Factors that affect the menstrual symptoms in female university students.

Abstract

We clarified the relationship between a dietary feeding pattern and discomfort accompanying menstruation, and we comprehensively examined the improvement based on a number of factors including diet, stress, lifestyle, and consciousness concerning physique. A total of 276 university female students agreed to participate, and 172 participants (64.4%) were enrolled in this study. The study was approved by the NUniversity, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. The questionnaire contents included participant backgrounds, theMenstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ), the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQg), and the Stress Check List-KM. We first analyzed several of the MDQ scores during the menstrual cycles and conducted a oneway analysis of variance to test for significant differences. A: The FFQg data resulted in extraction of patterns of food intake through the main-ingredients analysis (the Varimax rotation). B: We also obtained factors that related to MDQ scores by conducting a correlation analysis (Spearman). Other factors affecting the menstrual symptoms were extracted through multiple regression analysis, carried out separately for each menstrual cycle. The independent variables were the scores for A and B. The dependent variable was the MDQ score. The multiple regression analysis revealed the following factors that affect theMDQ total score: ideal weight (β=—0.171, p<0.05), stress scores (β=0.380, p<0.01) during the premenstrual and the menstrual periods, rest (β=—0.166, p<0.05), the pattern of consuming animal protein except seafood (β=—0.153, p<0.05), and overall stress scores (β=0.321, p<0.01).

We concluded the following: 1) The desire for slenderness, 2) lack of rest, 3) lack of animal protein except seafood and, 4) daily stress are the major aggravators of menstrual symptoms. Of these four factors, daily stress has the greatest negative effect on menstrual symptoms. In order to relieve discomfort accompanying menstruation, the correction and resolution of these factors are necessary.