Assessing women's knowledge of the effects of vitamin D on the menstrual cycle and its associated symptoms

Abstract

Background: Vitamin D has numerous important roles.Recent research has demonstrated that vitamin D also reduces menstrual cycle-related symptoms, however comparatively few studies have been conducted purely on this topic.This study is to determine the level of awareness on the effects of vitamin D on the menstrual cycle among women in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from August 2022 to January 2023 in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.Using an online questionnaire, a random sample of 385 females aged ≥15 years were surveyed to obtain data.The data were analyzed with R Studio (version 4.1.1)and Fisher's exact test.In addition, Pearson's Chi-squared test was performed to compare participants who were aware of the connection between vitamin D and the menstrual cycle to those who were not.Results: According to the study, 22.4% of respondents were aware of the relationship between vitamin D and menstruation cycle symptoms.Furthermore, 37.2% thought vitamin D alleviated the intensity of those symptoms.For 46.6% of the participants, the average age at the onset of puberty was 10-12 years and only (5.2%) reached puberty after the age of 15.The p-value for the connection between the age at which the subjects started puberty and the severity of menstrual cycle symptoms was 0.019.Conclusion: Women in Makkah city, Saudi Arabia, are not aware of the correlation between vitamin D and menstruation.In addition to expanding our understanding of this connection, we must strive to raise public awareness of it.