeconomic status, geographical location, race/ethnicity, employment, and religion. Nearly all articles (99.4%) had a high or very high overall RoB. The relationships between SDoH and dysmenorrhea outcomes were often inconsistent and complicated by heterogeneous study populations and methodologies. More rigorous research examining SDoH in dysmenorrhea is needed to inform policy and clinical practice. PERSPECTIVE: This systematic review synthesizes evidence linking SDoH and dysmenorrhea. The relationships between SDoH and dysmenorrhea were often equivocal and complicated by heterogeneous study populations and methodologies. We identify directions for future research and SDoH factors that could be addressed clinically (eg, trauma, menstrual education, and occupational stress).

Menstrual symptoms and subjective well-being among postmenarchal adolescents

BACKGROUND

Menstrual symptoms are predominantly studied among adults but may occur directly after menarche. Adolescent menstrual healthcare, however, faces specific obstacles and more research into menstrual symptoms as a determinant of adolescent well-being is therefore advocated.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate menstrual symptoms and their impact on everyday life and well-being among postmenarchal adolescents.

STUDY DESIGN

A survey was delivered to a random sample of 1644 schoolgirls, drawn from a population-based project involving 116 lower secondary education schools (7th and 8th grade) in Stockholm, Sweden. Menstrual symptoms (ie, dysmenorrhea, heavy bleeding, irregular periods, mood disturbance, other general symptoms) were investigated through multiple choice questions and defined according to their impact on everyday life as mild (seldom affected), moderate (affected but possible to cope) and severe (affected and difficult to cope). Subjective well-being was measured with the World Health Organization Five Well-Being index. Postmenarchal respondents were eligible for analysis; those with incomplete outcome data or using hormonal contraception were excluded. The frequency and severity of symptoms across different postmenarchal years (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th+ year after menarche) were studied with Chi-square and Kendall's tau statistics. Analysis of variance was used to study the association between menstrual symptoms and World Health Organization Five Well-Being index scores. A composite menstrual health index variable was obtained through principal component analysis and used to study the overall impact of menstrual symptoms on well-being in regression analyses.

RESULTS

Of 1100 postmenarchal girls (mean age, 14.1±0.7 years), 93.2% reported menstrual symptoms, 81.3% had at least 1 moderate symptom and 31.3% had at least 1 severe symptom. The most frequent symptoms were dysmenorrhea (80.4%) and mood disturbance (81.1%), followed by irregular periods (67.9%), heavy bleeding (60.4%), and other general symptoms (60.4%). Throughout postmenarchal years, there was a significant increase in frequency and severity (P<.001) of dysmenorrhea (τ=0.148), heavy bleeding (τ=0.134), mood disturbance (τ=0.117), and other general symptoms (τ=0.110), but not irregular periods (τ=-0.0201; P=.434). Girls with menstrual symptoms had significantly lower World Health Organization Five Well-Being index scores than those without symptoms (mean difference, -17.3; 95% confidence interval, -22.4 to -12.3). Analysis of variance showed significant associations (P<.001) with World Health Organization Five Well-Being index scores for each of the examined menstrual symptoms. In post hoc pairwise comparisons with peers without symptoms, the greatest reductions in World Health Organization Five Well-Being index score were found among girls with severe symptoms (mean difference for: dysmenorrhea, -20.72; heavy bleeding, -15.75; irregular periods, -13.81; mood disturbance, -24.97; other general symptoms, -20.29), but significant differences were observed even for moderate or mild symptoms. The composite menstrual health index was significantly associated with World Health Organization Five Well-Being index scores in regression analysis, independently of age, age at menarche, body mass index, smoking, physical activity, own and parental country of birth, biparental care, and socioeconomic status.

CONCLUSION

Despite growing awareness about the relevance of menstruation to women's health, unmet menstrual health needs are a potential threat to the well-being of adolescents. Education, screening, and clinical competence are important tools to reduce the burden of menstrual symptoms during adolescence and to prevent long-term consequences. The development of novel person-centered strategies should be a priority for clinical practice and research in adolescent menstrual health.

Exploratory systematic review and meta-analysis on period poverty

BACKGROUND

Period poverty is a global health and social issue that needs to be addressed. It has been reported that many females compromise their education, employment, and social commitments during their menstruation days due to a number of reasons, including lack of access to toilets or menstrual products.

AIM

To provide a comprehensive understanding on period poverty, including outcomes associated with menstruation.

METHODS

All observational and randomised clinical trials reporting menstruation challenges, menstrual poverty and menstrual products were included. Our search strategy included multiple electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, ProQuest and EMBASE. Studies published in a peer review journal in English between the 30^th of April 1980 and the 30^th of April 2022 were included. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the risk of bias of the systematic included studies. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) together with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are reported overall and for sub-groups.

