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Premenstrual Symptoms among Students in Health Institutions in Zaria, Northern Nigeria

Received: 13 January 2015     Accepted: 23 January 2015     Published: 2 February 2015
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Abstract

Introduction: About 90% of menstruating women get advanced warning of an approaching period because of the physical and/or psychological changes in the days before the period begins. Many women have mild symptoms and in a few it may be severe. This study intends to find the commonest symptoms among students in health institutions in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Objective: To determine the commonest premenstrual symptoms among students in health institutions in Zaria. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in some health institution in Zaria Northern Nigeria over a three month period. A total of 300 students were interviewed using semi structured open ended questionnaires. Information about premenstrual symptoms were sought. The criteria for the diagnosis of (Premenstrual Syndrome) PMS was based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM IV Manual). Data was analyzed using computer software SPSS version 20. Results: Medical students constituted 42.7%, Nursing 28.6%, Medical Laboratory 27.8% and Medical Records 0.9%.Their age range was 18 to 29 years with a mean age of 20 + 3 years. The mean age of menarche was 13.7 years (SD 2.1).The prevalence of PMS was 40.7%. The major tribes (Hausa/ Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba) were more likely to have the above symptoms than both the Northern and Southern minorities. The commonest symptoms was abdominal pain/discomfort as seen in 180 (70.6%) of the respondents. Tiredness 158 (61.0%) and painful/tender breasts 149 (57.1%) were also common. Fifty seven percent (57.3%) 141 of them had severe symptoms warranting drug use while 8 (3.7%) had to be admitted in the hospital. The use of drugs for the above symptoms as well as the hospitalization rate was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Both physical and psychological premenstrual symptoms were found among these students which affected their quality of life. To what extent these symptoms affect studies and family life in our environment requires further research.

Published in Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Volume 3, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.jgo.20150301.11
Page(s) 1-5
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Premenstrual Symptoms, Students, Health Institution

References
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[17] Campbell S, Monga A. PMS; Disorders of the menstrual cycle In: Gynaecology by ten teachers. Campbell S, Monga A, (Eds).AstraZeneca PLC. Arnold. 2000;Chapter 5. 61-63.
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  • APA Style

    Hajaratu U. Sulayman, Nana H. Madugu, Abimbola O. D. Kolawole, Polite Onwuhafua. (2015). Premenstrual Symptoms among Students in Health Institutions in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 3(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jgo.20150301.11

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    ACS Style

    Hajaratu U. Sulayman; Nana H. Madugu; Abimbola O. D. Kolawole; Polite Onwuhafua. Premenstrual Symptoms among Students in Health Institutions in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. J. Gynecol. Obstet. 2015, 3(1), 1-5. doi: 10.11648/j.jgo.20150301.11

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    AMA Style

    Hajaratu U. Sulayman, Nana H. Madugu, Abimbola O. D. Kolawole, Polite Onwuhafua. Premenstrual Symptoms among Students in Health Institutions in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. J Gynecol Obstet. 2015;3(1):1-5. doi: 10.11648/j.jgo.20150301.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jgo.20150301.11,
      author = {Hajaratu U. Sulayman and Nana H. Madugu and Abimbola O. D. Kolawole and Polite Onwuhafua},
      title = {Premenstrual Symptoms among Students in Health Institutions in Zaria, Northern Nigeria},
      journal = {Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics},
      volume = {3},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-5},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jgo.20150301.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jgo.20150301.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jgo.20150301.11},
      abstract = {Introduction: About 90% of menstruating women get advanced warning of an approaching period because of the physical and/or psychological changes in the days before the period begins. Many women have mild symptoms and in a few it may be severe. This study intends to find the commonest symptoms among students in health institutions in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Objective: To determine the commonest premenstrual symptoms among students in health institutions in Zaria. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in some health institution in Zaria Northern Nigeria over a three month period. A total of 300 students were interviewed using semi structured open ended questionnaires. Information about premenstrual symptoms were sought. The criteria for the diagnosis of (Premenstrual Syndrome) PMS was based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM IV Manual). Data was analyzed using computer software SPSS version 20. Results: Medical students constituted 42.7%, Nursing 28.6%, Medical Laboratory 27.8% and Medical Records 0.9%.Their age range was 18 to 29 years with a mean age of 20 + 3 years. The mean age of menarche was 13.7 years (SD 2.1).The prevalence of PMS was 40.7%. The major tribes (Hausa/ Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba) were more likely to have the above symptoms than both the Northern and Southern minorities. The commonest symptoms was abdominal pain/discomfort as seen in 180 (70.6%) of the respondents. Tiredness 158 (61.0%) and painful/tender breasts 149 (57.1%) were also common. Fifty seven percent (57.3%) 141 of them had severe symptoms warranting drug use while 8 (3.7%) had to be admitted in the hospital. The use of drugs for the above symptoms as well as the hospitalization rate was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Both physical and psychological premenstrual symptoms were found among these students which affected their quality of life. To what extent these symptoms affect studies and family life in our environment requires further research.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Premenstrual Symptoms among Students in Health Institutions in Zaria, Northern Nigeria
    AU  - Hajaratu U. Sulayman
    AU  - Nana H. Madugu
    AU  - Abimbola O. D. Kolawole
    AU  - Polite Onwuhafua
    Y1  - 2015/02/02
    PY  - 2015
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jgo.20150301.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.jgo.20150301.11
    T2  - Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
    JF  - Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
    JO  - Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
    SP  - 1
    EP  - 5
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2376-7820
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jgo.20150301.11
    AB  - Introduction: About 90% of menstruating women get advanced warning of an approaching period because of the physical and/or psychological changes in the days before the period begins. Many women have mild symptoms and in a few it may be severe. This study intends to find the commonest symptoms among students in health institutions in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. Objective: To determine the commonest premenstrual symptoms among students in health institutions in Zaria. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in some health institution in Zaria Northern Nigeria over a three month period. A total of 300 students were interviewed using semi structured open ended questionnaires. Information about premenstrual symptoms were sought. The criteria for the diagnosis of (Premenstrual Syndrome) PMS was based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (DSM IV Manual). Data was analyzed using computer software SPSS version 20. Results: Medical students constituted 42.7%, Nursing 28.6%, Medical Laboratory 27.8% and Medical Records 0.9%.Their age range was 18 to 29 years with a mean age of 20 + 3 years. The mean age of menarche was 13.7 years (SD 2.1).The prevalence of PMS was 40.7%. The major tribes (Hausa/ Fulani, Igbo and Yoruba) were more likely to have the above symptoms than both the Northern and Southern minorities. The commonest symptoms was abdominal pain/discomfort as seen in 180 (70.6%) of the respondents. Tiredness 158 (61.0%) and painful/tender breasts 149 (57.1%) were also common. Fifty seven percent (57.3%) 141 of them had severe symptoms warranting drug use while 8 (3.7%) had to be admitted in the hospital. The use of drugs for the above symptoms as well as the hospitalization rate was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Both physical and psychological premenstrual symptoms were found among these students which affected their quality of life. To what extent these symptoms affect studies and family life in our environment requires further research.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, Zaria, Nigeria. West Africa

  • Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, Zaria, Nigeria. West Africa

  • Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, Zaria, Nigeria. West Africa

  • Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, Zaria, Nigeria. West Africa

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