Characteristics of Menstrual Cycles, Prevalence of Menstrual Disorders in Young Women and Their Relationship to Hormonal Contraceptive Use

Introduction: Menstrual disorders and abnormal uterine bleeding are among the most frequent reasons for gynecological consultation among women, especially young women. Method: Observational multicenter study with young women from Spain during 2024. A questionnaire was administered consisting of sociodemographic variables, medical history, type of contraception, and related menstruation. Bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed using binary logistic regression and multiple linear regression. Resulted: A total of 404 women participated. The mean duration of menstruation was 5.1 days (SD = 1.20 days), 3% (12) reported prolonged duration of menstrual bleeding ( > 8 days), and 28% (113) had to change their tampon or pad earlier than or equal to 3 h. Approximately 26.7% used hormonal contraceptives (HC) and its use resulted in a reduction of irregular menstrual cycles with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 0.28 (95% CI: 0.14-0.56), the likelihood of infrequent bleeding or bleeding > 35 days was also reduced aOR of 0.18 (95% CI: 0.06-0.57), as was excess bleeding volume aOR of 0.47 (95% CI: 0.26-0.85). Conclusions: There is a lower incidence of irregular cycles, excessive bleeding volume, and long menstrual cycles in women taking HC.