Association Between Serum Ferritin Concentrations and Menstrual Irregularities in Nondiabetic Korean Women A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: Alteration in the menstrual cycle due to personal lifestyle and physiological metabolism can cause irregular menstruation in women. We investigated the relationship between physiological parameters and menstrual irregularities in non-diabetic Korean women. STUDY DESIGN: This cross-sectional study used data from the 5th National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES) 2010-2012, which included 3,779 nondiabetic women aged 19 to 49 years. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS Statistics version 21.0. RESULTS: We found that menstrual irregularities were significantly associated with age, BMI, hemoglobin, hematocrit, ferritin levels, and total iron binding capacity (p <0.05). Ferritin concentrations were strongly associated with menstrual irregularities in quartile analysis of parameters related to iron metabolism. In addition, the serum ferritin concentration in the highest quartile was associated with a significantly increased incidence of menstrual irregularities in younger women with a smoking habit. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that menstrual irregularities were closely related to ferritin concentration in young, nondiabetic Korean women who smoke. Higher concentrations of ferritin were observed in smoking women, and it may be the cause of menstrual irregularities in young women. In order to improve the reproductive health of Korean women, proper iron metabolism and a nonsmoking lifestyle should be encouraged.