ABSTRACT
The main objective of this study was to determine whether there is an association between drinking caffeinated beverages and menstruation among Saudi female students. During the 2011 academic year, a cross-sectional study was conducted by administering a questionnaire about menstruation and self-reported habitual use of caffeinated food or drinks to 350 premenopausal women with no known medical disease who were working or studying at the University. Odds ratios [ORs] and 95% confidence intervals [CIs] were calculated by chi-squared cross-tabulation. All tests were two tailed, and results were considered significant when p < 0.05. Irregular periods were reported by 140 women [40%], amenorrhoea by 26%, oligomenorrhoea by 20.9%, heavy periods by 13.4% and prolonged periods by 9.7%. Few women [7.7%] reported a previous diagnosis of polycystic ovary disease. Coffee was a risk factor for both prolonged periods [OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.09-5.12;p = 0.03] and oligomenorrhoea [1.95; 1.15-3.30; p = 0.014]. Nescafe was a risk factor for heavy periods [2.22; 1.91-4.12; p = 0.011] and menstrual symptoms [1.84; 1.06-3.02; p = 0.039]. Chocolate was protective against premenstrual symptoms [0.22; 0.06-0.85; p = 0.049]. There is a high prevalence of undiagnosed menstrual disturbances among Saudi university women. Habitual use of caffeine should be considered a risk factor for most menstrual abnormalities