Age at menarche, menstrual characteristics, and its associated morbidities among secondary school students in Abakaliki, southeast Nigeria.
Heliyon 2020;
6:e04018. [PMID:
32518847 PMCID:
PMC7268279 DOI:
10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04018]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 03/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
Menstruation has a variable pattern. Knowledge of age at menarche and providing accurate information to adolescent girls is necessary to allay anxiety, treat menstrual morbidities, and improve their quality of life.
Objective
To determine the age at menarche and menstrual characteristics of adolescent secondary school girls in Abakaliki.
Materials and methods
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in seven secondary schools in Abakaliki among 960 female students. A total of 450 girls were randomly selected for the study. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used in data collection. Four hundred questionnaires were properly filled and used for the final analysis.
Results
The age range of the students was between 10 - 21years. The mean age of the respondents was 16.2 ± 1.7years. The average age at menarche was 13 ± 1.0 years. Urban dwellers had menarche 0.2years earlier than rural dwellers. There is an association between menarche and social class (X [2] 372.9 (2), p = 0.001). About 87.75% of the respondents had an average cycle length. Most (88.3%) of the respondents had a menstrual flow duration of 3-5 days. Dysmenorrhoea was present in 82% of respondents and was severe enough to cause absence from school in 56.5% of students. Oligomenorrhea and menorrhagia occurred in 8.5 % and 6.25 % of the student studied. Mothers (80.0%), friends (75.0%) and teachers (74.5%) accounted for the bulk of the information on menstrual health.
Conclusion
The average age at menarche was 13 ± 1.0 years. Dysmenorrhea is a major cause of morbidity amongst this age group and should be empathically addressed. It is therefore important that the students, their parents, and school managers in the study area be educated on the issues of menstrual problems that can occur in an adolescent.
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