ABSTRACT
Although it is a normal process, menstruation is often accompanied by minor or sometimes major problems, like dysmenorrhea and irregularities. Health care professionals have an important role, as health educators and counselors, to provide adolescent girls with information about the normal menstrual cycle and menstruation.
The aim of this study is to describe the prevalence of menstrual irregularities among nursing students faculty of nursing, Assiut University,& their associated knowledge, and the factors affecting it.
A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. A systematic random sample of 215 students was recruited from all four years of the faculty of nursing, Assiut University. This sample size was calculated to estimate a prevalence of any irregularity .
The mean age of students was 18.9±0,9 years. Most of the girls had their menarche at 12 to 15 years age. The period of menstrual flow from 4 to 6 days for (80.0%) of student, and (70.2%) had regular menses from its start., while only ( 26.5 %) had irregular menses , (73.7%) of them don’t take any action about this irregularities. As regard the knowledge related to menstruation it was very low, also it was found only (6.5%) of them had total satisfactory knowledg about menstruation. Also it was found that students whose educated mother had acorrect or satisfactory knowledge (78.6%) compared by un educated mother with a moderate statistical significant p=0.025..The present study was concluded that nursing students’ knowledge related to menstruation and menstrual irregularities is slightely deficient. It is recommended that the preparation of nursing students as future educators and counselors in this health issue should be given more attention.