Comparison of quality of life scores among non-exercising adolescent females and adolescent dancers with oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea.

ABSTRACT

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea in adolescent females would have a negative effect on the standard quality of life (QOL) scores as compared to eumenorrheic adolescents, and whether such scoring would differ between those with exercise related oligo/amenorrhea or those with hypothalamic/ovarian causes. DESIGN: Prospective cross-sectional observational survey. METHODS: Young dancers were recruited from the Sports Clinic of a collegial School of Dance, and non-dancers were recruited from a hospital-based adolescent gynecology clinic. All subjects completed a structured self-answering questionnaire recording epidemiological data and a 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). All subjects had a full hormonal profile and pelvic ultrasound to study ovarian morphology. RESULTS: Sixty-six dancers (19 with exercise-related oligo/amenorrhea and 47 eumenorrhoeic) and 90 non-dancers (45 eumenorrhoeic and 45 oligo/amenorrheic) were analyzed, all 16-20 years of age. There was no difference in the scoring between eumenorrheic dancers and non-dancers. Oligo/amenorrheic dancers did not score lower than eumenorrheic dancers. Compared with eumenorrheic subjects or to oligo/amenorrheic dancers, oligo/amenorrheic non-dancers had significantly lower QOL scores in the domains of physical functioning (PF) and general health (GH) and vitality (VT). CONCLUSION: Compared with eumenorrheic adolescents, QOL scores were lower in non-exercising adolescents with oligo-amenorrhea, but not those with exercise related oligo/amenorrhea. The negative effects of oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea on quality of life were apparently attenuated if the menstrual dysfunction was related to physical training.