Relationship between Blood Groups, Haemoglobin Genotypes and Menstrual Disorders in Female Undergraduate Students in Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Background: Menstrual Disorders (MDs) refers to as irregularities of menstruation, which is seen as one of most prevalent gynecological conditions affecting women interfering with the regular menstrual cycle, causing pain, irregularly light or heavy blood flow and missed periods.

Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between ABO, Rhesus blood groups, hemoglobin genotypes, and menstruation disorders in female undergraduate students at Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study design was carried out among undergraduate female students. The study was carried between September, 2023 to February, 2024.

Methodology: A total of five hundred and fifty-three (553) undergraduate students were recruited for the study. Questionnaires were administered randomly and data collected from the subjects from September, 2023 to February, 2024. Two milliliters of whole blood samples were collected into ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid anticoagulant container which was used for the determination of ABO, Rhesus blood groups and haemoglobin genotypes using standard serological techniques and Haemoglobin electrophoresis method respectively. Statistical analysis was done using Special Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23.0 and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The result revealed that out of the 553 participants, 64.3% had menstrual disorders, while 34.7% had normal or regular menstrual cycle. The result also showed that menstrual disorders are more common within blood group O-ve, +ve individuals with prevalence of 59.4%, followed by group A-ve, +ve (29.7%), B-ve, +ve (8.1%) and AB-ve, +ve (2.8%) (O>A>B >AB). For the haemoglobin genotypes, menstrual disorders were more common in HbAA (79.7%) individuals with prevalence pattern of HbAA>HbAS>HbSS. Furthermore, dysmenorrhea was found to be the commonest type of menstrual disorder in all blood group types and haemoglobin genotypes.

Conclusion: These findings can be considered to have established a potential nexus between blood groups, haemoglobin genotypes and menstrual disorders in women. Hence, emphasizing the relevance of considering blood group factors in the assessment and management of menstrual disorder.