Prevalence of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding and Its Associated Factors Among Women Attending Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre In Northern Eastern, Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Women of reproductive age experience a lower quality of life and considerable morbidity as a result of heavy menstrual bleeding. This issue needs to be addressed to achieve gender equality and permit women and girls to engage in a range of economic activities. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence and the most common factors associated with heavy menstrual bleeding. METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional study was conducted at a zonal referral hospital in Northern Eastern, Tanzania. Data was extracted from women files who attended the hospital obstetrics and gynaecology clinic retrospectively. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. A univariate logistic regression model was fitted to assess the strength of the association between heavy menstrual bleeding and exposure variables. RESULTS: A total of 162 women aged 15-54 years were enrolled. The prevalence of heavy menstrual bleeding was found to be 24.1%. The following factors were found to be significantly associated with heavy menstrual bleeding; age range of 20-44 years (OR: 0.16;95% CI: 0.02-1.01), hormonal contraceptives (OR: 3.16; 95% CI: 1.15-8.69), having no clots on menstrual blood (OR: 0.19; 95% CI: 0.58-0.651), low haemoglobin level (OR: 5.61; 95% CI: 1.44-21.90), and uterine fibroid (OR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.17-0.73). CONCLUSION: Despite the extreme measurements of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (HMB) in this study, its prevalence remained high. To spread awareness of HMB and its consequences, we recommend screening the general public and offering health education initiatives.