Table 2. Comparative evaluation of uterine bleeding among women of reproductive age of the five geographic regions of Brazil (n=1,761).
| Bleeding parameters | North region (n=213) | Northeast region (n=408) | Central-West region (n=195) | Southeast region (n=724) | South region (n=221) | p-value* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interval between periods (days) | 27.82±16.92 | 29.73±17.75 | 28.89±19.12 | 29.58±23.57 | 21.40±6.54 | <0.001 5≠(1,2,3,4) |
|
| Duration of menstrual flow (days) | 4.93±2.72 | 5.60±5.00 | 6.23±4.39 | 5.77±3.48 | 2.50±0.80 | <0.001 5≠(1,2,3,4); 1≠3 | |
| Cycles <24 days (n %) | 37 (17.37%) | 78 (19.11%) | 37 (18.97%) | 139 (19.19%) | 32 (14.47%) | 0.099 | |
| Menstrual flow >8 days | 15 (7.04%) | 41 (10.12%) | 15 (7.69%) | 53 (7.32%) | 17 (7.69%) | 0.072 | |
| Selfperception of AUB (n %) | |||||||
| Absent | 133 (62.44%) | 247 (60.54%) | 153 (78.46%) | 510 (70.44%) | 165 (74.66%) | <0.001 | |
| Present | 80 (37.56%) | 161 (39.46%) | 42 (21.54%) | 214 (29.56%) | 56 (25.34%) | ||
| Intermenstrual bleeding (n %) | 38 (17.84%) | 45 (11.02%) | 33 (16.92%) | 136 (18.78%) | 39 (17.64%) | 0.017 | |
| Postcoital bleeding (n %) | 20 (9.38%) | 26 (6.37%) | 16 (8.20%) | 47 (6.49%) | 15 (6.78%) | 0.596 | |
| Need to use more than one type of absorbent (n %) | 16 (7.51%) | 47 (11.51%) | 16 (8.20%) | 223 (30.80%) | 65 (29.41%) | <0.001 | |
| History of anemia (n %) | 94 (44.13%) | 120 (29.41%) | 43 (28.28%) | 338 (46.68%) | 62 (28.05%) | <0.001 | |
| Hospital admission due to AUB (n %) | 12 (5.63%) | 13 (3.20%) | 7 (3.58%) | 11 (1.51%) | 6 (2.71%) | 0.023 | |
| Worsening quality of life (n %) | |||||||
| Yes | 133 (62.44%) | 228 (59.29%) | 134 (68.71%) | 425 (58.70%) | 124 (56.10%) | 0.028 | |
| Worsening quality of life (VAS 0–10**, mean±SD) | 4.49±3.66 | 5.28±3.11 | 5.64±2.65 | 5.33±3.15 | 5.14±2.78 | 0.013 1≠3 | |
| Difficulty in care service (VAS 0–10**, mean±SD) | 6.24±2.08 | 6.36±3.41 | 4.07±3.40 | 2.81±2.56 | 2.74±3.38 | <0.001 (1,2)≠(3,4,5); 3≠(4,5) | |
*
Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests; non-parametric Mann-Whitney test;
**
VAS: visual analogue scale.