Exercise and menstrual function in Nigerian university women.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of menstrual disorders among Nigerian university athletes. We designed a questionnaire to elicit information on the athletes' menarcheal age, menstruation/pregnancy histories and contraceptive habits. One hundred and thirty-three athletes randomly drawn from various Nigerian universities completed the questionnaire. For data analysis, the athletes were assigned to two main groups based on their sporting events, i.e. contact sport athletes (CSA) and non-contact sport athletes (NCSA). The data revealed that NCSA were significantly (P less than 0.05) younger, weighed less and were leaner than CSA. The two groups were comparable in height, length of sporting activities, menstrual cyclicity, incidences of dysmenorrhoea and menorrhagia. None of the athletes reported oligo- or amenorrhoea. The overall incidence of dysmenorrhoea and menorrhagia amongst the athletes was 35% and 41%, respectively. As compared to our previous data in sedentary Nigerian university women, it appears that exercise has a salutary effect on dysmenorrhoea but no appreciable effect on the incidence of other menstrual disorders.