Introduction: Tobacco is a killer of men and women but sex specific differences exists. Along with the risk of suffering from the various health hazards from tobacco use, women are more prone to unique risks related to menstrual and reproductive function reproductive health hazards. This study was done to know the prevalence of tobacco consumption among the rural women in the reproductive age group and its association with the regularity of menstrual cycles and dysmenorrhoea.
Methods: A hospital-based observational analytical cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of 18 months in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of a tertiary care hospital in the Bundelkhand region. A total of 100 women of reproductive age presenting with abnormal uterine bleeding and diagnosed as dysfunctional uterine bleeding were enrolled. Detailed information regarding tobacco chewing habits, including duration of use, was obtained using a predesigned proforma.
Results: Out of 100 women included in the study, 48% reported a history of tobacco chewing. Dysfunctional uterine bleeding was significantly more common among tobacco chewers (79.2%) compared to non-chewers (46.2%) (p = 0.001). Menorrhagia was the predominant bleeding pattern among tobacco chewers (45.8%), whereas oligomenorrhea was more frequently observed among non-chewers (53.9%) (p = 0.003). A progressive increase in the severity of dysfunctional uterine bleeding was noted with longer duration of tobacco chewing, with severe bleeding observed in 50.0% of women using tobacco for more than 10 years, showing a statistically significant trend (p = 0.002).
Conclusion: Significant association was found between tobacco consumption and the irregularity of menstrual cycles and dysmenorrhoea. It has become the need of the hour to provide enough evidence on the correlates of tobacco use in the community to assist government policy makers, health professionals and the public in developing realistic models towards effective tobacco control to cater to different sections of community in need.
International Journal of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology
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