WHAT CAUSED IRREGULAR MENSTRUAL PATTERN AMONG SPORT SCIENCE FACULTY STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITAS NEGERI MALANG?

Abstract

Menstruation is a physiological change involving the woman’s hormones and it influences stress, sleep quality, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI).  Abnormal menstrual patterns can have an impact on a woman’s fertility and cause issues in the future.  This study aimed to determine the impact of stress, sleep quality, physical activity, and BMI on menstrual patterns of female students.  Data was collected during April-May 2023 using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) profile, weight and height, and menstrual patterns questionnaires and Google form was used as a data collection instrument.  The total sample of this study comprised 43 active female undergraduate students who were in the 6th semester of their study from all departments within the Faculty of Sports Science at the Universitas Negeri Malang.  Inclusion criteria were being currently active and in good health, with no current need for hospital treatment.  The univariate analysis revealed that 24 participants (55.8%) had severe stress, 7 participants (16.3%) had very poor sleep quality, 13 participants (30.2%) had sedentary activity levels, and 19 participants (44.2%) were overweight.  The Spearman-rho test results revealed a significant relationship between menstrual patterns and stress levels, sleep quality, and body mass index (p-values = 0.038, 0.043, and 0.044 respectively).  Physical activity was not significantly related to menstrual patterns in research participants (p = 0.347).  Internal and external factors such as stress, sleep quality, and body mass index can all impact menstruation.  Female students are expected to be able to manage stress, sleep quality, and BMI to avoid menstrual pattern disruptions.