Smoking and menstrual disorders.

Abstract

An association between cigarette smoking and menstrual disorders was observed during 1981 in a sample of 1367 women between the ages of 18 and 44 years in selected communities of Los Angeles County. Relevant questions were asked as part of a survey conducted to investigate the general health status of women living in these communities. The five-year period prevalence of physician-attended menstrual disorders, as reported in the survey, was 20.3%; the prevalence of menstrual disorders was higher among smokers (25.1%) than among nonsmokers (18.6%). Women who smoked 1 1/2 packs of cigarettes or more per day were twice as likely to report past menstrual disorders as women who were nonsmokers. The results, though inconclusive, warrant further investigation.