Menstrual Disorder among Young Female Workers and its Implication on Job Performance (Case Study of Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria).

Abstract

A study conducted among 233 clusterly selected young female workers in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife,, Osun State, Southwest Nigeria investigated the prevalence of menstrual disorderliness and its implication on their psychosocial relationship and job performances.
Data was collected through a self-administered, structured questionnaire. A study population with mean age of 38.8 years and 14.8 years as mean age of first menstrual period revealed that 44.2% and 28.2% of the over 74% married total respondents experienced dysmenorrhoea and menorrhagia respectively. The study showed that the risk of menstrual disorderliness depend on the associated symptom (headache, backache, vomiting, leg pain, pelvic pain and dizziness) with varying degrees between 20% and 55% as reported by the workers. The incidence of dysmenorrhoea was significantly common among women whose menses were associated with headache, vomiting, pelvic pain and leg pain (p<0.01) while excess menstrual bleeding was frequent among those that feel dizzy during menses (p<0.01), those that menses were associated with nausea and pelvic pain (p<0.05). Psychosocially, the study showed that a woman with excess menstrual bleeding was significantly more than 7 times likely to be cut-off of her normal social lives and activities than those who never reported any excess bleeding during menstruation. The likelihood of normal official or unofficial daily activities been disrupted if menstrual discomfort ever called for attention was significantly 5 times higher than in a woman whose menstrual period never called for attention (p<0.05). The study concluded that great number of university workers suffered menstrual disorder and discomfort with impact on their health status, productivity rate, quality of life and social integration and interactions.


IFE PsychologIA Vol. 16 (1) 2007: pp. 224-238