RESULTS

A total of 80 studies were systematically selected, where 38 were included in the meta-analysis. Of the 38 studies, 28 focused on children and young girls (i.e., 10-24 years old) and 10 included participants with a wider age range of 15-49 years. The prevalence of using disposable sanitary pads was 45% (95%CI: 0.35-0.58). The prevalence of menstrual education pre-menarche was 68% (95%CI: 0.56-0.82). The prevalence of good menstrual hygiene management (MHM) was 39% (95%CI: 0.25-0.61). Women in rural areas (OR = 0.30, 95%CI: 0.13-0.69) were 0.70 times less likely to have good MHM practices than those living in urban areas.

CONCLUSION

There was a lack of evidence, especially from low- and middle- income countries. Further research to better understand the scope and prevalence of period poverty should be considered. This will enable the development of improved policies to increase access to menstrual products and medical support where necessary.

Menstrual cycle length variation by demographic characteristics from the Apple Women's Health Study

Menstrual characteristics are important signs of women's health. Here we examine the variation of menstrual cycle length by age, ethnicity, and body weight using 165,668 cycles from 12,608 participants in the US using mobile menstrual tracking apps. After adjusting for all covariates, mean menstrual cycle length is shorter with older age across all age groups until age 50 and then became longer for those age 50 and older. Menstrual cycles are on average 1.6 (95%CI: 1.2, 2.0) days longer for Asian and 0.7 (95%CI: 0.4, 1.0) days longer for Hispanic participants compared to white non-Hispanic participants. Participants with BMI ≥ 40 kg/m² have 1.5 (95%CI: 1.2, 1.8) days longer cycles compared to those with BMI between 18.5 and 25 kg/m². Cycle variability is the lowest among participants aged 35-39 but are considerably higher by 46% (95%CI: 43%, 48%) and 45% (95%CI: 41%, 49%) among those aged under 20 and between 45-49. Cycle variability increase by 200% (95%CI: 191%, 210%) among those aged above 50 compared to those in the 35-39 age group. Compared to white participants, those who are Asian and Hispanic have larger cycle variability. Participants with obesity also have higher cycle variability. Here we confirm previous observations of changes in menstrual cycle pattern with age across reproductive life span and report new evidence on the differences of menstrual variation by ethnicity and obesity status. Future studies should explore the underlying determinants of the variation in menstrual characteristics.

1Menstruation: a possible independent health promoter, aging and COVID-19

Women live longer than men. Cardiovascular disorders, cancers, and serious infectious conditions are less common among women than men. Recent data also indicate that women, particularly before menopause, are less susceptible to severe COVID-19, a viral infection hitting less-healthy individuals. The superiority of women regarding health has not been completely understood and partly been explained by estradiol beneficial effects on the microenvironment of the body, notably cytokine network. Estradiol cycles are aligned with menstruation cycles, a challenge for distinguishing their individual effects on human health. Large-scale, long-term studies indicate that hysterectomy, particularly at younger ages, is associated with an increased risk of mortality, cancer, or heart disorders. The underlying mechanisms for the increased risk in hysterectomized women are hard to be investigated in animal models since only a few primates menstruate. However, blood exchange models could resemble menstruation and provide some insight into possible beneficial effects of menstruation. Sera from animal models (neutral blood exchange) and also humans that have undergone therapeutic plasma exchange enhance the proliferation of progenitor cells in the culture and contain lower levels of proinflammatory factors. If menstruation resembles a blood exchange model, it can contribute to a healthier cytokine network in women. Consequently, menstruation, independently from estradiol health beneficial effects, can contribute to greater longevity and protection against certain disorders, e.g., COVID-19, in women. Investigation of COVID-19 rate/severity in hysterectomized women will provide insight into the possible beneficial effects of menstruation in COVID-19.

The comparison of demographics and comorbidities of female pattern hair loss according to the clinical subtype and stage

BACKGROUND

Previous literature regarding the frequencies of each subtype of female pattern hair loss is contradictory and the subtypes have not been compared to each other in terms of their epidemiologic characteristics and relationships with comorbid diseases.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study are to determine the frequency and the relationship with comorbidities for each subtype, and to determine the relationship of clinical stage with age and comorbid diseases.

METHODS

This is a prospective cross-sectional study involving patients with a definitive diagnosis of female pattern hair loss. The age, age at the time of diagnosis, family history for androgenetic alopecia, clinical subtype, clinical stage, and comorbid conditions were noted for each patient. SPSS version 21 (IBM SPSS) was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Advanced stages of female pattern hair loss are related to increased age, menopausal state, and hypertension. Acne vulgaris is more prevalent in earlier stages. Hirsutism and acne vulgaris are more commonly encountered in the Ludwig and Hamilton subtypes. Hypertension is more frequent in Ludwig subtype.

LIMITATIONS

The confounding effect of age on the relationship between clinical subtype and comorbid diseases.

CONCLUSION

The relationship between comorbid diseases and stage in specific subtypes can guide us to the diagnosis of undiagnosed comorbid diseases.