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

ABSTRACT 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.