Influence of menstrual symptoms in work activities in teachers and administrators of the Technical University of Ambato

Abstract

Introduction: Worldwide, research has focused on women's general health, however, the topic of menstruation in the workplace has received very little attention. This research is of great importance because it seeks to know the prevalence of menstrual symptoms in the study population and to verify if it influences the reduction of their work productivity. Methodology: The research is quantitative, observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional, with a total population of 204 women of childbearing age between 25 and 45 years old, who were part of the administrative and teaching staff of the institution. A specific survey was designed for this study. Results: Abdominal pain, headache, mood changes, fatigue and difficulty concentrating demonstrated a greater association with reduced work productivity by showing a p value much lower than the established level of significance (p= <.001). Conclusions: The menstrual symptoms considered in this study do reduce the work productivity of the study population except for the symptom of diarrhea and/or constipation that did not show an association.