Problems related to menstruation and their effect on daily routine of students of a medical college in Delhi, India.

Menstrual problems are common among young girls. These deserve careful evaluation as uncorrected menstrual problems may adversely affect the daily routine and quality of life. The aim of this article is to study the prevalence and the effect of menstrual disorders on daily routine among unmarried undergraduate medical students and their treatment-seeking behavior. Of 276 undergraduate girl students, 112 were sampled by stratified random sampling. All the consenting participants were given a pretested semistructured questionnaire to collect their responses by personal interviews. The data collected were analyzed. Premenstrual syndrome (67%) and dysmenorrhea (33%) were perceived by the study subjects as the most distressing problems associated with menstruation. The most common effect of menstrual problems on daily routine reported by the study subjects was in the form of prolonged resting hours (54%) followed by inability to study (50%). More than half (52%) of the subjects discussed their problems with their mother, and 60% of the study subjects were opted for allopathic treatment for their menstrual problems.